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

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Ive had this lens for about 10 days now and been out shooting with it at least 7 of the 10 on hours long shoots. Camera bodies used with this lens are the Nikon D5500 and D500. Build quality is... acceptable for what the lens is but the plastic flange mount is a serious turn off. I understand an all plastic construction cuts down on weight, which is a fairly decent pro for this lens by the way, but skimping on the mount is just asking for trouble down the road. The Vibration Reduction (VR) feature of this lens wonderfully smooths out shaky hands but seems to add a slight blur to images if left on when mounted on a tripod. A big downside is that no VR "on/off" switch is present on the lens which becomes a problem when trying to track birds in flight at high shutter speed on the fly. This is a problem because the VR does not seem to be tuned for panning stabilization which adds a degree of blur when taking shots while tracking a target. VR controls are located inside the Menu on your Nikon camera but a firmware update may be required and even then not all cameras are compatible with the lens. It is assumed when using this lens with a non-compatible Nikon body that the VR will remain ON at all times. Auto Focus (AF) speed/accuracy is a mixed bag... on the one hand it will focus fast and lock on target very quickly, and it hunts far less than other DX telephoto lenses Ive used. In fact, Ive only ever caught it hunting in near night time conditions and even then it still manages to find focus a majority of the time. On the other hand, the AF does not seem to be particularly accurate. AF will get you most of the way to your target in focus, but when shooting fairly distant targets at 300mm I find it slightly misses the mark. AF in video mode is a completely different story though. In Live View the AF is a slight bit slower but it focus pulls so smoothly youd almost swear you were using a Canon camera instead of a Nikon. Very rarely does it hunt, usually locking focus on near and distant targets without the typical Nikon back and forth "waffling" focus Nikon seems to be known for in Live View mode. The stepping motors are definitely doing their job here, doing it well and I absolutely love it for organic looking video focus. I also forgot to mention early on that it is far more accurate in Live View mode for pictures, even if it is a might bit slower on the focus. Honestly, I could see myself giving this lens a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars if but for 2 glaring issues... First chromatic aberration; the purple fringe wide open at 4.5 or 6.3 at 300mm is EXTREMELY noticeable, especially in bright scenes and absolutely requires post processing in Lightroom to be rid of it. Even after applying the Nikon lens correction profile you will still need to spot fix the purple fringe a majority of the time. Second vignetting; Originally I noticed the vignetting in my pictures and didnt think it was that bad until I applied the Nikon lens correction profile in Lightroom and watched the corners brighten up considerably. Normally this wouldnt be such a huge thing as it is far less bothersome than chromatic aberration except for the fact that this lens is designed for VIDEO. Which brings me to why I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. And please make no mistake, my 3 out of 5 means I actually LIKE the lens, but that I also acknowledge its issues. Post production for video to solve this lenss issues is all done manually in video editing programs and it quickly becomes tedious trying to remove the purple fringe and vignetting every single time you shoot something. The lens is also slightly less sharp than the same priced AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G ED VR which means you wont be able to crop in as much on a photo while at peak image quality. So, tl:dr time, what I like about the lens: Fast focus, live view focus looks/feels organic, you can manually focus the lens while it is auto focusing (giant plus), the focus ring is smooth as butter, and the VR makes hand holding shots/videos a joy. What I dont like about the lens: Plastic flange mount, no VR switch or easily accessible on/off toggle, Auto Focus doesnt seem to be as accurate as it is fast at longer focal lengths, extreme chromatic aberration in bright scenes (especially at 300mm wide open), vignetting on a DX lens (first one Ive used that has it), and its not as sharp as a lens that, while inferior in auto focus, costs the same (The 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G ED VR also doesnt have chromatic aberration or vignetting AND it has a metal flange mount...). Honestly, if they slapped the focus ring, stepping motors and VR from the AF-P 70-300mm into the DX 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G ED VR it would be a nearly perfect lens.

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A nice, smaller zoom lens with considerable reach. It auto focuses fast and can track wildlife such as birds in average light. Super quite too. I feel this is a definite upgrade to the AF-S version for crop sensor cameras such as the D5xxx and D7xxx. Its a good lens to start with when one cant afford the Nikon 200-500. It can work good for sports outdoors in sunlight. Get it. You wont be disappointed. I took these pics the same day I posted this review. These are handheld and at 300mm. No post processing was done outside of some major cropping and slight sharpeners added.

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Great lens. However, it does not work on a D90, even though Amazons tool for checking compatibility says it would. However, it does not, and the lens manual itself lists the D90 as a body it is not compatible with.

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just got the new 70-300 AF-P VR and want to share my experience comparing with my other lenses. It is a great lens, pin sharp wide open at 300mm. Better than my other lenses at 300mm. I highly recommend it!!! Also, the focusing speed is faster that the other two lenses. The new AF-P motor is fast and quiet. I shot these test pics from my window, hand held on D500. I understand for every lens there is sample variation, you can get a good or bad sample. So these pics are only representative of lenses I have. No, no, no to 55-300, 70-300 is so much better PROS: 1. Faster focus 2. Quieter focus 3. Sharp wide open at 300 (no need to step down)!!!! - This one is the most important to me!!! For 55-300 I need to shoot at F11 or F8. 4. Lighter 5. Smaller CONS: 1. You dont have 55 at the wide angle 2. More expensive than 55-300 on used market. 3. Does not have VR switch - only work on modern bodies. 4. Does NOT come with hood, need to order one separately. 70-300 AF-P VR is a brilliant lens - I am in shock that I get tack sharp wide open at 300mm. Like a 300mm prime!!!!! This test shot is at F/7.1 for other 2 lenses. I understand that the pics may be sharper (better) using live view, timer, and tripod. But it is not the way I shoot. I am looking at walking around lens. So hand-held and VR. Below are 3 pics compared at 100% view at 300mm: Update after 2 years of use: I am aware now that Nikon has shutter shock problem - better stay above 1/200 shutter speed - even at cost of higher ISO noise. To minimize shutter shock - need to enable Electronic First Curtain feature on the camera. Also I switched cameras from D500 to D7500. Also, I am upgrading to full frame so testing it against Sigma 150-600 Sport: Nikon 70-300 is so sharp – you only need the Sigma 150-600 if you have Full Frame

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Just bought the Nikon 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 Dx AF-P VR lens this week 11MAY2019, along with the insanely discounted Nikon D7500 with 16-80mm F2.8-4 VR Dx. At 57 I am getting less concerned about carrying the D700 Fx with three F2.8 Nikkor zoom lenses, and am more concerned about having a smaller kit to carry, faster auto-focus with facial recognition due to having a handsome two-year old grandson who never sits still! This 70-300 AF-P Dx is small, focuses quickly, and is sharp even wide-open, nearly to the corners, better of course as stopped down. Anyone making such a purchase is sure to perform their due diligence, just be aware that the Nikon AF-P lenses do not have VR nor AF/MF switches, instead relying on menus in the camera body to enable/disable these features, and will not focus or otherwise function on older bodies, check compatibility via your favorite camera gear website. Looking forward to having my wife take photos with this 70-300 at my college graduation in Indianapolis this weekend and putting this lens to good use at the Indy 500 Time Trials, weather permitting of course!

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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.

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Its okay. I didnt think the performance was exactly amazing. I definitely didnt think it was critically sharp, but I forgot to return the lens before the 30 days was up, so I guess Im stuck with it. Neither the lens nor this moose really blew me away.

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A year or so ago, I tried to buy a replacement D5200 camera. The amazon supplier sent me a D5300 instead. Problem, it did not work with my 300 mm Sigma AF lens that worked just fine with my old D5200. This lens works on the D5300. Im taking it to Africa. Enough said.

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Have gotten a number of nice shots from this lens, and while its kind of slow at the 300mm end, its not so bad that a little Lightroom cant clean things up. Sharp and fast focus when paired with a good DX camera, this is certainly the way to go for your Nikon Crop Sensor needs. Do wish the bottom end was 50mm instead of 70mm, but then I suspect it would be another $100 or more.

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For the price, this lens is a great lens! On my D7200, its 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 its very light and small considering the reach of 450mm. Its a great travel lens. With the high ISO performance of modern DSLRs 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, Im very happy with it. Yes, the soft case and hood is not included but as an experienced photographer its not a big deal. I dont 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.

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