Nikon AF 300mm f4 ED IF. What a lens!!!!!!

dougdarter

dougdarter

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Douglas
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This lens arrived this morning, and I've been playing all day, and I'm very, very pleased.

I posted a couple of pics in the general forum earlier which I thought might demonstrate the lens's quality, but I took a pic a few mins ago, and frankly I'm astonished!!

It's pouring with rain, with poor light - certainly not conditions under which you'd expect a lens to exell, but you'd be wrong.

The pic is of a church roughly a mile from where I live. It's a great feature to test a telephoto on.

The pic was taken in RAW mode, and I was expecting to have to do some work. However, none was necessary, so I converted it straight into a Jpeg.

There has been no post processing, and no in camera sharpening was used. White balance was auto. Camera was a Nikon D2X.

Exif extract:

300mm
1/60th sec@ f5.6
1SO 100
Aperture priority

Full .jpg:

church2.jpg


Crop of the top of the tower:

church3.jpg


It may be that I have acquired a very, very sharp copy of this lens, but maybe they are all the same, whatever, but when you look at the crop, and you can quite clearly read the name on the windcock a mile away, Nikon is definitely working some magic!!
 
I think its typical. The Nikkor 300mm lenses are just awesome, do some wildlife, say a deer at 200 yards and view at 100%. You'll be smiling for a week :)
 
A decent long lens is next on my shopping list. I was looking at a 300-400, something that will possibly take the 2x and that looks pretty good to me.
 
cowasaki said:
A decent long lens is next on my shopping list. I was looking at a 300-400, something that will possibly take the 2x and that looks pretty good to me.
Click to expand...

I can't think of many lenses that really work amazingly well with a 2x.

About the best performance I've seen is a 300mm f/2.8 VR + 2x TC. Thats 600mm f/5.6 - its good but pricey. A dedicated 600mm will murder it optically.

A 1.4x TC on a 300mm works great, a 1.7x TC is OK, as long as you have a VERY good lens. But 2x is a push.
 
Looks good Doug but I have to say that it doesn't look any sharper than my Canon 300/400/500 primes. For top sharpness, a zoom can't even come close.
 
I use the Nikkor 300mm f4 also, it works very well with the 1.4x and 1.7x TC. Stop it down 2/3 of a stop with each and the quality is top draw again. (f7.1 to f8)
 
I have the 300 f4 and a 1.4. Need to try a 1.7 now.

Really great lens for the money.
 
300 F4 is a cracking lens, light to carry all day as well.I use mine with a 1.7 sometimes, it is okish, but drops down to 6.7.

I wish Nikon would do a 400 F4 prime.
 
fracster said:
300 F4 is a cracking lens, light to carry all day as well.I use mine with a 1.7 sometimes, it is okish, but drops down to 6.7.

I wish Nikon would do a 400 F4 prime.
Click to expand...

I'd be all over that like a ferret up a drain pipe.
 
I love my AI-S 300mm f/4.5 ED-IF.

Manual focus, but incredible quality. As this AF f/4 ED-IF is a revision of the f/4.5 I can only imagine it's better. Slightly larger and heavier though.
 
thats not a church in Burgh by sands it is? seem to recognise it

good sharpness for the typical cumbrian weather today
 
hotchef23 said:
thats not a church in Burgh by sands it is? seem to recognise it

good sharpness for the typical cumbrian weather today
Click to expand...

No, but I know the one you mean. This is Arthuret Parish church, Arthuret, which is where I live.... here's a good one of it I took last year:



2686618072_ea6a1d4cd0_b.jpg
 
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