Nikon AF-S 300mm f/4.0 E PF ED VR

Good Points: Haven’t had time to try it out yet as still waiting for tripod collar Improvement Points: Not being told it doesn’t come with a tripod collar which is sold separately

Good Points: Light to carry, relatively small and ergonomically efficient. Crisp image quality. Improvement Points: Only one little niggle, it has a removable lens hood rather than the retractable one of its predecessor.

I am a professional bird photographer who has been working in Ecuador and Colombias light depraved rainforests over the last 20 years, and previously used the 200-400mm f4 VRI for mid-range telephoto. This is the best decision i could have made - It is as sharp as any lens i have owned saved some money over replacing the 200-400, and to be able to run after the birds or crash to the floor hand-holding with this 755g gem of lens leaves no doubts. If I need more zoom, I can DX crop with the D850 and have a 450mm f4 delivering a 24MP image (that i have to repeat weighs 755g!!). It is also great for flowers and smaller stuff with extension tubes. Have tack sharp images hand holding at 1/30 sec! (well-braced against ground or tree) Great bokeh too! Nikon is looking after us!! (finally!)

I have used this for the past couple of months on my D500 along with the TC-14e III teleconverter. The combination seems to produce sharp results with fast auto focus. I have not done scientific detailed testing, but the focus seems accurate and uniform across the frame with the D500 (no de-centering). Learning how best to utilize the resultant effective 630mm focal length is another story. The depth of field (DOF) is something of which one must be very conscious as well as the necessity of a very fast shutter speed when photographing flying birds.

Had earlier 300mm Non VR lens which was reasonably sharp. This new lens is tack sharp, light and can be hand held at lower shutter speeds. Great lens even when coupled with a TC 1.4 III. This with a TC would be a go to combination when having to commute on an airline to a wildlife destination and you wanted to keep your equipment in the cabin with you where it was less likely to get stolen or damaged.