31.8.2015

This is a brilliant "do it all" lens. I splashed out on it when going on a trip to Romania, and mounted on my trusty old D700 it coped with everything: indoors in dim light, outdoors at long range, close-ups, shots from a moving bus, landscapes, the lot ... and the tripod was 1500 miles away back at home.I found that for "holiday mode" photography (where I tend to shoot first and think afterwards, if at all!) it was best to work in aperture priority mode. I used f8 or f11, an auto-iso setting in the range 200 - 3200, a minimum shutter speed of 1/125th second, and left the vibration reduction on the lens set to normal. This pretty much guaranteed a sharp image with a reasonable depth of field even at the full 300mm zoom setting,and the use of 1/125th was more to deal with moderate subject motion than to control camera shake.In "concentrate on what I am doing" mode it has produced some excellent images: sharp, contrasty and as good as or better than those from any of my existing fixed or zoom lens, most of which are now looking rather redundant. (Note: my D700 has "only" 12MP resolution, which I find plenty. I can't comment on how well this lens performs on something like a D800 with 35MP.)Pleasant surprises:(1) Just how close this lens will focus, even at 300mm focal length. You don't need a macro lens for flowers, insects and the like, and being a bit further from your subject means you are less likely to disturb it, you get a more natural perspective and you are less likely to cast unwanted shadows.(2) Just how useable this lens is in low light conditions, in other words VR works. OK, if your subject is moving it may become blurred if you use a low shutter speed, but I was astonished at how well it did at static interiors. In a few places where my naked eye couldn't work out what that dim image was in a dark corner a photograph at 300mm (hand-held of course) followed by a magnified inspection on the camera's LCD display solved the mystery.(3) Autofocus on my D700 was brilliant. Fast, easily controllable and absolutely spot on (when I pointed it at the right thing of course...). When tracking a moving object, including one coming towards the camera at speed it got it absolutely right. (I'm talking about getting detail of a horse-shoe on a trotting horse when I was in a bus travelling at 30mph in the opposite direction, that's impressive.)Unpleasant surprises:(1) It may be that the firmware on my D700 is out of date, or that having a wide angle / long zoom allows me to compose images that confuse the camera's light meter, but either way neither auto white balance nor matrix metering mode seemed to work well for me with this lens. I found that I had to set the white balance manually for anything other than a bog-standard "landscape at normal focal length" image, and likewise adjust the exposure by anything up to +/-1.5 stops to get the image I'd expect. As I say, it may just be the camera, but nevertheless my experience is that this lens is so versatile that it demands a bit more than a simple "point and shoot" approach.(2) Weight. I'm not too sure about the layout of nerves and blood vessels where neck meets shoulder, but I did discover that the weight of a D700 (heavy) plus this lens (no skinny chicken) when slung diagonally over one shoulder was enough to cause numbness in that arm after a couple of hours. If you are going to be lugging this lens plus a DSLR any distance try a practice run before setting off for real, and organise a sensible carrying arrangement with some padding if necessary.Other thoughts:I suspect that reviewers who accuse this lens of lacking contrast in poor light are probably leaving their cameras in program exposure mode, which tends to revert to wide open aperture in order to maintain a decent shutter speed, and no lens is at its best at maximum aperture. In my view this is an error on a modern DSLR with good high ISO performance, and unnecessary anyway when you have a reasonably static subject and a VR lens to control camera shake. I think you are better off confining the camera to work in a better aperture and shutter speed regime, and letting it adjust the ISO to handle exposure - certainly on my D700 you need quite an enlargement to see much difference between ISO 200 and ISO 3200. Of course others may disagree...Also, as I have remarked under "unpleasant surprises" above, my camera tended to get both exposure and white balance wrong at times, and this could produce dull-looking images as well.In conclusion I am absolutely delighted with this lens as it allows me to get photos in such a wide range of situations. Moreover these are never worse than acceptable even when I am being sloppy in difficult conditions, and if I take sufficient care they can be excellent - in other words the limitation is not the lens but me. I think it would probably be easier to use on a more modern (and lighter!) camera where metering and white balance might "understand" it a bit better, but that is a minor quibble. It is also clear that most of my existing lenses are now redundant.

30.6.2012

I have two Nikon D7000 cameras, a Nikon 35mm F1.8 prime, a Nikon 50mm F1.8 prime and also the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens. After careful consideration, reading the reviews and looking at the images taken by others, I decided to buy the Nikon 28-300mm because I hope to upgrade at some point to a full frame camera like the Nikon D4 and this lens can be use on both full frame and DX models. The D7000 is a DX camera so with the crop factor the Nikon 28-300mm becomes efectively a zoom of 42-450mm (with reference to the 35mm film format).I have read some negative reviews regarding this lens with comments like, It's too big and heavy, lens creepage when tilted downwards,lens distortion at both ends of the zoom range and that the focus is soft. Ok let's take a look at these points of criticism:-Yes, if you are only use to the standard kit lens like the 18-55mm, then this lens will seem big and heavy to you, but remember this is a super zoom lens and it has a lot of glass in it to do what it does and although it is has a weight to it, I found it not to be so heavy as to be uncomfortable to use and on the D7000 I find the balance to be good overall. Another point to consider that you don't have to carry a load of other lenses with you to cover the range of zoom that this lens covers, so as a walk about lens this lens is great.What about lens creep? I have never experienced it myself on either the 28-300mm, or the 18-200mm, in any case Nikon now includes a zoom lock on the lens, so there should not be a problem when the lens pointing downwards in one's camera bag.What about lens distortion? If you have a Nikon D7000, there is an option in the camera's menu settings, switch the `Auto Distortion Control' to `ON' and the distortion is virtually eliminated. If your camera does not have this option you will see some barrel distortion and maximum zoom and pincushion distortion at the wide-angle setting, depending on the subject you are photographing. If it is objectionable one can always correct it in your photo editing software. Remember no zoom is perfect, top professional lenses are better and have less distortion, but they cost a whole lot more and their zoom range is far more limited.What about lens sharpness? The colour rendition and contrast of the 28-300mm (and 18-200mm) I find to be as good as my prime lenses, the prime lenses are a little sharper when stopped down, but the difference isn't that great in reality and if the image is found to be a little soft one can easily correct this with your photo editing software. People may comment that their prime lens is a lot sharper, but then their prime lens cannot zoom from 28-300mm can it now? A top professional lens will perform better if you can afford it, but their zoom range is a lot more limited and you will need two or more lenses to cover the zoom range that this lens covers. Overall, I find the lens sharpness to be good throughout the zoom range, both on the 28-300mm and the 18-200mm and when you consider the range of this zoom, I think Nikon have done a really good job and that why I give five stars in this review.One really big advantage with this super zoom is that one can go from wide to full zoom instantly and so never miss a shot. Another advantage is that you don't have to carry a bag full of lenses with you and because one is not changing lenses all the time, there is less risk of dust getting into your camera to contaminate you camera's sensor.What about Bokeh, those nice blurred backgrounds? Bokeh is limited due to the relatively small maximum aperture of this lens, if Bokeh is of critical importance, one could purchase a prime lens with a maximum aperture of F1.8 or better, or a zoom with a maximum aperture of F2.8, however such zooms tend to be very expensive.Which zoom should I get for my DX camera, the 28-300mm, or the 18-200mm? If one is not planning to go to the full frame format, I would recommend the Nikon 18-200mm, if you do decide to go for the Nikon 28-300mm for use on a DX camera, one will also need a wide angle lens in addition to the 28-300mm. If you already own a the standard kit lens such as the Nikon 18-55mm, this will help cover the wide angle side of things. If one is going to upgrade to the full frame format, then I would recommend the 28-300mm.Whatever lens you go for, make sure that you put a good quality lens protector such as the Hoya Pro 1 Digital MC Protector. This is a low profile, multi-coated filter which will protect your expensive glass. I have come across people who have used a cheap filter, which is not even multi-coated and they wonder why they get poor results.Is the Nikon 28-300mm (and the Nikon 18-200mm) worth the money? Every penny in my view, especially if you can acquire it at a good price.

12.7.2013

I must admit up-front that I am newly digital, so I may have my quirks and strong opinions being a very very late convert from manual SLR film cameras... I guess I always liked the medium and had real trouble letting go. The D800 I own is as good as any of my film kit though, no its better, and that was hard for me to acknowledge at first until I actually held it in my hands and shot with it. This little lens is the perfect partner for my medium format FX digital camera, so if you buy one lens let this one be it... Why? Because it offers unmatched versatility in focal length and portability without compromising as much as you might expect in the results,while saving you loads of money on building a collection of lenses that in my view don't justify the cost vs benefit factor... simply put you broadly covered with this lens, and its stunning quality:- Its surprisingly small and compact, it weighs only about 1kg and is solid and well built... ideal for event photography, or outdoors.- Excellent at low light, it really performs beyond my expectations, although the full frame format does help here.- Sharp throughout, and fast, excellent autofocus- 28-300, that's amazing versatility! Unmatched maybe, when you consider how short and compact a lens it is... This means it is the perfect lens for landscape and wedding photography, and also performs exceptionally at both ends of the range so I can't really fault it!- Some minor criticism I have read were unfounded in my view... Thinking theoretically about low light, speed and bokeh I also went and bought the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G prime lens believing I wouldn't have this area covered properly... That 50mm prime is also a superb lens, its supposed to be unmatched in low light, however after using both these lenses in anger I am hard pressed for a real reason to switch lenses when shooting to my 50mm lens because the quality and speed of this lens is generally close enough to that one... On that note someone else also mentioned it doesn't achieve the desired bokeh, but I find the results actually very pleasing and comparable to using my 50mm prime when at full aperture in aperture priority mode, and you have the added benefit of a faster autofocus and VR... trust me its pretty good, so unless you the fussy type and nit pick about fractions and theoretical margins, you won't be disappointed.- Everyone has a preferred style of working, one thing I love about a lens like this is having the benefit of being able to adjust my focal length incrementally as I please, its not everyone's deal I know, but my experience with portraits is that especially between adults and children I do sometimes like some variation in focal length to get the most pleasing resultI love this lens, what a bargain in my view!

2.1.2016

I bought one a two years ago and have done all sorts of photography with it since with no qualms at all about image quality or the use-ability of this lens. It was designed and built to a very good and robust standard and is intended to be used as a go anywhere, shoot everything lens. In my opinion I think Nikon have achieved their aims as it is as near to perfect as anyone could hope for in this respect, especially given the price.Agreed, it's not the fastest lens out there but neither is it ridiculously expensive. A 300mm f2.8 costs thousand of pounds. It is very versatile, convenient and wider ranging than most. It has enabled me to make many great images. It has VR and all modern Nikon bodies also have wide iso ranges,

2.4.2014

I've had this lens for a couple of months now, and used it quite a bit on my D610 camera. I've been very pleased with it. Because it covers such a wide range of focal lengths it can be the only lens you need when out for the day. I do quite a bit of hiking and switch between landscape and wildlife shots. Because this lens can do both wide angle and telephoto I'm ready for anything. Often you miss a shot because of the need to change lenses - not with this one.Are there downsides to such an enormous range of focal lengths? Of course. The lens is probably not quite as sharp as more limited range zooms or prime lenses, and there's a lot of distortion. The latter is easily corrected either by the camera if you shoot jpeg,

31.5.2011

I needed a versatile lens for a photoshoot at the Hay Literary Festival. The 28-300mm did not let me down and I used it all day, never missing a single shot. No fumbling around changing lenses, it covered the lot.The images are sharp, the autofocus fast and near silent, the zooming smooth. Lens elements move internally so nothing rotates on the outside. The filter size is 77mm; buy filters on Amazon and you'll pay half of what the big photo dealers charge. Yes, there are picky reviews out there that get bogged down in barrel/pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration issues but these effects are hardly noticeable. A lens with this zoom range is never going to be perfect,

11.8.2013

I bought this lens to put on my D600 when I went to Africa for a safari last month. I already have the Nikkor 70-300mm but I didn't fancy changing lenses often in a dusty environment.I am really glad that I invested in this lens as it gave me excellent flexibility so that I could very quickly switch from taking wide group shots and landscapes to taking close ups of wildlife in the distance.This flexibility really came into it's own when I was shooting a male lion and my wife spotted a female lion about 300 yards away quickly approaching a group of Zebras, did I get some awesome Lion on Zebra kill action? Yes I did! Would I have got this if I had to change lenses? No I would not.

30.5.2011

If you are thinking of buying this lens as a 'fit and forget' dont!!However, if you are looking for a good quality high power zoom lens, this is it, the focus is quiet, quick and sharp, it has a nice comfortable, chunky and well built feel to it, my experience of it so far is very positive, it is far superior to the Nikon 18-200mm which I already own.All the pictures of it on Amazon make it look a similar size to the Nikon 18-200mm, which is initially what attracted me, thinking of it as a more powerful 'fit and forget' however it is in fact bigger and heavier, enough to make it uncomfortable hanging from your neck all day long.To be honest I am still not really sure that the extra 100mm over my 18-200 is that useful,

4.3.2013

This lens is good at all focus lengths, but not brilliant, it does not replace prime lenses, but then no zoom lens does. I have achieved images with good bokeh and fairly narrow depths of field at all focal lengths. The VR is excellent and when in video mode is very impressive. When wide open at f3.5 the distortion can be quite noticeable. I cannot say that I have had any vignetting to worry about, or at least that the camera cannot correct (D800).Somewhere I read a comment that there is no noticeable difference between 200mm and 300mm, I would have to say on my copy of this lens I cannot agree.I guess probably the best compliment I can say is that this lens whilst it is not perfect,

31.12.2012

The delivery of this item was first class and the quality of packing to protect the product over and above Nikon's packaging was very good. When I had opened the package I was delighted with the obvious quality of the item. Now having used it for a while, I am delighted with the results and although the limited bottom end f-stop at 3.5, this lens allows me to fit it to my full frame camera body. With the range of 28 - 300 it means that on a casual day out I do not have to carry all my other lenses.I, just yesterday, read an article in Professional Photographer magazine passed to me by my son. This was an issue recommending gear for Christmas and this lens was highly recommended for build quality design and results.

15.10.2014

Once you have one of these you will wonder how you managed without one. The extensive focal range means you are literally ready for almost anything................. From macro to Peeping Tom in a flash, if you'll pardon the punn.The lens can take some getting use to, the lens lock in particular, which I find very useful when carrying it around. While it has a bit of weight to it and I use mine with a Nikon D800, which also has a bit of weight to it, once you get the feel of it, it produces some very good quality hand held images and on a tripod, absolutely wonderful.I rarely take any other lens out with me for the D800 now that I have this one; it also works well on a DX although you will have to manually focus,

6.6.2011

I already have other lenses which cover the focal length range this lens does but there's merit in not having to change lenses all the time when you are covering an event where you might want to go from near-macro to medium tele-photo.There's a price to pay of course. It's a relatively slow lens so you don't get the shallow depth of field you might value from a long lens - it's 3 stops slower than the 200 f2, for example - but if you put it on a Nikon full-frame body, the great high ISO performance plus the lens VR more than compensate in low light. The other price to pay is the slight image distortion you can see at each end of the zoom range.Overall though,

19.8.2013

I read all the previous reviews and hummed and hah'd before getting this lens. I did the right thing! Prior to this I had been using a D7000 with various fixed lenses and the kit lens, but when I went full frame to a D700 I wanted a lens that I didn't have to faff on changing when out on expeditions. I'm not a pro, so it's perfect for most of what I need to do, and other than my macro lens, stays put on the 700. Yes it's all bigger and heavier but I'm a lil' ol' lady and I can manage it quite easily. I have been quite amazed at how far I can bump the ISO up and still have very little noise with this combo, far superior to my previous kit. As it's mostly dark and cloudy where I live oop north,

15.11.2012

I bought this lens because I needed a lightweight zoom I could easily travel with. Because I use mainly fast prime and pro zoom lenses its taken a while to get used the various cons to this this lens. Namely, very bad vignetting on full zoom and poor gritty bokeh. The upsides are a clean crisp image and only having to change lenses when you need to use short DOF in an image. On full zoom, close range you do get a reasonable separation from the background and you can get very close with this lens, a lot closer than with most long lenses.Build is good, plastic inner tubes but nice solid metal casing. No problems with the VR, works very well on this lens.

20.10.2016

I am a professional photographer. I shoot with a Nikon D750 and do mostly nature photography and some travel images. I needed something especially for travel that was lightweight and covered a number of ranges. I read a lot of reviews. Some were glowing and some were not so favorable. The reviews that were not so favorable were from pros who said that they would never use a zoom with such a range. When I hear those sorts of generalities I am cautious.I have found that my images are clear and sharp as long as there is enough light. This is now my walk around lens and I am very happy with it. I highly recommend it to amateurs and pros alike.

Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor - Reviews

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