Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm Lens

[RockyOB]

I've just discovered this on Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ZSHNC...1501_pe_epc_t5

Looks good to me, but I'm new to this DSLR lark. I've got a Nikon D5000 and am considering buying the above lens - does anyone have any experience of it or know of any issues I'd be likely to encounter?

Thanks in advance all!

R

[tclune]

The concensus seems to be that it's a decent lens, but it's outclassed by other offerings. As a budget lens, the Nikon 55-200 f/4-5.6 VR is a tad better optically over the range that they share and noticeably less money. For pure optical quality, the somewhat more expensive Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR is universally recognize as a better lens. So it's squeezed from both ends. FWIW, I own the 55-200, but will probably trade it in for a factory refurb 70-300 when my wife isn't looking. My other zooms are the Tokina 12-24 and the Tamron 28-75, so the 70-300 is just a better fit with the rest of my kit as it has evolved. But I have quite a soft spot for the 55-200, and worry that I'll miss it when it's gone...

[DigMe]

Thom Hogan just summarized his reviews of a bunch of the newer Nikon lenses and here's what he said about this lens:

<LI class=bt11>Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DX. Good news: surprisingly good, perhaps even stunning from 55-200mm from center to corner stopped down, but still quite good in the center even wide open. High contrast edges are clean at all but 300mm, where a bit of chromatic aberration sneaks in. Vignetting is modest. Bad news: from 200-300mm everything goes downhill rapidly, making it only serviceable as a 300mm. Nikon gets demerit points for the lens hood, though. Mine fell apart within days--it won't withstand heavy handling. Overall: at the price, better-than-expected performance and probably a better choice than the 55-200mm, which was already very good. Highly Recommended.

I generally like Hogan's reviews.. He has a solid perspective and experience to work from and he's a little pickier than me. I've heard good things about some of the 3rd party 55-300 lenses.

brad