Nikon 300mm F4 IF AF (not AF-S)

[Pistnbroke]

any one any experience with this lens I have a option on one ( that's the one with the crackle finish ) ...Critical point is will it be better than the Sigma 300mm f4 APO my wife uses at present . that one is very sharp at 5.6.
Thanks in advance

[Erik Lund]

It's a wonderful lens, not so fats in AF but decent on a good body. I would shoot it wide open no problem

Don't know Sigma,,,

[Pistnbroke]

Thanks for that and I think the speed of the internal camera focus motor has been increased on later models.
We will see.

[Øivind Tøien]

Until one year ago, for more than 15 years, this was my wildlife lens, used more often than not paired with TC-14E  one stop down from wide open. I have never used the Sigma lens so I cannot comment on that. I suspect the example below is the above combination based on the aperture used (Exif does not compensate the for the TC). Keeping this lens steady when hand holding is more of a limitation to sharpness than resolving power, I often used it with a shoulder/hip tripod. There was a noticeable difference to the 300mm PF at 100% view when I tested it at ca 4-5m range on a 24Mpix sensor, however when viewing images at normal size it is hardly noticeable. The major difference is that it may sometimes show troublesome purple fringing in the blown highlights (for instance the sun reflected in the eye of an animal) that must be corrected in post. The 300PF is stellar in this respect (and sorry for the pun, also so in night sky star captures).


Slight crop of D200 capture with AF 300mm f/4, one stop down, likely with my modified TC-14E, ISO 400.

I wrote here that I will never sell my AF 300/4 due to the robust build, but I must admit I have had second thoughts about that after getting used to the light weight and size of the 300mm PF...

Edit: I hardly ever used this lens with AF, and with the TC it was not an option.

[Pistnbroke]

Thanks for that ..I managed to buy one for £205   ( $250  ?? )   so will try it and compare with Tokina and Sigma  400 5.6  as well as the sigma 300F4  and let you all know. The Sigma is very sharp at f5.6  .I am hoping the Nikon is better than the sigma wide open.

[benveniste]

I'm still using mine.  Optically it's excellent.  But there are a few things to be aware of.

• The drop-in filter holders often become separated from the lens.  The holder for gels is fairly easy to find, but holder for 39mm filters is getting scarce.  The C-PL1s is even scarcer -- copies have sold on eBay for over $300.  The alternative is to use an 82mm filter up front.
• The minimum focus distance is 2.5 meters, which is a bit longer than I'd like.
• Autofocus speed is slow, as you'd expect from an AF-Nikkor of this era.
• The lens hood is too short
• The tripod mount is solid, but there's very little space between it and the lens
• Originally, it came with a "sock" instead of a lens cap.  You can now buy an 82mm "pinch" Nikon lens cap -- I use a Tamron cap on mine.

If the lens fits your shooting style, it can offer excellent value.  But if you plan on shooting a lot of wildlife or air shows, compared to the 300mm AF-S you may find it's a false economy.

[Øivind Tøien]

• The tripod mount is solid, but there's very little space between it and the lens

I never had a problem with that, using it with a 70mm long RRS lens plate. That is - one cannot grab much around it, but it rests well in the hand, using just a finger or two for manual focusing.

• Originally, it came with a "sock" instead of a lens cap.  You can now buy an 82mm "pinch" Nikon lens cap -- I use a Tamron cap on mine.

Yes, after 12 years, the sock for mine was eventually lost some place on the road down in Utah.   After a period with a Rubbermaid container replacement, I discovered that an 82-77mm narrow step down ring works fine without causing visible vignetting so that I can use a Nikon 77mm lens cap. It works even when mounted outside the Nikon 82mm UV filter that I originally bought for the lens.

[chambeshi]

It is a solid lens, but agre with previous posts that AF is slow, but this older ED 300 has sharp optics fully open. Simpler to get a 3rd party 82mm lens cap but keep the sleeve to help if you re sell it

I sold mine after upgrading to the new 300 f2.8G VRII, which is in its own league

[chambeshi]

2 examples with 300 f ED AF Nikkor on D7200

[Asle F]

The tripod mount is solid, but there's very little space between it and the lens

I have never seen it as a problem that the tripod mount is so low profile.

I discovered that an 82-77mm narrow step down ring works fine without causing visible vignetting so that I can use a Nikon 77mm lens cap.

That is the same setup I have.

[Pistnbroke]

Well a bit disappointed...discount the Tok and Sig 400 f5.6 which are inferior by a long way there is no difference between the Nikon and Sigma 300 f4s wide open or at f5.6. Tests carried out at JPEG Fine/large sharp+9 .The Nikon needed "o" fine focus and the Sigma +10. The Nikon is heavier .has a shorter hood and a non removable tripod mount . So as the Nikon represents twice the investment ( saving for a D820) its gone back on ebay.
When the AF-S version was introduced Hogan commented he was please to see the optical characteristics were retained and from all reports the P is not as sharp.
So I think further investment over the present $140 at the 300mm level is not justified.
I did try a 1.4 converter with the sig 300 but the results were worse than just cropping in.
Thanks everyone for there input.