Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

They are not the sharpest tool in the box.
I have the Opteka 650-1300mm (with 2x- 1300-2600mm) Telephoto Zoom Lens under another name. Actually works pretty well.
It is MF and has no aperture adjustment, wide open only.
Good for some shots but for pixel peeping would be a disappointment.
I like mine and do use it.

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

If you want CHEAP, go for it. If you want quality, get the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 lens.It is not possible to get cheap and quality at the same time.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I'm not so sure about that.

This was taken with a 70-300 DX AF-P 4.5-6.3 G VR. BTW this lens costs $400.

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wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

wteffey Loc: Ocala, FL USA

If someone is looking at a lens for $200-$300, I question the value of advice recommending lenses selling for over $1,000.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Interesting these same people recommending expensive NIKON lenses for a lower budget person have bashed me for even mentioning an alternative more expensive lens.
Hypocrites.

agillot

i started with a bower 500mm sold under 5 other brands , did birds with it , moved on to a 600/1200 vivitar [ forget the doubler , pure junk ] also i used to rarely go over 800 or so mm .all manual , T mount , so it fit anything , very light [not much glass in there ] .you are shooting at f11 , so , it is a somewhat bright light lens . the result , once you get used to them is a mixed bag .took a few thousand shots ,you can get descent shots as long as you dont have to crop too much , also in bright sun light on a white bird , you will end up with color fringing [ purple ] .this is photography at its basic .if you get a long lens , see what the minimum focusing distance is , some are at 32 feet .if i where you , i would get the newer design OSHIRO 500 .It is suppose to be sharper and less chromatic aberration that other lenses of that kind .for around $ 100 , it is a nice looking white lens that look like 10 time the price .if you want some bird samples , a email address would do .i did posted some a year or more ago .once you learn to use this you can move to the big boys .

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Look around. Expensive isn't always better. Back in the day I had a Spiratone 400 for my Mamiya SLR. It was reviewed as a decent quality lens at a cheap price. I wasn't disappointed with it.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 good advice. I have a cheap 500mm mirror and also an old 400mm Spiratone. These were the best I could afford in college. But their resolution is low and their speed is slow ...F-8. I still have them but don't really use them. I find that my long zoom bridge camera does a much much much better job than those old lenses.

inbigd

If you can live without AF and shooting completely in manual mode, some of the older Nikkors on eBay that are AI and AI-S type lenses might be an option. You can get the serial number, many times you can see it in the eBay seller's photo of the lens, and then confirm that it's is a type that will work here - http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html plus read up on Nikon older lenses compatibility for modern DSLRs, Ken Rockwell does a good job of explaining this http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Please, please - double and triple check that the lens is compatible to avoid damage to your camera.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You get what you pay for.

daddybear Loc: Brunswick, NY

Save your money !!!!

Up your budget by 2-3X and look for used glass. First try might be at KEH. Also, ask yourself if you need a long lens or just want one ? How about a looking at a mid-range to get started .

guardineer

The Nikon 200-500 is outstanding, I don't think you would be disappointed even if you wait a time for it to appear. I bought my D5500 and the Nikkor 18-300 together and, though the lens is short of the 200-500 quality, it is still a wonderful walk around lens. I know I would be unhappy with any lens of less quality.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Very nice shot. But you can't compare your Nikon D500 with the OP's D3300.
The attached moon shot was taken handheld with the Coolpix B700 12 nights ago. It's better than I have done so far with the 55-300mm lens on a D7000 dslr with a DX sensor, or on a Nikon 1 J1 dslr with a CX sensor and FT-1 autofocus adapter.
I got the Coolpix B700 camera used on ebay for $300 plus $18 shipping for Christmas.

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ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

from my Bridge camera Canon SX50.