Verdict
Pros
- Internal focusing
Cons
- Not much at all
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £400
Most lenses of this type offer a maximum aperture of f/4 but Nikon’s lens is limited to f/4.5. Despite this, it requires a 67mm lens cap even though its faster f/4 competitors are able to make do with either 58mm or 62mm.
The lens has internal focusing and an impressive AF action thanks to Nikon’s SWM technology. These advantages immediately put the Nikkor in a different class and should render it quiet enough to leave both nervous wildlife and temperamental golfers unperturbed.
The zoom ring dominates the lens barrel, with a narrow manual focus ring located to the rear. Manual focusing can be applied in AF mode. Beneath the AF mode selector is the second-generation Vibration Reduction switch and below that, slightly recessed to prevent accidental adjustment, is the VR mode slider. All of these, plus a focused-distance window, are located closest to the camera body. Overall balance, even with the lens fully extended, is excellent thanks to the size and position of the zoom ring.
Technical testing revealed good consistency but no particular sweet-spot. As is normal for zooms of this type, the 300mm setting produced the weakest MTF results and was also associated with slight colour fringing in high-contrast test-target images (but not in real-life pictures). Sadly, in Nikon’s case the 300mm setting narrowly failed to reach the critical 0.25 cycles-per-pixel level that was the norm for other focal-lengths down to f/16.
sample images
Verdict
This is a well-specified lens that ought to be worth the £400. There is a minor reservation in that the review lens sometimes parked itself at the minimum focusing distance in AF mode and would only move again if you switched off the camera and then reactivated it. This apparent fault may have been caused by careless previous handling (the review sample having arrived unboxed) so our scores for Quality and Performance assume that this is not a design problem. Potential buyers should check their intended purchases for this behaviour before parting with any cash.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 9
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Design 9
-
Image Quality 9
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Features 10
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
