Customer Ratings & Reviews

Needed a lens that would work well for nature pictures and that was in my budget. That has fit everything and more. I have been using it for birds mostly and always impressed with the quality I get. Have used it for taking pictures of the moon and I'm amazed at the detail. Hopefully I will be able to afford some of the higher end lenses in the near future.

Nice lens with very fast and sharp focus system. It's a little bit heavy, even with its exterior almost plastic. The mouting area is the only metallic part visible. For a DX body (D5100) it was specially interesting because instead of 70-300, I got a 105-450 "superzoom" lens. Unfortunatelly it has no macro option and, because of that, can't focus closer objects (minimum distance around 1 meter). There is no "lock" button (at least I couldn't find one until now), but the focal length ring is a little bit "tight", which for me is enough. If you ever need filters (I suggest at least a polarizer) be aware of the unusual 67mm diameter. You probably won't have suitable filters from other lenses. As Nikon does with every lens, this product comes with a decent package: bag, hood and covers. Just remember: This is an FX lens. It's originally designed for full frame bodies. If you have a DX now (like me with a D5100), you'll keep it when you upgrade to any full frame model (losing the 1.5x crop factor).

PLS note that BestBuy does not do a good job in differentiating this lens from the DX-only 55-300mm zoom they offer at nearly $200 lower cost. The 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR is a 'full-size' lens, meaning the 70-300mm range is for a digital FX or 35mm film camera format. For a DX (like my D90 that I bought it with) this lens is the equivalent of a 105mm-450mm. Physically it is longer and slightly larger diameter overall, with more glass to fill up the full size frame, so filters are much larger (67mm, the same as the 18-105mm DX-only lens the D90 comes standard with). Optical and mechanical quality is better than the afore-mentioned 55-300 lens, and is more versatile as it'll fit more cameras.

This lens can be used for all types of photography and it works like a dream! From pros to amateurs alike this lens is a must have! Great value compared to some of the other lenses and this lens doesn't take a bad picture! Super quiet motor and it has auto as well as manual setting!

I originally bought the 55-300mm lens because it was cheaper and well reviewed but I exchanged it for the 70-300mm after a week. This lens has much faster focusing and is great for sports and moving subjects. It has great image quality and a solid build. This is a great lens for the money.

Very good companion lens for the 18-70mm kit lens or the 18-55mm kit lens. For those kit lenses you will not need VR, but for this lens it is a must. VR works great save a few stops, great in low light handheld shots, but not fast enough for action shots. If you do not shoot sports this lens is for you. I've got nice sharp pictures with this lens as low as 1/10s at ISO 400.

This lens was purchased with the D5200 24.1 megapixel DSLR. This is a beast. This is a full featured midrange prosumer lens. This features VR (Vibration Reduction), SWM (Silent Wave Motor), ED (Extra-Low Dispersion Glass), M/A (Manual and Automatic Swtich) and IF (A NIKKOR lens in which only the internal lens group shifts during focusing. Thus, IF NIKKORS do not change in size during AF operation, allowing for compact, lightweight lenses capable of closer focusing distances. These lenses will be designated with the abbreviation IF on the lens barrel.) It focuses fast and is very quiet. I love this and it's worth spending the money! Remember, Body is only have the quality, if your glass stinks, it's not going to help your end result. You need top quality lens.

I have used this lens during my trip to Chicago, IL and I liked the photos taken by this lens. Distant objects are captured pretty well and the this is so easy to use, it is awesome.

I just purchased this lens in June. It took fantastic photos at the zoo, you could see the bristly ends of the animals fur. Awesome!!! It also took great action pictures of the kids playing in the backyard. Can hardly wait for the kids' sport seasons to start so I can take pictures of them.

If you would like to take photos of a sports game, on a large field this is the lens for you. At about 60 yards and full zoom, the person/subject fits nicely into the frame. I use it for horses, and can get a photo when the horse is at any point in the arena. Glad my friend suggested this lens.

I use it on my D200 ike a good macro lens - except I don't have to get so close, so natural lighting is not such a problem. And for telephoto vibration reduction makes it great handheld. I like shooting flowers and insects up close, and birds far away, this lens works on both ends. It's not an all-around lens, for that I use the 18-200 on my D5000. The 70-300 is a little heavy to carrry around all day. Buying from Best buy was easy - ordered it online and picked it up at the local store, no problema.

Kind of expensive and heavy to carry around, but this lens takes excellent pictures. Great for distance shots, but amazed at how much detail it produces when your subject is close. My go to lens.

Used the lens at Las Vegas Speedway and we were able to see our friends face in the race car speeding around the track. It was not so good trying to get a group of friends in a photo because of having to stand so far back. Would have prefered the 18-110 kit lens. Really enjoy using it at nephews football games. Overall a great lens at a decent price.

This is, hands down, the best lens I own so far. Worth every penny. It is on the heavy side, but works well on a tripod & worth the weight. The quality is amazing for the price. Outstanding Lens.

easy to use. the VR is great. the only thing about this lens is the weight. with the lens on the camera and holding it freehand it will get front heavy. works great on a tripod.

Great lens for getting in tight. A bit shaky when not on the tripod but the VR does help. Use with 1.7 Nikon teleconverter to get nearly 600mm zoom.

This was a great add to the collection of lenses. I do a lot of shooting trackside at motocross tracks and whether they are close in a turn or far on the track the quick zoom with a grand spectrum of versatility really help for close accurate shots. A must have to add to the beginning of your collection.

After much research I decided on the Nikon 70-300; From the moment I first installed this beauty on to my D7000 I was in love. Then I downloaded some images I had taken to my computer and the honeymoon was over. I could not live with the left side of the frame always out of focus. And I mean way out of focus. If I stop down to f22 it was better, but that is not always possible so I returned the lens ASAP. I remember many years ago when the love of my life had dumped me for someone else, the feeling I had then, had now returned. I wanted this lens bad so I took a chance and purchased another one at my local Best Buy. This second purchase of this lens provided me with much better image quality than the first. It focuses evenly, edge to edge. It’s not as sharp as my best prime but hay, it’s a big fat long zoom and I like it.

this baby acts like the more expensive 70-200 f2.8 even on low light.it is reasonably fast and produce well-defined images.i'm so satisfied

I highly recommend this lens, your first impression will be that it's expensive, but trust the the quality of the image and the capabilities of this lens will back up your purchase.