desertgr-ma

I need your opinions about this lens for wildlife photography, sharpness, focus speed, weight...
What would be a reasonable cost?

mcmama

I just got mine last Saturday. I shot some tennis matches with it and love it. I use BBF, so I had no problem following my subject. The weight is fine, at around 19 ounces.

Nikon raised the price from $600 to $700 this month. I was unbelievably lucky to have found a new one off CL, unopened, and even in the original Best Buy plastic bag that was still sealed. I paid $500 for it. You should be able to find a used one in excellent condition for around that price, I would think.

desertgr-ma

Thanks mcmama. My daughter wants a lens to shoot wildlife in Africa this summer, hand held, no tripod- did the weight bother you?

mcmama

No, the weight was no problem, and I don’t have much strength. Here are a couple of shots I took with the lens on a Nikon D7200. Handheld. Both have been cropped.

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billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The Nikon version is slow and not razor sharp at the 300 end. This lens was designed more for a one lens on your camera all day and not for wildlife photography. You would be much better off with the 200-500 5.6 lens.

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

I owned the older version, Nikon 18-300mm VR (77mm filters) which was my go to lens when I travelled from the west to the east coast of Canada.

I entered a contest for an entry to have my photo in Darrel Young's, "Mastering The Nikon 7100." It is the cover page for chapter 7.

It is a wonderful piece of glass. I don't know about the newer version?

This lens will not work well on a full frame camera.

Good luck

appealnow Loc: Dallas, Texas

I just finished a safari in Tanzania, primarily using the Nikkor 18-300 F3.5-6.3 on a DX camera. For many shots, it will be adequate. However, there are times you will need a lot more reach. It will be very difficult to hand hold the 200-500, even to use it with a beam bag. The land rovers can be cramped and difficult to shoot fromunles you are on a dedicated photo safari with fewer folks in the vehicle.

I chose not to take my 200-500. I did buy a P900 which I used for some long shots. One guy was using the zp900 exclusively.

jmw44 Loc: Princeton, NJ USA

I've had my 18-300 since it first came out in 2012 (I think). I bought it for my D5100, then used it on the D7100 and now on my D500. I love it. However, for birds and wildlife, I usually use the 200-500. I paid $900 for mine, the introductory price.

ELNikkor

Don't even think about the 200-500! At 19 ounces, that 18-300 is far more convenient of a travel companion than that huge other zoom would ever be. Pack along a tidy little B700 for those distant shots; its apparent reach is 1,440mm, it shoots .jpeg 20mp + RAW, and is very sharp at full zoom.

guardineer

It has been my walk around lens nearly 3 years. Though the lens is very good it is short for many wildlife opportunities. If the 200-500 (or other large zooms) has been ruled out then go with 18-300 Nikkor or 18-400 Tamron. I bought refurbished at $500.

desertgr-ma

Thank you all for your advice and knowledge. I find this forum very helpful. I will pass along your thoughts and recommendations to my daughter.

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

I am 69 years young and have used the Nikon AF-s DX 18-300 f3.5-6.3 on both the d5000 (now my grand daughters) and the d500 I now own. It is the walk around lens for me. I lens has been in Arizona, Chicago and other places in the USA Italy, Sicily, UK, France and Germany. I also use it at family events.

In the city and in the woods I will add the SB800 (3/4 lb) for fill. Note the lens will shroud a built in flash on most cameras like the d5000.

The zoom is a little soft at the edges when at 18 mm. If you don't look real close you will not see any issues. I have made 20 x 30 prints that look good. But at longer lengths it is sharp and thanks to Steve Perry's books I tend to shoot at f11 or wider.

With respect to weight the d500 weight is 1.68 lb and the 18 to 300 weight is 1.83 lb for a total of 3.5 lb. That gets heavy; I now use a cotton carrier when in the field and even sometimes in the city. I also have shoulder bag with the sd800 flash, filters and the 10 to 24 wide angle. One thing to consider the lens is slow. Dragging a sturdy tripod may be required in the woods and other low light places. Even though the d500 is a great camera I try to keep the iso below 4000.
There are times I am carrying over 6 pounds and so far I can do it.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

There are two versions of this lens. I have the 5.6 version, slightly faster and a bit heavier. There is no degradation at the long end. 300 is just as sharp as 200. 18 goes a little soft but you go to 20, hardly any focal change, and it sharpens right up. This is a great walk around lens and 300mm on a DX camera really gets you out there. If you don’t want to spend big bucks for big glass this lens can work for you until you really know what you want your next lens to be.

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Error on my part the lens is f 3.5 to 5.6. It focus to about 18" at 300 mm but the dof is very short.
I am very happy with the lens

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

It is a good walk around lens but lacks sharpness qt 300mm.