55-200 or 55-300

Sohal1989

Sohal1989

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Raj
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Hi, not sure if there's a thread on this already, but i couldn't find.

Just after your expertise really, as per the title, which is better?

The weight differences are minor so that doesn't bother me.

Size of the lens doesn't bother me.

I have the Nikon D5100 with the kit lens 18-55mm and wanted something with more focal length.

Also are there any major quality differences between the 55-200 and 55-300?

Initially i had though of the 55-200mm which is about £120 on Amazon, the 55-300mm is £215. Is it worth getting the 55-300mm for the price?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Raj
 
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Hi Raj.

I had the 55-200mm non VR, upgraded to VR and when the 55-300mm came out I had a very thorough play as I read the IQ was the same (and IQ on the 55-200mm is up there with the best!).

My ONLY problem and sole reason for not buying the 300 was the focusing speed.

It is for lack of better words...ridiculously slow! I can't see why Nikon have made a lens that goes to 300mm with such slow AF speed...seems to defeat the point a bit...

I can however recommend the 55-200mm VR very highly.

It is fast AF, sharpness that matched my 105mm macro (even wide open) and is just a pleasure to use!

Good luck with your decision!
Phil.
 
The 55-200 is reputed to be fantastic value for money, but I love my 55-300. I think I paid £230 for it, and it's been worth every penny.

As far as I'm concerned there's no substitute for distance, getting right up in an animal's grill from a distance is great. I'm also pretty pleased with it for motorsport too. While it's supposed to be a bit slow to focus (particularly compared to the more expensive 70-300), I found once I got my focus settings right in the camera (D3000) with a bit of planning I was happy with the results. I'm off to Brands Hatch again with it in 2 weeks, and hope to get some more good shots. Sure something faster would be nice, but at the moment I'm the limiting factor... not the lens.:D
 
Phil Young said:
Hi Raj.

I had the 55-200mm non VR, upgraded to VR and when the 55-300mm came out I had a very thorough play as I read the IQ was the same (and IQ on the 55-200mm is up there with the best!).

My ONLY problem and sole reason for not buying the 300 was the focusing speed.

It is for lack of better words...ridiculously slow! I can't see why Nikon have made a lens that goes to 300mm with such slow AF speed...seems to defeat the point a bit...

I can however recommend the 55-200mm VR very highly.

It is fast AF, sharpness that matched my 105mm macro (even wide open) and is just a pleasure to use!

Good luck with your decision!
Phil.
Click to expand...

I've used a 55-200mm before with a nikon d3000 and it was a lovely lens to use and as you've mentioned, the sharpness was there aswell. The slow focus on the 55-300mm is sounding a little off putting especially when trying to focus on an object in the distance for example an animal and it decides to move.

phil_b said:
Hi Raj.

I have the 55-300 on my d5100. Most of the safari photos on my flickr here http://www.flickr.com/photos/philblair/ were taken with it. Suits me well for what i need.

Phil
Click to expand...

Some lovely photos there, my only concern is the sharpness. Was that purely because the subjects were moving or camera shake? Because the one of the monkey and gazelle look spot on.

NickD said:
The 55-200 is reputed to be fantastic value for money, but I love my 55-300. I think I paid £230 for it, and it's been worth every penny.

As far as I'm concerned there's no substitute for distance, getting right up in an animal's grill from a distance is great. I'm also pretty pleased with it for motorsport too. While it's supposed to be a bit slow to focus (particularly compared to the more expensive 70-300), I found once I got my focus settings right in the camera (D3000) with a bit of planning I was happy with the results. I'm off to Brands Hatch again with it in 2 weeks, and hope to get some more good shots. Sure something faster would be nice, but at the moment I'm the limiting factor... not the lens.:D
Click to expand...

I know if i go for the 200mm i will probably regret not paying the extra few quid for the 300mm but as mentioned above the only off putting issue is the issue about the slow auto focus.

Hopefully with a few more replies from individuals who have had experience with both lens will help my decision. I'm still very 50/50 at the moment and i want to order before i go on holiday!

Oh the holiday destination may help, it's going to be more likely somewhere where there are clear blue skies, sandy beaches, clear blue water etc, currently looking at Barbados, Rio, Marracech, Maldives, Egypt, etc...
 
I'm no expert, but I use the Nikon 55-300 lens a great deal, and I can't say that slow focusing has been an issue at all. There's a collection of images all taken with this lens at the link below. The lemur face close-up was a snatched shot with no time for composing or focusing, and the lens didn't let me down.

http://pix.ie/oldgrump/album/430606
 
Some really awesome shots there @Roseway.

After going to a safari park today I realised just how much I need a lens with more focal length.

Currently still undecided. Swaying more to the 200 thought because I'm under the impression the 300 is not as sharp.
 
I bought a used 55-200 VR and am very happy with it.

I would say save up and go for the 70-300 one if you need 300mm otherwise 55-200 is a good value lens.
 
I have the 55-200 and most of my pics so far have been taken on it, http://www.flickr.com/photos/1rob/, if you want a look, but I think it is a little gem.

I haven't tried the 55-300 to know what it is like and I'll admit there are times when I wish for the extra reach but you'll get that with every lens, you'll always want more!

What sort of shots will you be looking to get on holiday? As the 55-200 will obviously be shorter and so more discret.
 
Managed to straight swap a 50mm 1.8d with a 55-200. Looking forward to getting it after reading some of this thread content!

I will report back!
 
I've got the 55-200 and love it. I didn't go for the 300 as i couldn't justify the extra expense.
 
Yeah, love my 55-200mm. There are some time when I think I'd like a bit more reach but I think you'd find that with any lens. :)
 
I have the non VR Nikon 70-300ED bought for less than £100 from EBay and while it sometimes hunts in low light to lock focus I have been more than happy with it not the fastest lens but for the price it does for me at the moment
 
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