colt4x5 Loc: Central Connecticut

I have bought several refurbished lenses from Nikon, and have not had any issues with any of them. And for me, each time I bought refurbished, the lower price was what allowed me to afford the lens in the first place.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

tshift Loc: Overland Park, KS.

Not true. You can rent this lens in Overland Park for $65.00/week. Thanks

Tom

fecraly

Been to Africa twice; Kenya/Tanzania most recently. I had D80 with Nikon 28-300. Now have D500. Many times needed more reach. I suggest at least 500. You travel in safari vehicle 4x4s; ample places to support a heavy camera/lens with a bean bag rest. Almost never have to carry that weight unsupported. No room for monopod or tripod. Just NEVER change lens in the bush--dust like you have never seen!!

redlegfrog

Buying refurbished from Nikon needs a little caution. Their warranty is very short, I didn't pay attention to this and got stuck with one of their bad lens.
I got busy and didn't do proper lens test until after the 90 days had passed. When I contacted Nikon their response was Oh Well!
Get you testing done early and things should be OK.

carl hervol Loc: jacksonville florida

Coolpix is not as sharp it nothing more than a glorified point shoot had one and sent it back.

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

Assuming this is a once in a lifetime trip and photographing wild animals is on your list of things to do, I suggest your rent a Nikon D500 and a Tamron 150x600 G2. The D7100 has a pitifully small buffer that tends to fill up very quickly and may cause you to miss some shots. And you will want as much reach as you can get on this trip so the longer the lens the better.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. I did go ahead and purchase the lens. It will come in a few days and I'm looking forward to wringing it out. I know it's heavy and long and will be awkward to handle, and I will need to learn how to control it.

I appreciate all the advice.

dubyacee

You won't regret it! I use mine on a D7200 and just love it. Like it's been said, you won't likely be trekking very far.

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

Your quote, "The focusing AF and zoom features are restored back to factory specs and cleaned" is very misleading.
The vast majority, 98% of them at least get only a cursory check, to make sure they are working properly, most all refurbished lenses are actually lenses that customers have returned because they FELT they were not working properly. Most of these lenses have NO PROBLEM, they are run through a general check, they are not restored mainly because they do not have to be restored. And they are cleaned only on the outside, there is no INTERNAL cleaning. They look brand new because they are, they are brand new lenses returned by consumers, and since they are returned, they cannot be sold as new.
So, yes, refurbished lenses are a great value, the vast majority are not SUPER checked over, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE, because their was nothing wrong with MOST of them in the first place.
I like to refer to these refurbished lenses as someone else's BAD COPY.
Finally, just let me say that the majority of the refurbished lenses are returned by very, very fussy photographers that would not be pleased if they could walk on water.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

just bought one at 10% off ( now 25% off; have never seen that discount ); to take to Kenya in Aug w/D500

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

I just recently purchased a vintage Nikkor AF 75-300

https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/75300.htm

It comes with an integral tripod mount point. The 7100 will focus it and on a DX body it works out to 115 to 450 mm (35mm Equivalent). I paid $85 dollars for one in excellent condition. It does not have VR but if you're shooting from a tripod it doesn't matter. It's not a bad piece of glass and you don't like it, you're not out anything. One benefit of having a 7000 series Nikon is the ability to use these older AF lenses.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I used my 200-500 for my trip to Africa a few years ago. It worked perfectly. I used it on a D800. No issues with reach but sometimes was too close. That will be more of an issue with DX camera. Be patient and ask the driver to back off when needed.

Those who recommend bean bags have never been in the vehicles four camps in Zimbabwe and Botwana used. They are open landcruisers with tiered seating. Nothing to put a beanbag on. I tried a monopod one day...worthless. Carry the camera on your lap or, if there is one, on the seat next to you and handhold.

I tried different settings and settled on M mode with auto ISO and spot metering. AF-S single point. Set fstop to 5.6 and min shutter to 1/500 (you might want to use 1/750). All images were sharp and I was shooting while others were composing.

Barndog Loc: Tacoma

From what I have read and heard it is a little soft at 500. I looked at comparisons of the Nikon against the Sigma 150-600 f5.6-6.3 Sport and, I have decided against the Nikon and will go with the Sigma. If that helps at all. The Nikon is suppose to be sharp up to 500mm.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I have this lens And like it,
However for this trip and with a crop sensor i’d Go shorter and lighter