The SLR addiction continues

It seems that my addiction to digital SLR lenses continues unabated. The latest addition to the arsenal is a Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VRII lens. This is one hefty piece of glass. It weighs in at 745gms! That is a good three to five times heavier than my other lenses (50 f/1.8, 35 f/2, 18-55). Even at this weight it is still nowhere close to the heft of the 70-200 f/2.8 which weighs in at 1470 gms. The 70-300 is probably at the limit of what I consider portable. Anything bigger or heavier and I would have some serious concerns about taking the lens everywhere.

I haven't tested the lens extensively, but the few shots I've made with it have come out extremely sharp. The vibration reduction (VR) feature is quite handy as it allows me to take handheld shots in low light without having to worry too much about shutter speed. Nikon's claim is that VRII provides the equivalent of a shutter speed four stops faster. Depending on the focal length and the stability of ones arms, I have seen users report shutter speeds 2-4.5 stops faster.

This is not a digital-only (DX) lens. Thus, it covers the entire 35mm frame, and operates in the sweet spot when used on a digital camera. Perhaps this is why there have been some very positive reviews of this lens on digital cameras.

The focal lengths provided by the lens makes it ideal for nature and sports photography. It is also great for candid photography as you can take shots of people from a good 20-30m away with a focal length of 300mm (450mm in digital).