Review on 📷 Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm Lens: An Ideal Choice for Nikon DSLR Camera Users by Craig Shah

A few days prior to this review I found an offer for a non-VR version of this lens that no sane person could refuse. Let's start with the positive aspects of this lens that I discovered during my use. The first plus is that the autofocus system on this lens is like nothing I've seen before. I have photographed many Nikon lenses from all product lines and it has one of the fastest autofocus systems ever made. This lens does not focus and can go from infinity to a close subject in just a few tenths of a second. The FX 70-300VR I compared directly seems slack in comparison, which is saying something as the FX version is pretty fast on its own. The phrase "lightning fast” describes it well, it really redefines what can be presented in a consumer product. The focusing system also has the advantage of producing virtually no audible noise. This is a huge advantage over non-AF-P lenses when shooting video. The second main feature that I like about this lens is its excellent ergonomics. The target audience of this product will most likely want a compact and lightweight solution that can be compactly stored away when not in use. It delivers. My unscientific analysis concludes that this lens fitted to the D3300 is lighter than the FX 70-300VR itself. If you can handle the AF-S 18-55 kit it's only marginally heavier. Third, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of results the AF-P 70-300 produced. Sharpness and contrast appear to be the same as the FX 70-300VR. I did notice a bit of vignetting, although I suppose that's to be expected at this price point. I'm looking forward to a professional review on DxOMARK to see how different each metric is, but be aware that if my copy is normal, it shouldn't be much different from the old version. Not perfect. As I said in the title, this is a really great lens that you should AVOID. There's no reason Nikon should have developed a non-VR version of the 300mm telephoto lens. The fact that it's a consumer lens makes matters worse. I'm sure a lot of people find this out, get blurry results and blame the camera itself. VR is an integral part of zoom lenses, do yourself a favor and spend another $50 for the VR version. The performance gap is simply too big and the additional price is not a problem. Also, I was disappointed that Nikon decided to lower the cost of this lens as if they were about to go bankrupt tomorrow. The lens hood is not included, I believe this is a necessary part of the lens. I also hate the lack of any physical buttons on the lens itself. I don't want to go into my camera's menu to change whether autofocus is on or off. On the plus side, there's manual control here, so you can rotate the focus ring at any time without going into the settings menu. It's not the same as the dreadful AF-S 18-55, which has the ring locked until you flip the slider to AF off. Finally, what annoys me the most is how poorly Nikon has generally handled the switch to AF-P lenses. This version and the VR version will only work on some of the latest DX bodies. Nikon should make this clear in its promotional materials as many of the current DSLR bodies that are still in common use will not work with any AF-P lens. At the same time, Nikon seems to be exaggerating the definition of compatibility. I have tested this lens on the D7100 which is listed as compatible but the camera's firmware has not been updated to show any of the menu options. If the user buys the VR version of this lens, they cannot toggle VR on or off at the time of writing this article. Does it match your compatible version? Conclusion: I like this lens. But please, please do yourself a favor and get the VR version. At $400 this would be a good buy with plenty of room for the entry level DX market.