Nikon 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor

Nikon 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor User Reviews

• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by Stephanusius (2 reviews)
  Very sharp, beautiful bokeh, compact and light, fast AF, 2nd hand very cheap, built as a rock

  1000$ more and you can have a VR. You don't need this for action pictures!!!!!!

  At birdview places and sport locations you can see all the nerds with giant 150-600 mm zooms, for what? With the Nikkor 300m f4d you are prepared for this by saving much money and muscle pain.
  This compact and only 1400 gramm lightweight does not need a tripod. With it's closest focusing distance 1,45m you are able to do macros and because of the great sharpness you can crop easily to 1:1. I use it many times on dragon flies hunt for getting a chance to shoot big ones with a long escape distance.
  
  The fast autofocus is perfect for handheld pictures and if 300mm is not enought it works very well with a TCII 1,4 converter. I compared pictures made with a 200- 500mm zoom and cropped it. The 300 mm F4 was better with the advantage of 1 step more light and a beautiful bokeh. To admit: For this performance you need to use a 36 MP Camera or higher.

  reviewed May 3rd, 2020 (purchased for $600)
• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by cesurozkurt.com (3 reviews)
  fast af perfect image quality perfect bokeh better than any 2.8 lenses lightest pro 300mm lens not heavy for professionals . best buy full professional sport lens

  f4 fast af but not world fastest (but still faster than 70-200 vr II)

  f4 can be problem for very low light but not much outdoor sport events ( wait 15 mins can get better sunlight )
  But even use f2.8 u can not take easy low light photos just effect 15 min before sunrise.
  U need fast body like d4s d500 can get %50 better af speed.
  if you never shoot sunrise time no need 2.8 .
  
  No any 2.8 lenses can give better bokeh and better image result than this 300mm d4d lens.
  
  Lens perfect . I lost this lens got gift from my friend 300mm f2.8 dII ( 300 2.8 dII even faster than vr model )
  
  Actually my prefer 300mm d4d for marathon events because i can easy shoot without monopod . Still now im am using 2x heavy 300mm 2.8d II without monopod. taking 5000+ marathon phoots in 3-4 hrs . need practice
  
  u can buy 3 sport lenses economic and best results
  without think i buy first 180mm 2.8 no 70-200
  then i buy 300 f4d
  then buy again 300 2.8dII .I dont buy vr for sport. even dIi faster i test
  
  1 Af 180 mm 2.8 very fast lens under 800gr super light
  2 Afs-300mm f4 not for very low light shots 1340 hr etc
  3 Af-s 300mm 2.8 top pro . 2 x heavy than 300mm more than 2600 gr etc
  
  go to cesurozkurt.com check my marathon photos with 300mm f4d %99 shoots

  reviewed August 1st, 2019 (purchased for $500)
• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by vantje (1 reviews)
  very sharp wide-open

  Flimsy tripodfoot

  This is a great lens, a really great lens.
  Sharpness is excellent from f4 and only gets marginally better at f5.6 to f8.
  No Chromatic Aberration or Color fringing.
  No distortion obeserved.
  AF is fast, but not like newer generations AFS.
  AFS gets better with latest body's like D700 or D3, never lightning speed however.
  Vignetting is very acceptable on FF-camera's.
  Use this lens with the Nikkor TC14E II and you won't see any significant loss of image quality. Great combo !!
  
  Tripod feet: replace it by one from Kirk, this is really terrible!

  reviewed March 19th, 2009 (purchased for $1,900)
• 9 out of 10 points and recommended by ifxmnfly (1 reviews)
  Sharp, quick and quiet.

  Really needs a tripod for the sharpest shots ... but the foot is the weak link.

  I've had mine on my camera with a Nikon 1.4 TC (for a 420 mm total) for the best part of a year. (There is no optical penalty with this TC - Lens combo!) It is an absolute joy for birding - although 2.8 would be a lot nicer - and way more expensive. It is also great for macro shots.
  
  I only gave it an 8 for construction quality, because the tripod collar and foot are simply flimsy. (I think the flex is in the collar rather than the foot.) I've wedged a cork into the foot to stabilize it, and this modification definitely creates far sharper images. Unfortunately, the Kirk or Really Right Stuff collars are clearly better fixes, but for now the cork will do.
  
  In summary: except for the foot - this is an incredibly satisfying lens, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat!

  reviewed March 9th, 2008 (purchased for $1,200)
• 9 out of 10 points and recommended by toondesmit (3 reviews)
  Contrast, sharpness!, hood, minimum focussing distance

  I replaced the collar with Kirk’s

  I started to use this lens this summer for Macro.
  In combination with the PN-11 extension tube and the D200. And with a solid tripod and use of MLU.
  With the lens plus tubes you can keep a safe distance which is nice while approaching dragonsflies and damselflies.
  
  I replaced the collar because Kirk's is better. I don't think it is needed if you shoot above 1/60sec.
  
  I have to say that after some practice the results are really great. It is as if you use a supertele (I own the Sigma 300-800) for macro. Pictures look different than the 200mm f4.
  
  See for yourself:
  http://www.pbase.com/toondesmit/image/84706591
  http://www.pbase.com/toondesmit/image/84505124
  http://www.pbase.com/toondesmit/image/83697534

  reviewed November 3rd, 2007 (purchased for $1,560)
• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by edwardo (5 reviews)
  very sharp

  none

  really impressed , very sharp, easy to use, can shoot without tripod using faster speeds. The color is excellent and the background out of focus is great. highly recomend

  reviewed August 8th, 2007 (purchased for $900)
• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by keegan (6 reviews)
  Amazingly sharp

  Not many, could be brighter

  This is a killer deal for a 300mm prime. I have had this lens for two years and love it. Originally it was my solution to not being able to afford the 2.8 glass, but since its size has really grown on me. It is so small and portable, but just as sharp as it's 2.8 big brother. It excells at sports and bird photography, and performs very well with the TC1.7II, giving you a focal length of 510mm, plus the 1.5 DX crop factor and you're at 765mm for less than $1500. Excellent budget solution to bird photography. The focus is extremely fast, and even functions well with the 1.7TC. Awesome lens all around, the only thing that I've ever wanted was for it to be a 2.8 or to have VR. But you have to pay for those things!

  reviewed December 13th, 2006 (purchased for $900)
• 10 out of 10 points and recommended by mbunge (10 reviews)
  Very sharp images

  None

  I've had this lens for six years. I use it for high school football and some wildlife shooting. In terms of sharp images and quick focusing, it consistently beats my Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR. I shoot digital, so this lens is the equivalent of a 450mm lens; so I have limited opportunities to use it. I'm very happy with this lens and have no regrets about losing the two stops over the 300mm 2.8. In my opinion it's a great value and a great lens.

  reviewed December 13th, 2006 (purchased for $600)