cheap, light, and good picture quality at shorter focal lengths

vignetting at or near 300mm

Vignetting was too bad for me. Why buy 300 mm zoom if it is only useful to 200? Much happier with the Nikon. I guess you get what you pay for.

Customer Service

Ritz was great at trying to get rid of vignetting. Tried different lenses, filters and even camera bodies.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 70-300

Good price for the quality that you get. It has a reasonable macro range (minimum focus of 3.1 feet, as opposed to 4+ feet on other macro lenses of this focal length range).
I bought mine used for 150 dollars and well worth the price - has seen much use.

If you don't use this lens on a fast camera body (700/800si or a Nikon N80 or beyond) you can't use the autofocus at the 200-300mm range. I used this thing on my Minolta 400si, and while it's great for landscape and such, when you zoom in, you usually need to use manual focus unless if it is EXTREMELY bright outside.

if you can get this lens under 200 dollars and aren't really into sports, take it. The versatility in focal length plus the macro does make this a very useful lens.

Customer Service

no need

Similar Products Used:

Minolta MaxxumAF 70-300mm

Cheap. Glass is good for $200.

Very plastic feel, Hard to focus manually. AF tracks back and forth when in macro mode at 300mm. Hard to switch from tele to macro while looking through the viewfinder.

You get what you pay for. This is a good lense for the price.

Customer Service

haven't needed it yet

Similar Products Used:

None

Cheap. Good glass for the price. Easy to use. Light weight.

Build could be better (but for $200, I can replace it when it breaks).

This is the same as the Sigma 70-300 DL lens, but with a Quantaray badge.

My most-used lens, I shoot surfers from Huntington Pier with it almost every weekend. It's light weight, has twist-zoom, and good contrast and color rendition. It is sharper then I would expect from a $200 lens, and works fine up to 8x10.

AF is smooth and quiet, my 7xi has no problems with it at all.

Customer Service

Ritz is sooo easy to work with.

Similar Products Used:

Various Minolta and Sigma lenses.

Superior low dispersion optics results in very precise color reproduction. Macro feature (1:2 from about 4 feet) is what you need to shoot insects (that's what I usually waste my film on). Quiet and relatively errorless autofocus. Reasonable weight and very reasonable price ($199 at Ritz Camera)

A zoom ring is rather stiff. Moreover, in cold weather it becomes so stiff that it is getting quite problematic to use it, especially when wearing gloves. It was so detrimental for the lens usability that I decided to part with it. Macro switch is also hard to move - definitely not possible when looking through the viewfinder. A hood is not included in the package.

If you have only two hundred bucks to spend on a telephoto zoom lens with excellent optical qualities - this is your solution. But do not expect much in terms of quality of build.

Customer Service

Ritz Camera promptly and without argument accepted the lens back :-)

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 75-200 f/2.8-3.5
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO
Tamron 200-400 f/5.6 LD
Tair 300 f/4.5

For someone just really getting into photography and a marriage this is the best lens for the money. I have probably shot over 100 rolls on my Stsi using this lens. I have no problems with focusing (manual or Auto), vignetting, the macro switch, clearity. No Complaints once so ever!

You'll be the first to know if I find one.

I love it and the Newspaper buys my photos

Customer Service

No need but I got it at Ritz and they have never been anything but helpful and honest.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor, Sigma, tamaron.

The zoom range and macro mode make it a very useful all-around lens. I have taken some very sharp macro shots and have had no problem with vignetting.

The macro switch is difficult to use.

My interest is urban wildlife and this lens can cover just about all my needs. Its range and macro mode has helped me capture wading birds, squirrels, bunnies, and alligators as well as insects and other creepy-crawlies. It is a tad short for smaller birds. I use a manual SLR and have not had a chance to test the auto-focus. Every auto-focus POS that I have used does seem to have trouble with macro shots.

Customer Service

Ritz is courteous and helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Sears 28mm-70mm

Workhorse--everything about it has been wonderful

If I had to pick one-the minimum focusing distance-but it's a MINOR point for me

When I first got into photography and needed a long lense-this was the one i was able to afford. I have never regretted this purchase. Some say the glass is cheap--maybe i got the best cut for the money, i don't know. Sun glare pops up easily as with many zoom lenses but I've worked around it. Bottom line-this lense has paid for itself tenfold!

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 170-500mm
An eh! lens

sharpe image, macro handy for flowers, can hand hold easy, very versitile

not very quite, need alittle more zoom for wildlife

a great all purpose lense, a must have for your camera

Similar Products Used:

None

It is lightweight. The macro feature has added so much to my pictures this spring.

I don't know of any yet.

Just ask to see my picture of the unopened fiddle head ferns that I found buried within some blooming tulips. That says it all. Best buy this casual photographer has made.

Customer Service

At Ritz, it's awesome.

Similar Products Used:

None