Updated February 16, 2016 – See the note at the end of this blog post about using the Nikkor 300mm f/4 PF VR lens with the TC14E III for photographing big-wave surfing and a true test of it’s autofocus capabilities. Over the last month, I have been testing out the Nikon AF-S 300mm f/4E PF...
Dear Michael,
Great review thanks! I recently aquired the Nikon D500 and was looking for a lens to take on my first trip to Africa. I’d previously rented the 500 f4 (Canon) for an Alaska bear trip and it was great. However, just transporting the lens around was a real pain.
I ended up buying the Nikon 80-400mm lens but on the D500 and even the D810, it didn’t seem that great. My Sigma 120-300mm f2.8, (my other option) was a little better than the 80-400mm but the Sigma is still a heavy lens.
Based partly on your review of this 300mm f4 lens, I bought one yesterday and WOW! It is incredibly sharp…probably better than the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 (adjusted with lens dock!). Kills the 80-400mm.
I screwed on the TC1.4 III this morning and it’s still amazingly sharp!
On the D500, the autofocus flies, and doesn’t appear to be any slower with the 1.4x converter.
I took some distant shots with the 300 f4 + 1.4x converter at both max aperture (f5.6) and stopped down to f8 and there was the tiniest improvement only…barely perceptible!
Hence the D500 + Nikon 300f4 + TC1.4 III at f5.6, (630mm zoom!!) appears to be a winning combination. I don’t do birding but I’d say this would perfect for this as well.
Thanks again for all the useful information!
Cheers,
Peter
Thanks Peter – sounds like a great combo. Can’t wait to try that out for Surfing and other far off sports.
Thank you for a wonderful review- tempted to get this lens- did you try other higher teleconvertes like the 1.6 or 2.0?
No, the 1.7X and 2X teleconverters only work well with the Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 and 400mm f/2.8. Those teleconverters work with quite a few lenses, including this 300mm f/4, but the autofocus is quite poor.
As a prolific bird photographer who shoots on the move, the D500 + 300 mm f/4 PF VR lens is a fantastic combination that rarely misses the shot. It travels with me everywhere I go, and has got me some great bird images. Without hesitation, I would say that this combo is the best for birds in flight than any other in existence today. I have the TC 1.4 iii, but the autofocus takes a big hit. I use this hand-held, and even the f/4 fully open is ultra sharp for a fair amount of cropping. My poor D810 stays at home along with the longer focal length (but heavier) lenses!
Hi Michael
A belated thanks for an excellent review with very much real-world testing which is considerably more useful than a lot of reviews. I’ve recently been shooting Otters in places like the Shetlands and Mull in Scotland and moving quickly across slippery seaweed covered rocks holding a heavy D4/500mm combination , whilst producing great results, isn’t ideal and the idea of the new 300mm with a 1.4cv at a fraction of the weight is very attractive. Ideally I’d use my D810 on it’s crop mode (for the 30-36 pixels) but as you suggest it just doesn’t handle the pixels as well as my 3 year old D4 the moment you crank up the iso (especially on tricky subjects such as those in motion or mottled colours) . I’ll be very interested in your feedback when and if you get a D500 as although it sounds ideal , a few friends of mine have found that again above about iso 1600 the noise creeps in whereas I’m regularly using my D4 (now 3 years old as well of course) at up to 4000/5000 iso with acceptable results…D810 comes into it’s own in good light/steady subjects and I can the new 300mm being a great asset there…so looks like you are the (final) catalyst for me be about £1500 out of pocket !! Great images btw, love the surf and landscapes
Hi. Nice review. One question about this: “I have previously owned the Nikkor AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VRII lens and I have shot with previous 300mm lenses (both f/4 and f/2.8) as well as the new 80-400mm Nikkor lens. I have also shot a fair bit with my Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII and the TC-14E III 1.4x teleconverter. The image quality offered by the 300mm f/4E PF lens is equal to or better than all of these options. Even with the 1.4 teleconverter, the 300mm f/4 PF is better than these other options in terms of image quality.”
That seems to say that, in your experience, the PF yields equal or better image quality than a Nikon 300mm f2.8 ? And with a 1.4x it is better than a Nikon 300mm f2.8 with 1.4x ? Is that right? If so, that would be extremely impressive. Can you confirm that’s what you meant ?
Jakob – Hello. I can confirm that those were my findings. I would suggest renting it for yourself and seeing what you find. BTW, I also had an older 300mm f/2.8 so that may not be true if you have a newer one.
I recently bought the lens after trying the 200-500. I already have the 300 f2.8 and has been my main wildlife lens for many years this is my second copy of the f2.8. I have shot thousands of images with this lens and use it with all 3 TC. Latest versions. Under the right conditions the TC’s produce great results. I bought the 300 GP f4 for it size and to use as lightweight lens when traveling and to use on a second body. Here in Africa lens flexibility is important as you mostly shoot from a fixed position in a car. This is an amazing lens. Naked lens is very sharp and focus snappy. Even with the 1.4 and 1.7 TC’s . When on safari I use my f2.8 with the TC2.0 on my D5 and f4 on D500 or swop around as needed. Fantastic lens and thanks for a great review
Thanks for this review. i’ve owned both previous 300mm f4 models. I absolutely loved my 300 f4 AF-S though it was admittedly a hefty piece of glass. Unfortunately, a recent canoe expedition gone awry along with a drybag failure leaves me looking for a replacement 300/teleconverter combo (thankfully fully insured!). This is the first review that gave me the info I need…concise and practical from a working shooter and educator like myself. I guess I’ll just need to get over the idea of shooting with such a compact size!
From colorado’s continental divide…
matt lit