Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Lens

edited January 2013 Posted in » Nikon D5100 Forum
Hello,

I have just purchased a Nikon D5100 and would like to purchase another lens. I'm looking at a Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6G

I'm wondering if this would be suitable for my Nikon and if it is an auto focus lens.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Karen

Comments

  • edited January 2013
    Hi Karen. The 70mm-300mm is a nice lens. There are two, one has VR and one doesn't.
    VR is vibration Reduction which is more important with long zoom lenses. This takes away handshake. I just started up again with a new D5100. I added the 55-300mm vr lens. It's $399 pretty much anywhere and is a nice lens for me.

    Good luck,
    Mike

  • edited January 2013
    Hello Karen, it depends which kind of pictures you plan to take in the future. I assume that you have a 18-55mm lens with your D5100.
    For close situations like flowers, insects and pictures, a 10mm lens would be good. This lens is also good for landscape pictures because of the wide angle view it provides.
    There are 10-100mm lenses available but they cost $700-800. A single 10mm lens is less expensive, but you don't have a zoom. If you plan to take pictures like bird photography or sports where you need to get the objects closer, a 55-200mm or a 55-300mm are your best choices.
    Good luck,
    Peter
  • edited January 2013
    I have the 55-300mm Nikkor and the 70-300mm that you're inquiring about is a decidedly better lens, although the former performs very well and is highly rated for the cost. Remember that the Nikon DX has a 1.5 multiplier, so your magnification with the 70-300mm is actually 105-450mm (in a full frame context). The 55-300mm would pick up where your 18-55mm lens leaves off without any gaps in between.
  • edited January 2013
    If you can pay, always try to get a lens with Vibration Reduction. I have a Tamron 18-200mm without VR and I can't get sharp pictures without using a tripod, even on a bright sunny day. I have to boost up ISO to get more speed and it's a disaster.
  • edited September 2016
    Are there cheat cards for the Nikon D3200 with 70-300mm AF lens?
  • edited September 2016
    When shopping for a 70-300mm AF lens make sure that the lens you look at is AFS, not just AF. There are different versions of the focal length, and only the AFS will auto focus on the D3xxx and D5xxx family, which have no internal focus motors. The older type will meter, but will be manual focus only.

    The 70-300mm AFS lens, though no faster in aperture than the 55-300mm, is said by many to be better - more robustly made and faster to auto focus. The 55-300mm is not bad, and is a decent buy at the price, and is sometimes discounted or rebated too, but the 70-300mm is, I gather, better made - which probably explains why it's about a hundred bucks more expensive than the 55-300mm.

    One distinct advantage of the 70-300mm AFS over the 55-300mm is that it is internal focusing. This means that the front element does not rotate when auto focusing, and that in turn means you can use graduated ND filters and polarizers much more easily. It's also a bit better sealed against dust and weather.

    As far as cheats, I would expect that the cheat cards for the 55-300mm are close enough to the 70-300mm since the apertures and focal lengths are similar. The main difference between the two will be in quality and focusing speed.

    I agree with @gerardh, that the 55-300mm is quite decent also. This is what I have, and though the 70-300mm is better in many ways, the 55-300mm is very serviceable, and a good lens for traveling, a good buy at the price, and a seamless addition to the usual 18-55mm kit lens. However, if you have a gap between 55mm and 70mm, you will not suffer very much either.
  • Hi @frckls13 - The 70-300mm "AF" version is somewhat compatible with the 55-200mm set. However, be advised that it won't autofocus with the D3200. The newer "AF-S" version will autofocus and that particular lens is compatible with the 55-300mm cheat cards: https://www.cameratips.com/d5100/cheat-cards#55-300mm
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