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300mm Lens


I have the Nikkor 4.5/300 AI and the Nikkor 4/300 AF-S. The 4.5/300 is not bad, but the more modern / recent 4/300 AF-S is much better in all relevant parameters.
The Nikkor 4/300 AF-S
- can be used at open aperture without any problems, both sharpness and contrast are very good
- excellent performance at f5.6 (it is the "sweet spot" of this lens, with best overall performance)
- very even performance over the whole frame at all apertures
- very short closest focus distance of only 1.45 meters
- very fast and accurate AF
- very good manual focussing
- very good handling
- very good performance with the TC 14EII teleconverter
- I have often had very sharp shots even with only 1/125s when used with the F6 (the perfect mirror and shutter dampening of the F6 also plays a role here)
- as this lens has an aperture ring, it can also be used without limitations on older Nikon bodies.

Best regards,
Henning
 
Thank You
 
I have both the 300mm F2.8 Nikkor Ais and the 300mm F4 Nikkor AF (the first generation of autofocus Nikon. Nothing really needs to be said about the 2.8; its reputation is well established. Its only downside, if it can be considered as such, is its huge size; out for a day's shooting, it can be a bit of a burden to lug around (backpack recommended). The 300mm F4 AF that I use is stellar optically (good contrast, very, very sharp). Its only shortcoming, aside from the slowness of the autofocus, is its minimum focusing distance - a little over two meters. So how do I choose which to use? For wildlife or sports, or for events where I'm unlikely to have to do a lot of walking around, or stray to far from my car, the nod will go to the 2.8. For out wandering around for the day in the city, the F4 will do the job. On balance, both strong performers; circumstance determines which one comes out.
 
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