{"id":3718,"date":"2022-11-21T01:44:43","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T17:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lensfever.com\/nikon-af-s-nikkor-300mm-f4-if-ed-review\/"},"modified":"2022-12-13T14:14:59","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T06:14:59","slug":"nikon-af-s-nikkor-300mm-f4-if-ed-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lensfever.com\/nikon-af-s-nikkor-300mm-f4-if-ed-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F4 IF-ED Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Preface<\/h2>\n\n

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f\/4D IF-ED, introduced in 2000, used Nikon’s most advanced Silent Wave Motor at the time. The failure rate of the Silent Wave Motor was relatively high. As a result, the motor of the copy under review is no longer working. Howerver, the lens can still focus and manually. Back in the 2000, the mainstream format of Nikon DSLR was a DX format sensor with 5 to 6 million pixels. The lens receive many positive reviews at that time. How does the lens perform on a full-frame 42-megapixel camera now?<\/p>\n\n

Specifications<\/h2>\n\n
focal length<\/th>300mm<\/td><\/tr>
Maximum aperture<\/th>f\/4<\/td><\/tr>
Minimum aperture<\/th>f\/32<\/td><\/tr>
Lens construction<\/th>10 elements in 6 groups (2 ED glass elements)<\/td><\/tr>
Closest focusing distance<\/th>1.45m \/ 4.8 ft<\/td><\/tr>
No. of diaphragm blades<\/th>9 (rounded)<\/td><\/tr>
filter size<\/th>77mm<\/td><\/tr>
Weight<\/th>1,440g<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f\/4D IF-ED specifications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f\/4D IF-ED lens construction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Lens workmanship\/Handling<\/h2>\n\n

The body of the lens is made of polymer and the mount is made of copper. The overall workmanship is very good, inheriting the consistent workmanship of Nikon’s high-end lenses.<\/p>\n\n

Lens sharpness<\/h2>\n\n
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(The camera used for testing is Sony A7RII 42MP)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The center of the frame is already very sharp when wide open, and the corners are very good. At F5.6, the whole photo is very sharp from center to corners.<\/p>\n\n

Chromatic aberrations<\/h2>\n\n

During the test, thanks to two ED lenses on the design, only a small amount of purple fringing was found in extreme environments. Below is a 100% crop close to the center of the frame.<\/p>\n\n

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Flare resistance<\/h2>\n\n

The lens comes with built with a hood, and the hood has internal felt linings to reduce reflections. Under normal circumstances, the flare is not detectable.<\/p>\n\n

Distortion and Vignetting<\/h2>\n\n

Distortion is essentially imperceptible. At F4.0 there are noticeable vignetting, please refer to the photo below. The vignetting basically gone at F5.6.<\/p>\n\n

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@F4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Coma<\/h2>\n\n

I don’t notice any coma during testing.<\/p>\n\n

Bokeh<\/h2>\n\n

The bokeh of this lens is neutral. Please refer to the photos below.<\/p>\n\n

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Bokeh when focus at 1.45 meter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Sunstars<\/h2>\n\n

With a 9-bladed rounded aperture, you can get 18-point sunstars if you stop down it to F8-11…<\/p>\n\n

Summary<\/h2>\n\n

The lens is more than good enough for use on a 42MP camera where it performs very well in every aspects. A working copy is best to be used on a Nikon Z mount cameras which will provide autofocus and in-body stabilization. When adapting the lens to other cameras, it is recommended to use a tripod as manual focusing is diffcult on this lens.<\/p>\n\n

Test photos<\/h2>\n\n

All photos are taken with the camera’s default Standard mode with only brightness adjustment in post. For a larger photos, please visit our Flickr<\/a>.<\/p>\n