Nikon releases new 300MM/F4 which is half the weight of the previous version!

CAT-THE-FIFTH

CAT-THE-FIFTH

CAT-THE-FIFTH

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Interesting! And finally a 300 f/4 from Nikon that has VR.

I'll wait until someone does a proper review of the lens before getting really excited though as the DO lenses in Canons line up are usually fairly poor compared to their full sized kin.

Not sure what the new Canon DO is like though.
 
Amp34 said:
Interesting! And finally a 300 f/4 from Nikon that has VR.

I'll wait until someone does a proper review of the lens before getting really excited though as the DO lenses in Canons line up are usually fairly poor compared to their full sized kin.

Not sure what the new Canon DO is like though.
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They 400 DO isn't fairly poor. The lack of contrast was the main complaint against the 400 DO, but it is still a £4k Canon supertele. It's a good wildlife lens and there are a lot of great shots from it online.
 
CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
It appears to use a Phase Fresnel element to help reduce the size of the lens:

http://www.nikon.com/news/2015/0106_lens_02.htm
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Pr...300mm-f%2F4E-PF-ED-VR.html?cid=web-0115-300mm
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/79...f-4-and-updated-dx-55-200mm-f-4-5-5-6-ed-zoom

It will cost around $2000,which equates to around £1300 excluding VAT(remember exchange rates have crashed too).
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Nikon has been needing a lens like this for a while, it should sell very well.
 
The 300 f/4 DO was more expensive and poorer IQ wise than the 300 f/4 it competed with.

I'll still wait and see how t compares, although with Nikon not having a 300 f/4 VR there isn't really a competitor to it.
 
Very interesting lens, massive weight reduction.

Unfortunately on FF 300mm is just too short so I likely won't update my 300mm.
 
Above&Beyond said:
They 400 DO isn't fairly poor. The lack of contrast was the main complaint against the 400 DO, but it is still a £4k Canon supertele. It's a good wildlife lens and there are a lot of great shots from it online.
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The 400mm DO mk2 looks quite exciting even if I can't afford one to go along side my 200-400 :D

They've said the new mk2 will be sharper than the mk1 even when using a 2x extender :|
 
Amp34 said:
The 300 f/4 DO was more expensive and poorer IQ wise than the 300 f/4 it competed with.

I'll still wait and see how t compares, although with Nikon not having a 300 f/4 VR there isn't really a competitor to it.
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It is a 400 f/4 DO not 300. The 70-300 DO was a 300 DO lens. The 400 f/5.6 or 400 f/2.8 would be the competition at that length or the 100-400. If you want a relatively light 400 for wildlife with an f/4 aperture it seems a good choice. I usually go on the final image rather than test charts or extreme pixel peeping.
 
I never mentioned a 400 DO... That was you... All I said was the older DO lenses weren't as good as the full size versions they competed with... I specifically said I didn't know what the newer one was like.

I still stand by my point that the older 300mm (should have said 70-300 DO) wasn't as good as the full size version (in fact it's not even sold now IIRC).

Anyway, the main point is I'm going to wait and see reviews before I get too excited about this lens.
 
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Yeah the Canon tech has certainly progressed if that new 400mm is anything to go by. It'll be interesting to see how this new Nikon lens performs.
 
Amp34 said:
I never mentioned a 400 DO... That was you... All I said was the older DO lenses weren't as good as the full size versions they competed with... I specifically said I didn't know what the newer one was like.

I still stand by my point that the older 300mm (should have said 70-300 DO) wasn't as good as the full size version (in fact it's not even sold now IIRC).

Anyway, the main point is I'm going to wait and see reviews before I get too excited about this lens.
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I haven't seen anyone call a 70-300 f/4-f/5.6 a 300 f/4 before. These are consumer grade lenses though, a supertele prime is in a completely different class. Canon must have faith in DO to bring out a Mk II version.
 
Just had a look at the 300 at CES. My god, it is tiny, like 55-20mm tiny. It feels solid, it is just surreal holding such a lens when I am so used to the old 300mm.

Seriously considering buying one now, although I really need more reach. I will sell my right kidney for a 50mm f/4 version.
 
Phal said:
Yeah the Canon tech has certainly progressed if that new 400mm is anything to go by. It'll be interesting to see how this new Nikon lens performs.
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I tested it on a D810 and pixel peeped, looked very sharp to the edges but hard to tell from LCD screen.
 
wonder if it uses a back element unlike the 300/f4 version 1 , imo less weight= plastic and less glass. the original f/4 was very solid
 
avatar12m said:
wonder if it uses a back element unlike the 300/f4 version 1 , imo less weight= plastic and less glass. the original f/4 was very solid
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The lens feels very solid, the reduced weight comes from diffraction optics. The barrels is solid metal and feels the same as other Nikko problenses, same build as 24-70 and 70-200 for example.
 
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