Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

For the price, this lens is a great lens! On my D7200, it's very sharp from wide open at any focal length. Especially with the awesome AF of D7200, it can focus near complete darkness in an instant. The VR works very well. I can get sharp photos even at 1/20s at 450mm. About half are sharp at 1/10 and lower. And it's very light and small considering the reach of 450mm. It's a great travel lens. With the high ISO performance of modern DSLR's and large file size, this lens is highly versatile. And Nikon is planning to release firmware update for D7200 to include the VR control, which is no big deal for me. Overall, I'm very happy with it.Yes, the soft case and hood is not included but as an experienced photographer it's not a big deal. I don't use the soft case anyway and I already had a screw in hood. The matching hood is not even available yet. But, I like the metal screw in hood better, which sells for less than $10.

I purchased this to replace the identical lens that came with my camera kit years back - identical in all respects except that this lens has vibration reduction. It’s allowed me to use the full range of the lens without a tripod. The professionals can argue the minutiae of its pros/cons. It’s not a $2000 lens, and I don’t have it on a high-dollar camera. I get great pics nonetheless.

AF Accuracy, Speed Image Optics, Bokeh Quality, all stunning for a lens of this price range. Really impressed, especially over the 55-300 VR which is a dog compared to this glass. I love the form factor of this lens and the weight as well. Using this with a D7200 and D7100 IR converted camera and getting stunning results even wide open at 300mm. The AF is fast so it works wonders for panning shots using AF-C. Seriously love this lens the more I use it.One thing to note is that there is no VR switch. Heck there are no switches at all and most of it is made of plastic, but it is extremely lightweight and handles really well. The focus ring on the front is buttery smooth compared to the junk on the 55-300 VR. If you have a DX body, this is a lens to have, no joke.

The Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm VR lens along with the 18-55mm VR lens are must have lenses for most whom travel, and desire to travel lightly. These lenses easily cost below $500. Those conducting business with their cameras or those that can afford hauling heavier equipment around, may desire to purchase the more costly $800+ heavier and larger lenses.ATTACHED PHOTOSPhoto of small brown bird (dsc_0026.jpg): f/6.3; 1/500 seconds; 300.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 450.0 mm); VR On; Standard Picture Control; ADL Auto; ~45 foot distance to bird.Photo of forward looking small bird (dsc_0058.jpg): f/6.3; 1/500 seconds; 300.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 450.0 mm); VR On; Standard Picture Control; ADL Auto; ~45 foot distance to bird.Photo of bird asking for free food (dsc_3265.jpg): 1/500 seconds; f/8.0; ISO 400; 300.0 mm; VR On; Neutral Picture Control; ADL Off; ~15 feet away.Photo of moon (dsc_0336.jpg): 1/500s; f/6.3; ISO 200; 300mm; VR On; Neutral Picture Control; ADL Off; Minor editing within Nikon Capture NX-D.FYI: I seem to have a better experience with duplicating my naked eye observations with using Neutral Picture Control and switching Active D-Lighting off. Although I'm sure Active D-Lighting and Standard (or other) Picture Controls have their use with artistic photos, the additional effects seem to augment the reality of the colors towards the unrealistic end of the spectrum. Active D-Lighting will cause problems with third party raw editing software.PROS1) Small and light portable zoom lens.2) Really good magnification capabilities. Great for capturing photos of license plates!3) Optical VR significantly helps! Without Optical VR, freehand >200mm focal length usage is almost useless, due to image movement blurring. I immediately noticed I could acquire excellent images at ~3.5 stops less. (eg. Without Optical VR image stabilization, at least 1/300 seconds exposure time is required while using no tripod. With Optical VR image stabilization, 1/40 seconds exposure time while using no tripod is easily possible.)CONS1) Plastic mount flange, easily breaks. My initial purchased lens broke sometime during 1-15 days of initial use. A lot of weight for a cheap and weak plastic mounting flange! Does not look to be a high impact plastic at all. (Although, a somewhat easily replaceable, $7 part.)2) Had to return the second purchased lens due to Nikon support stating I likely have a defect on the second lens, and will follow-up as I perform more testing. In brief, the focal point is moving 1-2 mm while pushing the shutter release button halfway, and image stabilization is requiring 1-2 second delay until focus. When pushing the shutter release button fully and instantaneously taking the image/exposure, there are significant unfocused areas due to this 1-2 mm shift with 1-2 second delay in focus. My first purchased 70-300mm lens apparently had no issues with focus during such instantaneous shutter release exposures, and I would have noticed the significant movement of the focal point. (eg. Focus Mode AF-S; AF-Area Mode: Single Point.) 2017.07.19 Apparently this issue with the focal point moving due to image stabilization appears to be normal activity, yet Nikon support wasn't aware of this occurring. Nor did many, if anybody, notice this as normal activity within the public forums.3) Had to replace the third lens, due to a brass/gold colored chip on the inside front lens. Again sent for a replacement through Amazon.com and readily received a replacement.4) The outer lens is only 1 3/4 inches diameter, and seems to be a very small diameter lens compared to some of the more costly zoom lenses I've used in the past. I think the small diameter lens is one of the offsets of being light and portable; and due to the smaller lens, the sensor is not able to receive as much light through the smaller lens. I'm guessing, higher apertures will require a longer exposure time, while the background is still significantly blurred at F/11-F/16 apertures. Since I currently have no other zoom lens to compare to, this maybe something others with access to more lens may want to compare or keep an eye on.5) On some or most of these AF-P lenses, can hear a main spring bind/snap on the interior of the unit while zooming in/out through the entire focal length. My guess is their quality testing is performed within a very noisy factory, or conditions which might deter good quality testing from occurring? (Speculative but might help explain why some of these minor issues are sneaking through, or maybe they're due to reselling by third parties.) None the less, I still enjoy these lighter AF-P lenses.

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas. She made a mistake when she told me the model to buy, so it didn't work with her camera. She called the seller and he offered to exchange it for the correct model.

The lens arrived about 3 days early, packed well, and as described. The price was better than other National used camera equipment sellers. I would purchase again.