A little-known fact is that ALL of the Nikon AF-I series had 4 ED lens elements. The AF-S series only have 3 ED elements. I have owned and used one of these for over 10 years now and love it!!! Focus is extremely fast on my D2x and it is super-sharp, even with the TC-14E. If you find a used one in good shape at a decent price go for it. Don't worry about Nikon repair issues. They are built like a tank. Mine has never failed me once and I purchased it used over 10 years ago for about $2,000. This is an excellent lens! The 1 or 2 negative reviews of this lens on the web were by people who have never owned this lens! Don't believe them. I have used this lens successfully to shoot surfers as well as birds in flight and focus speed is at least as fast or faster than my 70-200 AF-S VR on a pro body. Just plan on mounting it on a decent, sturdy tripod with a good pro-quality head and you will be fine. Its AF-I motor will auto-focus fine on any modern Nikon body capable of handling an AF-S lens.
Hey Richard. So I found one being sold for 800$, no issues. I know thats a good price. I am a student at a university and I am the lead photographer for athletics. I upgraded to a second body (D500) this year and also purchased a 70-200 2.8. I have heard that the AF-S lenses are superior with autofocusing speeds. Is this lens worth it? I shoot nearly every sport (except swimming) and I don't want to miss shots due to a lack of focusing.
Basically I already answered you in my post above. Perhaps the AF-S are a teeny bit faster and slightly quieter but is that worth 4 times the price? Just be sure the AF is working well when you buy it and you'll be fine. Very fast AF! Get it from a trustworthy person. It would be excellent for sports. Razor sharp even wide open or with TC-14E. Very reliable lens. One of the sharpest lenses Nikon ever made.
Dear Richard,can you please help me since I can't find reliable source on internet about 300mm lens? I have found one in Germany for 800 euro with hard case,but designation on the plate on the lens is AF Nikkor 300mm 1:2.8,not AF-I Nikkor 300mm 1:2.8D like this one in video.Is it slower than this one,and would it autofocus with AF-S TC17E II on D4s?I don't doubt in quality of the glass,just AF and converter results are what keeps me wondering since I'm looking for wildlife budget lens with wide aperture.I was thinking about Sigma 500/4.5 DG version,but costs 500 euro more.
@@slavensmolcic If it is not AF-I or AF-S then it doesn't have an internal focusing motor. The focusing will be too slow for action shooting. Also you would need a Nikon body with an internal screw-drive capable of focusing an older AF Nikkor lens. I would stay away from an older AF Nikon lens model unless you don't need fast AF. I hope that this is helpful. The TC17EII works with either AF-S or AF-I lenses on the D4S but not older AF Nikkors because they have a mechanical screw-drive that connects to the camera. Your D4s will focus ANY AF Nikon lens (AF,AF-I, AF-S) but for the older AF lenses you would need an AF TC made for screw-drive Nikon AF lenses( I would avoid this combination).
you always read about not available spare parts, however you rarely read about a dead af-i motor. i've one and i dont think it will fail at me. if you treat it well it should last longer than the new silent wave motors. ofc this big lens will dran more battery than a 18-55 DX, but i've done a whole day in the zoo with one battery (d800). nikon does service these lenses, however only with parts they have, which tend to zero. but repairs that can be done without spare sparts should still be possible. optically the af-i is a superb lens. focus speed also depends on the body.
just got one of these used. the focusing is fast enough for me. In continuous mode, it did feel slow and seemed faster pressing focus button when you needed it instead of letting the camera refocus. no complaints considering what the price difference is. A little worried about the parts availability issue that ive read about... the images are amazing.
Nothing wrong with older AF-D and AF-I lenses in terms of focusing speed :) Allot of people who haven't used them seem to think otherwise (Nikon's AF-S marketing perhaps?) The only thing you might want to consider switching from pre AF-S lenses to AF-S is if you need to have the quietest performance out there (i.e. shooting wild life, wedding chapel)
@Will3ist No, not that I noticed they use about the same power i'd say. What i do notice is more of a power draw is using a lens with VR or VRII and having that on all the time. I think you lose 1/3rd of the amount of pics you could normally shoot (without flash that is)
Yes AF lenses will burn up your camera battery faster because they have to power the focus motors. Not much problem on a pro Nikon body with a large battery though.
Thx for reply Daniel. I bought the lens 2 years ago, and did quite enjoy it with wildlife shooting. The AF is fine, but somewhat sluggish. Sold the lens recently because of low usage as an amerature. 35mm and 85mm are my most used range. However, this lens does hold its value very well.
my 300mm f4 focuses at the same speed when pointed at the sun and at a random spot in daylight, same speed when focusing in a shadow too... slightly slower when focusing in low light.
