Nikkor 70-300mm Zoom Lenses

I recently got an email from a friend which was undecided between two high powered nikkor zoom lenses with the same focal length. Although they share similar zoom range they are totally different. There are a total of 3 variations of this lens:

• First Edition: 70-300mm f/4-5.6G

• Second Edition: AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D ED

• Third Edition: AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR

I do not think the first edition is still in production though you still see it on Nikon website. The second edition you tend to see a lot being sold on the forums but its not longer on Nikon website because it has been superseded by the third edition which is the AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR

To cut the long story short, if you are on a budget it’s a no brainer go for the second edition. But if you are not on a budget go for the third version. Why?

• 9 aperture blades and they are rounded which translates to better bokeh rendition

• Comes with VR. Given the zoom range the VR version plays an important role especially when it comes to handheld shooting.

• 2 x Extra-low Dispersion glass which helps eliminate chromatic aberration (CA)

• AF-S you can run this baby on your D40, D40x, and D60

Detailed Review by Photozone:

• Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR

• Nikkor AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D ED