What is a good 300mm zoom lens for nikon?

Hello I would like to pick up a 300mm zoom lens for my N80.
I like to photograph the wildlife when I take walks.

I have a Tokina ATX 400mm f5.6, but the fixed focal length and weight make it not my first choice.
I also have a tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 but the image quality is a bit lacking. Shots from my stock Nikkor 28-80mm are noticeably sharper.

They seem to be all the same f4-5.6. Are there any stand-outs?
Are they just not as good as their fixed-focal length cousins?

Look for a Tokina 100 - 300 mm f 4.0 SD lens.

darinwc said:

Hello I would like to pick up a 300mm zoom lens for my N80.
I like to photograph the wildlife when I take walks.

I have a Tokina ATX 400mm f5.6, but the fixed focal length and weight make it not my first choice.
I also have a tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 but the image quality is a bit lacking. Shots from my stock Nikkor 28-80mm are noticeably sharper.

They seem to be all the same f4-5.6. Are there any stand-outs?
Are they just not as good as their fixed-focal length cousins?

Click to expand...

YES !

Look for a Tokina 100 - 300 mm f 4.0 SD, ( or ATX ) lens.
This lens is as sharp as they come, available in MF & AF focusing.
Plus the rear lens throat will allow a Nikon 1.4 B Tele-Extender to
be used, ( this is the one for the long lenses, with the " nose "
sticking out past the front mount ).

With the Nikon Tele-extender added you will be at 420 mm f 5.6
You won't even need the Tokina 400 mm anymore, I didn't !

Were you using the Tamron VC or one of their older models? Without VC/OS/VR or a similar system, I find 70-300mm lenses quite challenging to use handheld on film cameras. None of them are at their best wide open, yet all too often you have to shoot wide open in order to get a high enough shutter speed to overcome camera shake.

I destroyed my 70-300mm ED in a "5 foot drop" test after getting nudged by an inline skater. I tried replacing it with a Tokina 80-400mm, but found that even more difficult to use. I settled on a Nikon 70-300mm VR, which I typically use it as part of a lightweight travel kit. I'm happy with it in that role, but when I expect to be using a longer lens a lot, such as for motorsports, I use a 300mm f/4.

The 100-300mm f/4 suggested by Vanishing Point is quite a bit heavier. Unfortunately, with an N80, using a 14B teleconverter with any lens limits one to unmetered manual exposure only.