Nikon Product Reviews and Ratings - 35mm & Digital SLR Lenses - Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood

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Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty image

(based on 11 ratings)

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Brand: Nikon

Located in: Cameras & Lenses, Lenses & Accessories, 35mm & Digital SLR Lenses

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty

More information for the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty

Review Snapshot®

Avg. Customer Rating:

3.5 stars

(based on 11 reviews)

78% of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Customers most agreed on the following attributes:

Describe Yourself:

Enthusiast(6)

Pros:

Clear glass(4), Easily mounted(4), Lightweight(7), Simple controls(4)

Cons:

Slow focus(4)

Best Uses:

Fun(5), Portraits(4), Travel(5)

Good value, but you get what you pay for

By TerminalVeloCD from Perth, Western Australia on 7/28/2008

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast

Pros:

Lightweight

Cons:

Slow Focus

Best Uses:

Portraits, Wildlife

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

+ Excellent sharpness and contrast from 70-200mm.
+ Excellent linear distortion control throughout the zoom range.
+ Excellent light falloff control throughout the zoom range.
+ Comparatively lightweight, but not overly so which means great balance with most SLRs.
+ 62mm filter thread - shares the same filter size as the 28-105mm f/3.5~4.5D.
+ Aperture ring means that the lens is compatible with manual focus and early-model AF SLRs.
- Autofocus is extremely slow and very noisy.
- Average build quality, lots of plastic, but at least the mount is made of metal. Feels rugged enough though.
- Front element rotates when lens is zoomed or focused makes using circular polarizing filters extremely annoying.
- Corner sharpness is almost non-existant at 300mm, overall sharpness at 200mm or longer is very average.
- Not a very fast lens - f4 at 70mm is hardly any good for low-light situations. Lack of Vibration Reduction doesn't help either.

Overall: 3.5/5

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikko

By Gilles

from Miami, Fl on 12/4/2007

Describe Yourself:

Semi-Professional

Pros:

cheap, Easy To Clean, Light weight

Cons:

Blurry Focus, Cheap plastic, Slow Focus, Weak Casing

Best Uses:

Back-Up, General Use, Portraits

Bottom Line:

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This lens is OK for a beginner without deep pockets. It is definetely better than its equivalent 70-300G. It works well up to 200mm. It Pictures are soft beyond that range. The sweet spot is at F/11. Best used during the day for portraits.

Great Lens

By Doublehawk

from Oklahoma, Arkansas on 9/26/2007

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast, Semi-Professional

Pros:

Rugged, Strong Construction

Best Uses:

General Use, Portraits, Sports/Action

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This is a good lens...I wish that It came with a tripod mount on the lens, but other than that it creates some fantastic shots in relatively all light.

Quality glass in an affordable zoom

By Jeff

from Amherst, Ohio on 2/13/2007

Pros:

Clear Glass, Easily Accessible Controls, Easily Mounted

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast

Best Uses:

Fun, Travel

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

Works like a champ under good lighting conditions, and the ED glass provides clear, sharp images.Exponentionally cheaper than similar zooms with larger maximum aperatures - perfect for us amateurs who can't drop a grand on a zoom.

Very good

By Senor Poder

from DC on 2/12/2007

Pros:

High quality photos

Cons:

Not inexpensive

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast

Best Uses:

Animal photos

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This is the second one of these I bought, after the other camara was stolen. I have been hapy with it.

Nikon 70-300 f/4-5.6 ED AF Zoom Lens

By Deborah

from Gaithersburg, MD on 2/12/2007

Pros:

Clear Glass, Lightweight, Strong Construction, Tack sharp

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast

Best Uses:

Travel, Wildlife

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This is one of my favorite lenses and I get some great results with it.

Good Lens

By TC

from Doylestown, Pa. on 2/12/2007

Pros:

Clear Glass, Easily Accessible Controls, Easily Mounted, Lightweight

Cons:

None

Describe Yourself:

Hobbyist/Enthusiast

Best Uses:

Fun, Travel

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

For me, this has been a very good lens. I just wish that it was a bit wider angle lens. Otherwise, it is OK.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

Good lenses for a limited budget

By stanmonk

from San Francisco, CA on 2/5/2007

Pros:

Clear Glass, Easily Accessible Controls, Easily Mounted, Lightweight

Cons:

Slow auto focus

Best Uses:

Art, Documentary, Fun, Travel

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

Good lenses for a limited budget

[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

Very mediocre lens

By Mark

from Lexington, MA on 2/5/2007

Pros:

Easily Accessible Controls, Easily Mounted, Lightweight

Cons:

Glass Not Sharp

Best Uses:

Not recommended

Bottom Line:

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

I own several Nikon lenses to use with my D70, and this one is clearly the worst. Indeed, it's so bad that I've given up using it. The problem is less that the lens isn't clear, as that it washes the pictures out. There's very little contrast in the photographs.

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

Inexpensive, and a cheap first telephoto

By Gil

from Miami, Fl on 12/12/2006

Pros:

Inexpensive, Lightweight

Cons:

Glass Not Sharp, Slow to focus, Soft at high ranges

Best Uses:

Fun, Portraits

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

I quickly graduated to more expensive Nikon products once I realized its limitations

[4 of 6 customers found this review helpful]

Light and compact but soft and slow

By Pat Mann

from Northern Virginia on 8/19/2006

Pros:

Compact, Lightweight

Cons:

Slow to focus, Soft

Best Uses:

Fun, Travel

Comments about Nikon Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This is a light, compact lens that is adequate for snapshots but quite soft for digital on enlargements and very slow to come to focus. Nikon specs show it sharper than the non-ED lens, but it's still quite soft when enlarged. The new VR with silent wave motor should be much sharper and much faster to focus in a similar-sized but heavier package.

Customer Reviews about the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor Lens with HB-15 Hood - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty at Adorama