AF-P Dx Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR lens review(ish)

[arthurking83]

Not going to be a full blown DPR/Thom Hogan type review, just some thoughts on this lens I recently got.

Cheap as chips(less than $250 off ebay .. new) although even the established retailers selling them around the mid 300's or so.
Note this is the VR model, not the cheaper non VR. I think paying extra for the stabilisation is worth it on a longer lens.

Anyhow, lens is ridiculously light. I've had cheapo consumer 70-300's before(a Sigma and Nikon), and they had some weight in them.
This thing feels like it's optics are made of foam, or feathers, or free air .. or something! Strangely lightweight.
I have the Yongnuo 35/2 cheap little plastic lens here on my desk at the same time .. weight doesn't feel too different.
18-1xx VR lenses I have also feel heavier than the AF-P lens.

For those wanting light weight, this will do very nicely.

How it works: pretty well. These consumer grade zooms usually tend to focus when they 'feel like it', and as they please.
18-1xx's aren't glacial, like the really old Sigma and Nikon 70-300 screw driven lenses I once had were .. but it's going to be hard chasing some subjects with those lenses.
So far AF-P seems to be faster in some ways. Definitely zero noise by comparison. Haven't tried video mode yet on the D5500, but when it focuses, I hear zip! .. and for the first few seconds had to focus in and out to be sure it's doing something.

AF-P has many limitations with some camera models ... Nikon really stuffed this up badly.
Some camera models need a firmware update, other just won't work.
There's also conflicting data as to whether they work or not too. Thom says the D800's work in a limited way, so far I can't get the D800E to operate this lens at all. Nikon says that too.
Just be aware that you need to check your camera compatibility before you commit to an AF-P type lens.
ps. did I mention Nikon really buggered this up!

OK, free dig at Nikon done, back to lens thoughts.
Having come from those old roughshod 70-300's back in the day(and in one sense good to see them off to greener pastures) .. I still liked the idea of a lightweight easy to hold long focal length lens sometimes.
In terms of IQ I wasn't expecting much really, but they've done really well.
It's not going to give the same IQ as a multi thousand dollar lens, I don't expect it will, neither should anyone! But to be able to crop to 100% and see more than fluffy, dreamy, soft mushy detail is a huge bonus.

Used with care, other than the typical exposure darkness that these consumer zooms tend to cause .. IQ is up there as above acceptable, and heavily croppable. Care needs to be taken by the operator.
At my end, I'm partially blaming the D5500(seriously) as to my 50% success rate with this lens at the moment.
That is, in give or take conditions, slow shutter, or unsteady position, I'm getting a mid range keeper rate. Reason I (partially) blame the D5500, is that I can't hold it properly. It's too small. Lens won't work on the D300 or D800E, so that's all I have.
I have to hold the D5500 with my finger tips .. which makes technique 'different'.
But these lenses will give surprisingly good IQ for those that work at it.

Some pics:
D800E_DSC_0268.JPG
Resolution target test. Boring, but useful to assess ability to render detail.
By far the best consumer grade lens for rendering detail I've used to date.
With better tripod and supporting gear I know this lens will do better too.
The above is one out of a series of four shots in succession, 1/5s low ISO, 300mm. Two were unusable, one OK-ish .. this one usable.

D800E_DSC_0259.JPG
fence post was shot at low ISO here, processing had to be done. I generally use spot metering, gives a good exposure on these dark white pickets. This lens(as with the 18-1XX's I also have) are a bit too dark as usual. PP added +0.7 Ev and other bits and pieces.

D800E_DSC_0288.JPG
Very windy day, this flower was all over the shop. Tried using lower ISO, at 1/300s or so .. no good.
ISO up to 1600(I think) it allowed 1/3200s exposure, so more of a focus test here to see if I and the lens can keep up with the moving flower. Keeper rate was 8 in 10 here, only one really worth presenting.
ISO1600 nowadays is easily usable in terms of image quality.

D800E_DSC_0297.JPG
Fence post again, at ISO1600 again. not that it was needed, but shot 4 rapid fire shots again, all 4 looked similarly sharp.

Strange anomaly I noted with the VR.
On every other lens, through the viewfinder(VF), you normally see some vibrating, when the VR becomes active, the vibes give way to a floaty steady view.
Not this one. VR seems to induce more vibrations first, then it steadies itself and works as normal.
Can't get it to work on another camera, so can't confirm if my D5500 is the issue here. Just making the observation.

Downsides to the lens are: rear lens cap .. just woeful! anyone considering this lens would do well to order a rear lens cap too. The supplied rear lens cap WILL get lost if used regularly.
AND shame on Nikon for not having a lens hood for it too.
It's not like they cost a fortune, I've bought those items off ebay for $1 or so. Can't recall the 18-1XX hood I got, but I'm sure they were about a $1, same with the rear lens caps.
That's why I got 6 or each when I did order them.
lens hood will need to be specific to this lens .. whatever model No. it uses.
For me, not so imperative as this isn't going to be a main lens for me. But for someone that may get one to use regularly, I'd say get a lens hood .. but not the Nikon branded ones. Just go generic.

Overall thoughts.
For the price, and on modern Dx camera bodies .. even if you don't need it, I reckon this lens is worth the effort of getting. Those thoughts are purely coming from a value for money perspective.
Obviously you will find better lenses, but they will come at a cost .. both in terms of $s and other aspects. Size will be much larger, weight will be a lot more, etc, etc....
This lens gives you very high IQ, decent focus ability and ultra low weight for very little outlay.

As I get more time(unlikely) to try this lens, I'll add more detail into this thread.
Comments more than welcome too.

[ameerat42]

Floaty? My Sigma (stupid iPad doesn’t easily do special chars) 50-500 does the same,
and I had a dreamy version of it on an old Sony videocam. That was giddying

I agree about getting a VR version, even for 300mm. It obviates the need to encase yourself in a block of concrete when shooting

[arthurking83]

I just ordered a couple of lens hoods off ebay(Chinese). $6 something for the two.
I'm expecting them to be fairly low in quality(hence two) so that when one melts due to direct sunlight, I'll have another as an emergency, and when that one falls to bits, I may have to look into a proper one.
But I think I noticed that Nikon want something like $30 for one!

[peterb666]

I have had this lens for a while - got it just after it was released and used it initially with the D5500 and then D7500. Outstanding value for money. Cannot recall if it came with a hood or not but I have one so it could be one of those $6 hoods made from the finest Chinesium material - just like the Nikon ones if that is the case. Yes, the rear cap is crap but I think I sold that with my 35mm DX and kept the better cap.

Never noticed floaty IS or stuff.

Probably going to sell mine as it doesn't work on my D700 well it would be pretty useless anyway as it is DX and the D700 has a low resolution sensor.

Image quality is excellent - the IS is quite effective - bargain lens of the century.

[arthurking83]

......

- bargain lens of the century.

Yep! that's the way I'm looking at it.
Not THE best lens overall, ie. the Sigma 150-600 S at 300mm blitzes it for IQ, but at 10x the cost.
I'm sure all the other 5-10x the cost(of this lens) lenses also render better images, but for the money, this one is up there.

When I meant the floaty VR, that's how IS systems usually work. As you shake the camera, the lens elements compensation still produce a 'moving' image(they have too, physics can't be beaten) .. it just moves slowly .. in a floaty kind of fashion.

So to be sure, my issue with the VR on this lens(could just be my copy of the lens) is not floaty image through the VF, it is that when it first kicks in, it still vibrates/shakes the image to the VF like it's not working(but it is), and then finally settles to the smoother floaty rendering to the VF.

My biggest problem at the moment isn't to do with gear, it's subject matter(plus time factor).
Every time I have a few hours to play, all the birds bugger off! I hear them other times chirping madly, but have other stuff to do(feed kids, clean dishes/clothes/house/etc) .. I do those mundane things, then sneak out .. kind'a like Elmer Fudd slowly closign the fly wire door .. I hear the chirps, and they all scatter!

Got one image tho(the other day) just before it also scattered:
entire image
D5500_DSC_0356_NXD.jpg

50% crop of above
D5500_DSC_0356_NXD_crop50.jpg

Focus was missed by a tailfeather(literally), focus ended up on the rear of the bird, not the breast.
I must have been approx 30-ish meters back. Was hiding behind the picket fence gate, a little tippy toed, but solid enough footing.
Camera (D5500), is a bit small and dainty for my liking, I find it hard to hold steady like a larger camera.

[peterb666]

My oldish Sigma 150-500 OS lens would not auto focus with the D5500 - apparently needed a firmware update to the lens. Works fine on my D7500. I haven't compared the sharpness of the two lenses but for convenience and ease of use, the AF-P Dx Nikkor 70-300mm wins hands down.