Light, versatile, compact, high qualtiy, sharp, close focusing, warranty, put a #6T filter on it, and you''ve got yourself a 1:1 macro lens!

Rotating front can be annoying with a polarizer.

Amazed at how sharp this lens is. Evidently there are some that are better than others from the reviews, mine is easily sharper than my 80-200 2.8. Hard to beat for its price, and the ED glass is very useful at the higher focal lengths. Mine is sharpest between 150-300mm... wondering if the people are handholding this lens and not using it on a tripod or something. Got a comment the other day from the professional photo developer I go to asking what lens & brand I own because he was amazed how sharp the pictures I took with this lens was. He said "I see pictures day in and day out... but I didn''t think you could get pictures that sharp". Another employee comes around the corner and said the two of them couldn''t believe it.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 80-400VR, Sigma 50-500 HSM APO, Nikon 80-200 2.8, Nikon 17-35mm 2.8 AFS

Nice color rendition. Light, solid enough construction, nice handling. Size is just right for traveling. Can''t beat 300mm focal length for pulling power in a sub $1,000 lens. Sharp enough stopped down to f8.

Not as sharp as a pro lens wide open, but acceptable to me, as I give more weight to composition and color than to sharpness. Way too slow for sports. Focuses a little slow.

I''ve had this lens for about a year and I really like it. I shot sunsets at two locations last summer and got great results. The color reproduction is beautiful, and it is quite sharp stopped down, even at 300mm. You also can''t beat the 300mm focal length. You can''t get this range in any other Nikon zoom, regardless of price. This is an outdoor lens, because it is so slow that you can rarely shoot with available light indoors. A tripod doesn''t help you either, if the subject is moving. For that reason, I can''t effectively use this lens to photograph my son''s sports (baseball, basketball, and football). I just can''t get shutter speeds fast enough (even outdoors in the evening), to stop action - especially at f5.6 for the long end. For that reason, I am either going to get the 80-200 f2.8, or the 180 f2.8 to supplement this lens. I will keep this lens, however, for its flexible use while traveling, and when weight/size is an issue.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Various off-brand tele-zooms. Tried the Nikon 80-200 f2.8. I currently have N80, N60, 50 1.8, 24 2.8, 28-105, and the 70-300ED.

Weight. Value for money.

Build quality.

I was initially skeptical about the performance of this lens after using mostly Nikkor Primes and the excellent Voigtlander Rangefinder system but after shooting with it and seeing the results I can easily recommend it to anyone who needs a long zoom on a budget. Sharpness and contrast on print film was exceptional. If you are happy with the Nikkor 28-105 then this lens is the perfect compliment. At the 300mm end, your sharpness will be determined by how steady you can hold this lens. If you put it o a tripod and stop down to f8 or 11, I dare you tell the difference between pics taken with this lens and a pro f2.8 lens.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 80-200/2.8 Nikon Series E 75-150/3.5

None, Nikon''s legendary quality is going down (in my opinion). They are charging top dollar for their products but are not delivering.

Very light, flimsy build, seems cheap to hold. Nikon is going down the tubes by selling this lens to people.

I bought this lens after I bought my 28-105mm Nikkor. It is a good lens but I am having problems with it. Everytime it takes 3-4 tries to mount the lens onto my Nikon N80. I keep getting an F-EE error on my viewfinder ( I do lock it at the highest f-stop number).

Customer Service

Not used so far. I need to take my lens to the local dealer and get the CPU contacts checked out.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Sharp Price, size, and weight

Somewhat slow Build quality less than manual focus lenses

I originally purchased this lens to use on backcountry mountaineering trips where weight is an issue. The sharpness is quite good, in my opinion, when using color slide film, especially in the 70-135 range. I have also gotten good results in the 200-300 range when used stopped-down on a tripod. Deciding to do some subjective testing on my own, I directly compared this zoom at 200 and 300 mm to my old Nikkor 200 f/4 and 300 f/4.5 lenses (non-ED) outdoors on a tripod. Shooting identical scenes stopped-down to f8-11, I couldn''t detect any appreciable difference in the sharpness of slides at 200 mm, while at 300 mm the zoom was slightly softer than the fixed lens. Color saturation, however, was noticeably better with the zoom at both focal lengths. As a result, I prefer the images made with the zoom. I have been very happy with the performance of this lens, especially when you factor in the size, weight, and price.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 28 f2.8, 50 f1.8, 200 f4, 300 f4.5, Tokina 35-105 f3.5-4.3

Great travel companion in bright conditions. Light and good range.

SLOW - I missed too many late afternoon candid shots due to camera shake. Not too sharp over 200mm

Good starter lense....but loses it''s charm when trying to take low light shots even with a faster film. Nice range 70-300 but the cost is the speed and sharpness over 200mm. Nice price but that becomes less important when the camera shake spoils those candid shots in low light.

Customer Service

None used.

Similar Products Used:

About to buy the Nikkor 80-200 f/2,8 AFS despite the price.

Light, compact, excellent color correction if you leave off filters. They add air to glass surfaces which re-introduce chromatic aberitions reduced by the ED glass.

Loight, ploycarbonate based lense barrrel, early version I tried had noisy focus and very loos e zoom ring. Bought one when Nikon started shipping with "fix" that Nikon service center will do for free on older production.

I have been shooting Nikon SLRS since August of 1966 ...my dad's! I love this lense for travel and carry in my "off-duty" kit. Beats carrying my 70-200/2.8 HSM Sigma and 300/2.8 ED IF AF (circa 1989-90) glass for the "fun" of it.

Customer Service

Not needed on this lense at this time.

Similar Products Used:

Old 70-300 4.5-5.6 non-ED, an optical "coke bottle". Sigma built "Ritz Quanteray" Version 5 70-300/4.0-5.6 which was subject to ghosting and flare.

*Low Dispersion Glass
*Lightweight
*Good Coverage, 70-300
*Fast focusing speed
*Metal lensmount

*None for it's price and class

For the money, this is an excellent lens allowing consumers the use of ED glass on a long zoom lens. The extra range really comes in handy compared to some of my older 200mm zooms. Personnally, I like the fact the lens uses plastic instead of metal construction. With all the glass in such a long lens already, the plastic is almost required to keep the weight down. It does have metal where it needs it, such as the lensmount. The optical quality of my photos is very good with sharp focusing. People should not be comparing sharpness of the optics of this or any other lens to a constant aperture f2.8 lens. Of course the quality is going to be higher in a prime, but the price is also in the thousands, not hundreds. For the price, this is a fine lens.

Customer Service

Not needed, but as long as you didn't buy "Gray market", you have a 5 year US warranty.

Similar Products Used:

Various Minolta and Canon lenses

Obviously, the zoom factor.

No built-in tripod collar makes this a little more difficult to work with.

Great lens, but it badly needs a tripod collar. Frankly, I would look for an after-market lens that offered it.

Similar Products Used:

None

Sharp images with excellent contrast. Excellent range. Light weight and bargain price.

Closer focusing would be nice. Lens hood can be annoying to remove as lens rotates.

This is an excellent lens that you should consider on its own merits, not simply comparing it to the 80-200 2.8. This lens is very light for its range, making it much nicer to carry. It balances well with both my F100 and N80 bodies. It doesn't need special tripod mounts or heavy duty heads for support. It handles well and doesn't slip out of a zoom setting when pointed up or down. The 300mm top end is very useful and gets you into the start of long telephoto territory. The price makes this lens one of Nikon's best deals. If you don't need the speed or like the heft of the 80-200 2.8, this lens is an excellent choice at a bargain price.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Many zooms in the 70-210 range.