Nikon 55-300: A friend of mine has a Nikon 55-300 and would like to trade it in for something else...maybe. I've done a little research for her and it seems to have positive reviews. I...

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

A friend of mine has a Nikon 55-300 and would like to trade it in for something else...maybe. I've done a little research for her and it seems to have positive reviews. I would like to hear from users of it in here. What do you think?

I have a new Tamron 18-270 and I love it. Would that be a trade up for her from the 55-300? I realize she is gaining some wider angle with the 18-270. Maybe that would be all?

Thanks,

Marsha

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I bought the Nikkor 55-300 almost new from a guy on Craigslist. It has the VR II and I've been able to do handheld HDR shots as well as tripod mounted ones with the VR turned off that all came out great. My understanding is that every zoom lens has a sweet spot and the bigger the range of focal lengths, the lower the quality and maybe only the sweet spot is very good. For this reason, I also have shorter 18-55 zoom or would recommend shorter primes. I've used this lens on safaris with the high speed Sports mode doing 5fps and gotten some outstanding pix of birds in flight. This lens lists for $400, I got it for $265 and am very happy. Heavier than the 55-200 kit lens, but much better quality. I use it quite a bit as my walking around lens.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

Personally, I would not get rid of the 55-300! Very sharp lens for the money. Check out Ken Rockwells info on that lens. Others say the same thing! Keep it!!!!

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Thanks for the two replies above. That is the conclusion I am coming to for her.

amehta Loc: Boston

Pixelpixie88 wrote:

A friend of mine has a Nikon 55-300 and would like to trade it in for something else...maybe. I've done a little research for her and it seems to have positive reviews. I would like to hear from users of it in here. What do you think?

I have a new Tamron 18-270 and I love it. Would that be a trade up for her from the 55-300? I realize she is gaining some wider angle with the 18-270. Maybe that would be all?

Thanks,

Marsha

Her 55-300mm is a decent lens, comparable to your 18-270mm in overall quality. What does she find unsatisfactory? There are only two significant upgrades for that lens: a fixed focus zoom (f/4 or, better and more expensive, f/2.8), or a prime lens, like the 50mm f/1.8 or 85mm f/1.8. If the 85mm focal length suits her photography, that will be a significant upgrade in image quality. If she's curious, she can rent one for $51 for 4 days. LensProToGo Nikon lenses

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Thank you. She is just beginning to learn photography and was just wondering if the lens was good or should she trade it in. I think as she learns more, she will like it just fine.

amehta wrote:

Her 55-300mm is a decent lens, comparable to your ... (show quote)

amehta Loc: Boston

Pixelpixie88 wrote:

Thank you. She is just beginning to learn photography and was just wondering if the lens was good or should she trade it in. I think as she learns more, she will like it just fine.

In that case, the lens is good. "Kit" lenses get a bad rap. There have been many bad kit lenses, but not all. Today most are very decent, for what they are, which are inexpensive, large focal length range zooms.

DOOK Loc: Maclean, Australia

The Nikon 55-300 kit lens is grossly underrated. Several members, including myself, have posted hundreds of pics taken with this lens. It is light, compact, & sharp. About the only downside is that it is a bit slow, so is not an ideal low light lens. However, for 'normal' daytime shooting, it is very good value. Check out this test...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/55-300mm.htm#sharp

Raider Fan Loc: Lake County, IL.

Pixelpixie88 wrote:

A friend of mine has a Nikon 55-300 and would like to trade it in for something else...maybe. I've done a little research for her and it seems to have positive reviews. I would like to hear from users of it in here. What do you think?

I have a new Tamron 18-270 and I love it. Would that be a trade up for her from the 55-300? I realize she is gaining some wider angle with the 18-270. Maybe that would be all?

Thanks,

Marsha

I sold my 55-300 after I bought the Tamron 18-270 and never ever looked back. The Tamron is superior IMHO.

Marilyng Loc: Lorain,Oh.

Pixelpixie88 wrote:

A friend of mine has a Nikon 55-300 and would like to trade it in for something else...maybe. I've done a little research for her and it seems to have positive reviews. I would like to hear from users of it in here. What do you think?

I have a new Tamron 18-270 and I love it. Would that be a trade up for her from the 55-300? I realize she is gaining some wider angle with the 18-270. Maybe that would be all?

Thanks,

Marsha

I have this lens & love it.I bought it last year refurbished from Amazon.I rarely take it off my camera. I can't wait to see how it works when my d 7100 arrives!

ChrisCat Loc: Lawn Guyland, New Yawk

Pixelpixie88, I have the 55-300mm and it's my favorite walking around lens. Light enough to use handheld in daylight and extremely versatile. I didn't even know the price until recently. In probably one of the biggest strokes of luck in my life, I got it for free with Visa card points! But even at full price, it's evidently a bargain. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are two thousand! The first is a hand-held close-up in full daylight, the second was at dawn, on a tripod.

Friendly Parrot

Sandy Beach, Acadia, Maine

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

Thanks so much...I think she'll be keeping it.

Marilyng wrote:

I have this lens & love it.I bought it last year refurbished from Amazon.I rarely take it off my camera. I can't wait to see how it works when my d 7100 arrives!

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

What beautiful proof of this lens. Thank you!

ChrisCat wrote:

Pixelpixie88, I have the 55-300mm and it's my favorite walking around lens. Light enough to use handheld in daylight and extremely versatile. I didn't even know the price until recently. In probably one of the biggest strokes of luck in my life, I got it for free with Visa card points! But even at full price, it's evidently a bargain. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are two thousand! The first is a hand-held close-up in full daylight, the second was at dawn, on a tripod.

Photo Girl Loc: SE Pasco County, FL

I have the Nikon 55-300 on my Nikon D5100. I shot this photo today, handheld at 300m. I love this lense.

pauleveritt Loc: Erie, Colorado

It is like everything else, it depends on what you are doing with it. I consider it a TERRIBLE lens for the type of shooting I do. It was a substitute lens, but a 4.5 was not up to the task of shooting action in a theater. I could have gotten an additional stop with the 55-200. I now have an 80-200 f2.8 for this type of shooting and it works much better than the 55-300.

Need plenty of light for that lens and a stable or slow moving subject.