Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR

by Nikon

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003ZSHNEA
• Item model number: 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #85 in Camera & Photo > Lenses > Camera Lenses
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 17, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

An ideal one-lens solution for FX-format D-SLRs, featuring a broad 10.7x zoom range, close focus to 18 inches at every focal length and VR II image stabilization for handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper still images and stable video capture.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Highlights

Sample photo taken with the Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens.

Versatile 10.7x zoom lens with ED glass and VR II image stabilization
Versatile zoom lens offers a broad focal length range that's perfect for travel, landscapes, portraits and distant subjects.

Optimized for edge to edge sharpness on both FX and DX-format D-SLRs
DX-format D-SLR angle of view is equivalent to a focal length of 42-450mm in FX/35mm format.

Nikon VR II (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization
Vibration Reduction, engineered specifically for each VR NIKKOR lens, enables handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper still images and video capture.

2 Extra-low Dispersion (ED) Elements
Offers superior sharpness and color correction by effectively minimizing chromatic aberration, even at the widest aperture settings.

3 Aspherical Lens Elements
Virtually eliminates coma and other aberrations, even at wide apertures.


Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM)
Enables fast, accurate and quiet autofocus.

M/A Focus Mode Switch
Enables quick changes between manual and autofocus operation.

Internal Focus (IF)
Provides fast and quiet autofocus without changing the length of the lens, retaining working distance throughout the focus range.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC)
Enhances light transmission efficiency and offers superior color consistency and reduced flare.

Zoom Lock Switch
Secures the lens barrel at its minimum focal length preventing the lens from extending during transport.
Focus to 18 inches at any focal length
Extends versatility.

Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
Renders more natural appearance of out-of-focus image areas.

MTF Charts

Product Description

Nikon Fall 2010 New Product Line-up!

Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikkor ED VR Lens Features

An ideal one-lens solution for FX-format D-SLRs, featuring a broad 10.7X zoom range, close focus to 18 inches at every focal length and VR II image stabilization for handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper still images and stable video capture.

Versatile 10.7x Zoom Lens With ED Glass And VR II Image Stabilization
Versatile zoom lens offers a broad focal length range that’s perfect for travel, landscapes, portraits and distant subjects.

Optimized For Edge To Edge Sharpness On Both FX and DX-format D-SLRs
DX-format D-SLR angle of view is equivalent to a focal length of 42-450mm in FX/35mm format.

Nikon VR II (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization
Vibration Reduction, engineered specifically for each VR NIKKOR lens, enables handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper still images and video capture.

2 Extra-low Dispersion (ED) Elements
Offers superior sharpness and color correction by effectively minimizing chromatic aberration, even at the widest aperture settings.

3 Aspherical Lens Elements
Virtually eliminates coma and other aberrations, even at wide apertures.

Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM)
Enables fast, accurate and quiet autofocus

M/A Focus Mode Switch
Enables quick changes between manual and autofocus operation.

Internal Focus (IF)
Provides fast and quiet autofocus without changing the length of the lens, retaining working distance throughout the focus range.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC)
Enhances light transmission efficiency and offers superior color consistency and reduced flare.

Zoom Lock Switch
Secures the lens barrel at its minimum focal leng

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

231 of 238 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great flexibility and good quality, September 9, 2010

By 

S. Heck "Craftsman" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR (Camera)

Received this lens 2 days ago and took it around town and to a baseball game to try it out on my D700. Overall I am very pleased with it. The zoom range allows for great flexibility, the autofocus is fast, VR II superb as on other Nikon lenses. While the zoom is not as loose as the early 18-200mm lenses, you do need the included lock for it not to creep if you carry the lens pointed down on your camera. The weight of the lens as other reviewers say is quite comfortable - mine with clear protective filter comes in at 860g, just a touch heavier than the 70-300mm but not something you'd noticed without a scale. Build quality is very solid.

I tested this lens against my 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR and the 16-35mm f4 VR and overall I was pleasantly surprised how well the new lens did. Three things potential buyers should be aware of:
1) while the lens is listed as 28-300mm it seems to be neither quite 28mm (the angle of view is slightly narrower than the 16-35mm set to 28mm), nor does it quite extend to 300mm (the 70-300mm gets a bit more enlargement). This is not a big issue in normal use since you'd never know the difference without a side by side comparison, but if you're buying the lens specifically for either extreme of the range be aware of this. I don't have equipment to test so you'll have to wait for professional reviews to tell you exactly what the actual range is in mm.

2) while overall I'm very pleased with the quality - no ghosting during shots I took at the ballgame despite not having Nanocoating - when you compare side by side it is not as sharp as either of the other lenses and has, as is to be expected given the zoom range, more distortion. Again nothing that would jump out at you if you just saw a photograph, but side by side especially at 300mm you do notice that fine details (textures, text) are more crisp when taken with the 70-300mm.

3) The lens very quickly goes to f5.6 - by the time you're at 70mm you're at f5.0, and by 105mm you're at f5.3. Before buying I had wondered how this lens compares to the new 24-120mm f4, and I suspect that lens is slightly sharper and if you shoot a lot at portrait length you will fine the full extra stop (f4 vs 5.6) to be quite useful. Note I have NOT actually tested the 24-120 since it' not available yet. And of course that lens is about 25% more expensive.

Overall I'm very pleased with this lens, and despite the difference in sharpness this lens will be replacing my 70-300mm in my bag for most purposes - pretty much the only time I'd take the 70-300mm would be to specifically shoot wildlife or objects I know will be far away and I'm trying to keep the weight down (and obviously if you're really into wildlife you should get yourself a faster longer range lens than the 70-300mm).

Basically with this lens and the 16-35mm you cover an amazing range in two lenses and both of them are excellent lenses with AFS, VR II, etc.

231 of 244 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good travel lens (but it has breather issue), September 19, 2010

By 

Anthony Loh (NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR (Camera)

I am a seasoned hobbyist, who is a frequent visitor to national parks. I have recently gotten myself a copy of this lens.

1.) Basis of this lens review

I use Nikon D300S and D90 so my review will be based on DX format of Nikon's camera.

I do not intend to provide review on the technical aspect of this lens as I am not a professional reviewer. I am sure you will get plenty of technical reviews from many other websites.

This review will be based on my day-to-day photography experience.


2.) Compare it to: -

Nikkor 70-300mm VR and Nikkor 18-200mm VRII, both of which I also own.

I acknowledge that the 28-300mm is not directly comparable to 70-300mm and 18-200mm, but due to the overlaps of the focal range, many people will try to draw a comparison among them and decide whether they should keep the existing ones they have or sell them to get this one, instead.

2.1 Size and build

The 28-300mm is relatively compact considered the focal range it covers. It is shorter than the 70-300mm when "folded". They are about the same length when fully extended. The 28-300mm is a bit heavier. The 28-300mm uses a 77mm filter size, which is common for most pro-grade lenses. It is about the same size as the 18-200mm but heavier.

2.2 Image quality

I tested the 28-300mm against the 70-300mm and 18-200mm at three different focal lengths: 70mm, 200mm, and 300mm. I set my ISO to 200, aperture at f8 and f11, all on a tripod with VR turned off. Some of my subjects were 15 m/50 ft or more from where I stand, some were 5 m/16.7 ft, some were 1.5 - 3 m/5 - 10ft, and some were as close of 0.5 m/1.67 ft.

Based on these settings and conditions, I found the image quality (especially, the sharpness) of 28-300mm and 70-300mm being indistinguishable. Hence, from my perspective, the IQ of this lens is at least as good as the 70-300mm, if not slightly better. It is definitely better than the 18-200mm. The 28-300mm, however, produces better colour and contrast then the other two.

2.3 Lens breathing

In my side by side comparison with the other two lenses, I did experience "lens breathing" issue. The 28-300mm is a heavier "breather" than the 70-300mm, even the 18-200mm.

At a closer distant (e.g., 1.5 - 3 m/5 - 10 ft), and focal length set at 70mm, 200mm, and 300mm, images from 28-300mm are much "smaller" than those of 70-300mm, and 18-200mm.

Based on my test, at 15m/50 ft, 300mm in a 28-300mm is equivalent to 260mm in a 70-300mm. At 1.5m/5 ft, 300mm in a 28-300mm is equivalent to about 170mm in a 70-300mm. However, unlike the 70-300mm, the 28-300mm shouldn't be used with a TC. Hence, it does have limitation to extend the focal length beyond the 300mm.

People who also own a copy of 70-300 may not be too happy with this especially when you can draw a side-by-side comparison of the images produced by these two lenses.

2.4 Bokeh

Tested it against subjects (flowers and birds) placed in front of trees/plants with their leaves reflected with sunlight (the subjects are normally 1 - 3 m/3.33 - 10 ft in front of me, and 5 - 10m/16.7 - 33.33 ft in front of the trees/plants). While, his lens is capable of creating nice bokeh but nothing outstanding. Compare it to the 70-300mm, I like the effect of the 70-300mm better, but then, this is the subjective part and you may have a different preference/taste.


3.) Who is this lens for

This lens is perfect for people: -

- Who needs a large focal range to shoot a wide variety of subjects;
- Who wants to travel light;

This lens is in particular useful for people who frequently use a focal range of below 70mm and more than 200mm.

As a frequent visitor to national parks, I often ditch the heavier Nikkor 17-55mm and 70-200mm combo, and brought the 70-300mm and 18-200mm with me instead. Even then, I often found myself in a situation where I need to shoot a wider angle for certain landscape shots, but suddenly, certain wildlife/birds appeared and I need to zoom all the way in to take close up shots of those subjects. I often missed crucial wildlife shots while changing lenses. I solved that problem by carrying two cameras with me!

However, with the introduction of this lens, the day of me having to carry two cameras should be behind me now.

I think the zoom range of this lens is wide enough for certain landscape shots and is long enough to zoom in to birds on the tree or deer in the forest. If you can bring only one lens to any national parks and that it could cover most of the ground, I think this is the one.

I have posted a few birds photos for your reference.

Although this is a very made consumer grade lens, it is not meant to be compared to professional grade lenses, such as the Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8; 24-70mm f2.8; Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8, just to name a few. If you need that level of sharpness, weather seal, then this lens is not for you.


4.) Others

The autofocus is accurate and quiet. VRII works smoothly as any other VRII lenses I own (e.g., Nikkor 18-200mm VRII, Nikkor 70-200mm VRII). I didn't encounter strange noise as reported.

This lens is capable of taking very close up images. Even at 300mm, the shutter can trigger at about 0.5m/1.65ft. However, you will have the breather issue as mentioned above.

Below is the change of aperture relative to the focal length (it's on an approximately basis): -

- 28mm f3.5
- 40mm f4
- 50mm f4.5
- 70mm f5
- 105mm f5.3
- 106mm and above f5.6


5.) Conclusion

This is a very well made consumer grade lens. If you need a good travel lens (e.g., if you are a frequent visitor of national parks), then this lens should be on top of your list, as long as you bear in mind of its limitation: if you need to either shoot wider than 28mm or longer than 300mm. For the former, you still need to pair it with a wide angle lens; for the latter, this lens won't replace the 70-300mm, as it is not suitable to pair up with a TC.

121 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nikon excels again, September 5, 2010

By 

Mark Makowski "MarkMako" (VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR (Camera)

I'm an advanced amateur photographer shooting landscapes, nature, animals, fast cars and faster jets. I've owned Nikon DSLR's and lenses for the past five years, always upgrading as I make new purchases. I use a Nikon D300 camera body. I bought this lens to replace the Nikon 18-200mm, even though I gave up some range on the low end. As soon as I opened the box I could tell by the weight and feel of it that it is a high quality lens. I started taking a variety of shots of my dogs, inside, outside, and in a park. I was very happy with the results - even my wife complimented me on the pictures which is hard to come by. I used it last night, in the dark, zoomed all the way out to take a few shots at an outdoor symphony concert, with the ISO set at 3200. I didn't use a tripod since there wasn't room; I handheld it so I didn't expect good results. I'm amazed at the sharpness of the images. The VR II works as advertised too. Today I took it out to run it through a few comparison shots to see how well it works under nature/landscape settings on a tripod and handheld. I also took some images to merge into HDR images. The results were crystal clear and exceptionally fast set at ISO 200, even zoomed out to the max. Although it weights more than the Nikon 18-200mm lens, it's a fair exchange for the speed, reach, and clarity that result. I'm planning out my weekends around using this lens at a NASCAR race, air show, and fall foliage in the Shenandoah Valley. This lens is well worth the price; I highly recommend it.