Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Great Addition to the DX Line-up

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Jim

September 4, 2010

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

First of all I'll say that I ordered my lens as soon as Amazon had them available. I upgraded to next day shipping and got it 18 hours later - quick service. Thanks Amazon!

But now on to the real review...

This lens is fantastic - especially for $399. My first concern was whether it not it had a plastic or metal mount since some DX lenses in this price range have plastic. I even contacted Nikon and they couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me. Well, I was really pleased to see that it does have a metal mount. It has a nice solid feel to it. The zoom movement is smooth and I haven't had any problem with lens creep when I'm aiming it downward. Even when I point the camera downward and shake it, it won't creep.

I'm just beginning to get into testing it but my preliminary pictures are coming out nice - really nice. The sharpness is amazing and the lens produces a very nice bokeh. I posted the image of the dragonfly with the chicken wire background (see the customer uploads) Check out the detail in the wings. That shot says it all. It was HAND HELD and cranked all the way out to 300mm. The original image is great but a lot of the detail was lost with the upload to Amazon. But - none the less - it's still pretty sharp. The auto focus on this lens is fast, smooth, quiet and very accurate. It locked right in on the subject. It was set on aperture priority at f/8 1/500sec for the shot that I posted here (shot with a D-90).

The VR on this lens is great. The detail I get with hand-helds just amazes me. It has Nikon's VRII image stabilization and it even has a tripod detection mode that reduces any vibration from shutter release when it's on a tripod.

Colors are rendered accurately and the contrast is pretty sharp even at the max aperture. The lens is compact for a 300mm and it's lighter than my AF-S DX 18-200mm which I use as my regular walk-around. I'm sure the new 55-300 will be used as my walk around pretty frequently also.

All in all for an APS-C lens, Nikon did a great job with this one - especially for the price. It's a welcome addition to the DX line and I'm really glad I have one in my gear bag.

874 people found this helpful

Upgraded from the 55-200 on a D5200

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LittleFaster

August 8, 2015

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

I shoot a lot of motorsports, and the added length can get you close enough to smell overheated brakes. Seriously, image quality seems as good or better than the 55-200 with added flexibility and superior build quality,. Even after some digging, I'm still not sure if it's VR or VRII, but it works and should be considered essential at extreme zooms. It's fast enough with the higher ISOs (up to 6400 before pushing) of a D5200. Yes the 55-200 is lighter and more compact, but the camera and lens together still weigh under 2.5 pounds, so it's not a beast and remains well balanced.

The manual focus is inelegant but still useful for some landscape and astrophotography applications. Autofocus is nearly always spot on, especially if you understand what your viewfinder is showing you about the points it's looking at. I use all the Program, Shutter/Aperture priority and Manual modes as I usually like to set my own preferences based on the shot. One nifty feature I wasn't expecting: When in P mode, you can set the body to "read" the current focal length and it automatically adjusts the shutter speed (and consequently aperture) to minimize camera shake. Great if you're in a rapidly changing situation.

With this and the sweet little 18-55 VRII, I'm done. My bag is full, and I am happy.

Update 08/09: I've added a sample from perhaps 200 feet. Edited in ViewNX2 and compressed for upload.

7 people found this helpful

This is a great lens, I have used it for only about ...

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gregthe

January 4, 2016

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

This is a great lens, I have used it for only about 200 photos but I love it. I can capture the moon easily and I am able to get stellar portraits! Obviously from my pics you can tell I'm a new photographer so please excuse my quality.

12 people found this helpful

AZ JimTop Contributor: Photography

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Nice upgrade from a kit lens

August 30, 2016

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

I recently treated myself to a new Nikon D5300 camera and rather than go with the kit lenses that I already had, I chose to get a bit of an upgraded long lens. I take a lot of pictures of RC airplanes flying around the model airfield and this lens gives me the reach to bring them up close. When paired with the high pixel count of the D5300 I'm able to zoom in and then crop in my photo editor to make the picture appear even closer. Photos are sharp and clear. The autofocus is fast and I get crisp shots even in burst more when the target is moving fairly fast. I'd say this is an enthusiast-level lens. It's sized for the DX cameras and a good performer for a reasonable cost.

5 people found this helpful

LOVE IT! My new All Around A+ Lens!

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Lauren Solorzano

April 3, 2018

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

A fantastic lens at a killer price. Surprisingly light for being a 300mm! Yes, it is costly, but consider what you're getting: amazing range and capability delivering professional quality shots in what could actually be your 24/7 go-to lens. I am a novice photographer and was delighted to jump into the intimidating world of large(r) lens photography. Takes some getting used to if you're accustomed to a point-and-shoot type lens, but once you've adjusted, you'll be amazed at the quality of photo you'll be able to capture from a great distance! I'm attaching a few photos so that you're able to see the caliber of images this baby delivers.

2 people found this helpful

Great starter lens any beginner should not think twice about buying.

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M. Nickel

March 25, 2015

Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase

Got one used like new from Amazon warehouse deals. I just purchased a Nikon d5300 and this lens is amazing. It was the perfect price and performance is great too. So far i have only shot in day times with it but it focuses quickly and takes great images with the right settings on the camera. I am by no means a pro, maybe slightly above novice. This is the perfect pair to my 18-55 kit lens. I have attached some sample action shots so you can be judge of the image quality paired with the d5300.

11 people found this helpful

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Most recent customer reviews

super clean - as new -as description - thanks

Published 5 days ago

Great, versatile lens I use all the time.

Quality at it's best

Published 18 days ago

Steve Hougesen

Five Stars

good

Published 25 days ago

Kimberly-Ann

Best Versatile Lens

Um, I broke it, knocked it against my stair-railing, but I ♥ it so very much, that I purchased the same as a replacement.Read more

Published 26 days ago

My camera seems to work fine with my other lenses

Five Stars

good

Published 27 days ago

Worked well for 8 months, but now will not focus automatically. Pans in and out but will not focus on the subject and will not allow camera to take the picture.Read more

Five Stars

High quality!!

Reach out and photograph the world

Jerry L.

Good lens and a great convenience. Covers from 55mm (normal lens) range to a fairly long range 300mm. Good for nature photography as it hides you from birds and other wildlife.

This has been a good purchase. I have used this a lot for ...

Rodney

This has been a good purchase. I have used this a lot for my nephew and nieces' soccer games.I wish the f stop was smaller, but at this price, I knew not to expect too much.Read more

I have a 55-200 mm lense. I wanted a longer zoom for an upcoming trip to Alaska. This is a great lense that still allows me to shoot relatively close and far away without...Read more

private

Great all around lense