Thoughts on the Nikon AF S DX NIKKOR 55-300 lense f4.5/5.6G Vr

[higgo]

Can anyone tell me what they think of this lense, im looking for a good telephoto lense and im thinking this would be a good buy as it has the vibration reduction, does any one have any experience with this lense? or if any one can advise me on a good one to fit my Nikon D60. Thanks in advance. Anne

[Scottm]

Hi Anne.. Personally I would not go with the 55-300, but rather with the 70-300, also VR. While more expensive, it is certainly a lot more robust and it is a lot faster in its ability to focus than the 55-300. The only downside is that it is a bit heavier and slightly larger. Each have their trade-offs, and "robustness" over "weight" is not one I was willing to forego.

My apologies regarding the metal/plastic ring... was thinking of the 55-200 which is plastic.... Joe's post below is quite correct. The issue of speed of autofocus, however, still applies.

[jprzybyla]

Hello Anne, I have experience with that lens. It is my only lens I use for nature/wildlife photography. Scott in the post above wrote that the 55-300 has a plastic connection ring...that is wrong. It has a metal connection ring and also has some weatherstripping. Both the 55-300 and the 70-300 are good lenses. The 55-300 is made for DX (cropped sensors) whereas the 70-300 is made for full frame cameras. I prefer the lighter weight of the 55-300 lens. All of my nature/wildlife photography is shot handheld so I can be more spontaneous than shooting from a tripod, the lighter weight helps in responding quickly to flying birds. Even though the body of the lens is plastic the build quality is very good. If you are a professional shooting everyday and carrying multiple cameras then the 70-300 would be a better selection. If you are a serious amateur as I am and shoot once or twice a week, and do not want or need the added weight and features of the 70-300 then the 55-300 will work fine. I hope this helps, if you have any questions please ask.

[higgo]

Hi Joe, thanks for your feedback. Would you be able to tell me what is the difference between the 50 and the 70 part of the 330 lense, is it the distance ? As you can tell from my question im vey much a novice.

[higgo]

Wrong spelling it is the 300 lense

[jprzybyla]

Hi Anne, the difference between the 55 and 70 on the two lenses is how wide an area is photographed when set to that setting. The 55 will photograph a wider area than the 70.

[Hero]

I prefer my 70-300. although it's a bit heavier (which I count as a positive point because heavier lenses tend to be more stable in my hands), it has a few features I pretty much like.
One is the manual focus override. Just grab the focusring to focus manually. Not only handy for when autofocus fails, but also to preset a starting-point for quicker autofocus.
The other thing I very much like is that the focus- and zoom-ring are swapped. This means I can use my thumb and indexfinger to zoom while using my ringfinger or pinky to focus and not having to shift my whole hand to do either.
Last but not least, it's an FX lens. This means I don't have to worry about new glass when/if I make the switch and on DX I get to use the best bit (center) of the lens while discarding the often lesser fringes. Oh and I don't have to worry about vignetting when using (close-up)filters or a long hood.

[nikonover]

Hi Anne, I have just purchased a Nikon 28-300 f3.5-5.6 G lens ED.I find it reasonably good,my only criticism being the highlights wash out a fair bit,but with adjustments photos are good and sharp.
It is pretty heavy though. Hope this may help. Mal

[TheEvilDonut]

Hello Anne,

I have JUST purchased the 55-300 (like a week ago). I was originally intending to buy the 55-200 but decided to opt for a tad more range. I was pretty happy I did so as I knew that the 55-200 had a plastic connection ring while the 55-300's is made of metal.

From using the lens for the past week I can share these tidbits of information :

PROS
- Very good construction quality. Feels good in my hands
- I like how the lens hood snaps into place instead of you having to "screw" it into place
- Very good zoom range
- VR is very useful especially when zoomed to 300mm
- Bokeh is really nice
- Can actually be used to do macro to some extent

CONS (Sort of)
- Some vignetting when zoomed to the full extend of the focal range
- The manual focus ring is a tad "fast" so you may have trouble focusing manually
- AF is a bit slow
-The available aperture implies that you'll need good lighting or know how to tweak your settings

All is all I'm very satisfied with my purchase and highly recommend it