Nikon AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Just got my hands on the Nikon AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED. Brought it to the Super GT 2009 Round 4 race in Malaysia’s Sepang Circuit. Here’s a little review. Sorry to disappoint those looking for brick walls or test charts, I don’t know how to shoot those. 
This is the latest 300mm f/2.8 lens with all the latest bells and whistles. Vibration Reduction technology to enable shooting in very low shutter speeds, Nano-Crystal coatings which provides anti reflective properties that eliminates ghosting and flare. As a replacement for the AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED II, it has all features of the older lens, Silent Wave Autofocus Motor, ED Glass elements, Internal Focusing and the G series design which moves aperture control to the camera body. For the price of the lens, it comes with a very cool carbon fiber hood. It’s so light, probably lighter then the hood on a the 70-200VR.
The AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED is about the same length as the AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G. Weighing in at over 2.85kg, it’s light enough to be hand holdable for extended periods of time. This is a very well balanced lens compared to the 2.90kg AF-S VR 200mm f/2.0G IF-ED. The AF-S VR 200mm f/2.0G IF-ED is front heavy and very difficult to hand hold.
The tripod foot is decent on the monopod and acts as a handle for carrying the lens too. Didn’t test it on a tripod as chances of me using a tripod with it is very low.
There is a bunch of controls on the left of the lens, such as the AF-ON or AF-Lock switch, Focus Limiter that is Full range or 6m to Infinity, VR Active or Normal, Autofocus or Manual focus switch and a switch for focus beep or no beep. Add to these switches, there is the Focus Preset button on the right, the VR on/off ring next to the tripod collar and the memory recall and AF on buttons in front, near the hood. Thats a load of controls for a lens. 
Now…the section we all are waiting for, performance. Performance is nothing short of impressive! AF is extremely fast on a D200 or D300, with the focus limiter on, it’s even faster! Makes the AF-S VR 70-200 f/2.8G feel like an old fashion AF lens. Image sharpness is in the level of Crazy Sharp. Probably the Nano Coating helped too. If you can’t get sharp images from this lens, something is wrong with your technique don’t blame the equipment. Bokeh is phenomenal! It’s extremely creamy and very gradual transitions. Could give the AF-S VR 200mm f/2.0G a run for it’s money. Vibration Reduction on this lens is also very good. As with all Nikon VR lenses, Normal VR mode automatically detects panning action and locks the VR to the vertical axis leaving the horizontal axis free to move. It makes panning much more easier! Some samples..
Teleconverters worked flawlessly. I tried the TC14EII and TC20EII on it. Focal length and maximum aperture was changed to 420mm f/4 and 600mm f/5.6 respectively. Wide open, there is no difference at all in sharpness, contrast and AF performance with the TC14EII on and the bare lens. With the TC20EII, there is a slight degradation of sharpness and AF performance wide open, but, stopped down to F6.3, everything comes back. If you get the focus spot on, and proper long lens technique, I don’t see any problems with using the TC20EII at all. Telecoverter Samples…
In summary, this is one of the best lenses Nikon produced. The image sharpness, bokeh and colors are rendered beautifully. Autofocus performance is outstanding, Vibration Reduction helps a great deal for that low shutter speed shots or panning shots when hand holding. I must stress again that this lens is very hand holdable! After shooting 2 days of motorsports and over 3000 pictures with this lens, I’m really impressed. Every shot taken is pin pin sharp, no matter if it’s wide open or stopped down. There is no worry of “Should i stop down a stop or 2 to get a sharp image? Will the shutter speed affect handshake?". I just need to worry about the composition, let the autofocus do it’s job and press the shutter. Bang bang bang bang….every shot is so so sharp.
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Comments
Great review !! Thanks for sharing. Mike
Thanks! Glad you like it.
Nice review, especially due to the real world “test” images and comparisons to other Nikkor glass. Now, if I could only make sense in adding this fine glass to wedding photography coverage
Reviews like this one has me doing my best to “find a way”!
I just saw your site….looks like you need one of these. Or maybe the 200mm f/2 VR? Nice pics you have in your gallary!
Great Review. It’s nice to see a review from a real user.
hi..i read this wonderful review.it’s very nice.thanks for the information. hubbul walidainy
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