Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR Nikkor

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR Nikkor Handling and Features

Weighing 745grams, this lens is neither lightweight or overly heavy for a telephoto lens of this type and it balances well on the Nikon D700 used for testing. A large rubberised grip around the zoom ring dominates the exterior finish of the lens and provides plenty of space to hold the lens securely.

Build quality is good for a lens at this price point. The exterior of the lens barrel is mostly made of high quality plastics, and although it isn’t weather sealed, it has a rubber gasket around the lens mount to prevent to ingress of dust and moisture.

The lens takes 67mm filters, which is an uncommon size for Nikon lenses. This may mean a stepping ring will have to be used to enable filters from other lenses to fitted. As focus is performed internally, the filter thread does not rotate, which makes this lens ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters.

Nikon promise that the Vibration reduction system this lens is equipped with will allow sharp shots to be taken hand held at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than would be possible without aid. With this system enabled, I am able to take acceptably sharp hand held shots about half the time at 1/40sec, which is just a little faster than the four stops quoted by Nikon. Increasing the shutter speed to 1/60sec greatly improves my chances of achieving a sharp shot, with almost every shot being absent of camera shake.

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