Is the Nikon 70-300 VR Worth It?

Nikon has released a variety of lenses. These include portrait lenses, macro lenses, and telephoto lenses, to name a few. One of these is the Nikon 70-300 VR which is a telephoto lens. However, before you make the purchase, is the Nikon 70-300 VR worth it?

Is the Nikon 70-300 VR Worth It?

The Nikon 70-300 VR is worth it because it offers a wide range of features at a very reasonable price. Along with the vibration reduction, this lens offers a 4.3X zoom capability allowing you to capture moments from afar. This telephoto lens can be used by professionals and beginners to capture a variety of shoots, including sports and wildlife photography.

Features of the Nikon 70-300 VR

The Nikon 70-300 VR is a telephoto lens and was released in August 2006. Although it has been 16 years since its release, it is still a force to be reckoned with. It works with both Nikon DX (cropped sensor) and FX (full length sensors). This lens offers a 4.3X zoom capability and a longer focal length which allows you to capture high quality images from afar.

This lens is targeted at nature, wildlife, and sports photographers. It has a vibration reduction technology that helps reduce motion blur when capturing moving objects. The Chromatic Aberration becomes visible at a focal length above 200mm. This distortion of color can be seen at the edges of photos.

Furthermore, this lens comes with a sports mode. This is very helpful in avoiding motion blur when capturing moving subjects such as capturing images of wildlife and sports. This lens’s body is very durable and dust and drip resistant.

Advantages of Using Nikon 70-300 VR

There are several benefits of this lens:

• Focus: This lens gives you a silent focus motor thanks to the Silent Wave Motor. It comes with both manual and auto focus options, and these allow you to capture sharp images. This is especially true when you are capturing photos while zooming in.
• Vibration Reduction: This lens comes with Nikon’s Vibration Reduction technology. This allows you to avoid motion blur while capturing images of moving objects and photos at low shutter speed.
• Portable: This lens is very light and compact. This allows you to carry it alongside you while traveling. Also, the light weight means you can capture photos and videos with it for extended periods without feeling tired.
• Zoom Range: It offers a wide zoom range to capture images from afar. This is very useful when capturing candid moments in a wedding or animals in the wild.
• ED Glass Element: The Extra-Low Dispersion glass element in this lens reduces the chromatic aberration compared to similar lenses in this focal length range.
• Durable: All moving parts in this lens are sealed to protect it against dust and water droplets. This makes it a great choice to use in all sorts of environments and weathers. It can even survive a drop on the ground.
• Diverse: This is a diverse lens and can be used for many types of photos, including portraits, macro photography, wildlife, and sports photography, thanks to its variable focal length.
• Compatibility: It can be used with both DX and FX Nikon sensor formats, as well as other cameras that were released after 1990 such as the D90 and D5200.

Disadvantages of Using Nikon 70-300 VR

Even though this lens has many admirable qualities, it falls short in the following cases:

• Low Light Conditions: Its narrow aperture range of f/4.5-6.3 makes it a poor performer in low light conditions. This is because narrow apertures allow less light to enter the camera.
• Sound: Although the focus motor is quiet, the VR makes sounds while working. This makes it difficult to stay hidden while capturing photos. This could be a hindrance, especially when capturing wildlife photos.
• Vignetting: There is a problem of vignetting in this lens. This is more apparent at wider aperture ranges and it reduces as the aperture gets narrower. While Nikon lenses did well in most cases, quality was compromised here.

Related Questions

Is the Nikon 70-300 Lens Good for Wildlife?

The Nikon 70-300 is good for wildlife, especially for DX sensors. This is because of the versatility of the lens. You can capture intimate portraits of animals or zoom out and capture the landscape. Moreover, its light weight makes it easy for you to move around, and the quiet autofocus makes you invisible in the wild.

What Is the Magnification for a 70-300 Lens?

The lens has a magnification of 4.3X zoom. Although this is lower than others on the market, it can still allow you to capture pictures from afar.

Conclusion

The Nikon 70-300 VR is worth it thanks to the wide range of features it offers at a reasonable price. It has a silent autofocus motor, is extremely durable, and has a vibration reduction feature to reduce motion blur. However, it would not work as well in low light conditions and has problems of vignetting.