Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens

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Since it is a variable aperture lens, the focal length on it changes as you zoom in from f/4.5 to f/5.6 on the long end:

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II Review Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II Review

Again, the center looks very similar to 200mm, with slightly softer image at f/5.6 that gets sharper at f/8.0 and f/11.0. Sharpness Test – Nikon 55-300mm @ 300mm Corner FrameIf distortion is an issue for you, you can easily fix it via Filter->Distort->Lens Correction filter in Adobe Photoshop or use the new “ Lens Corrections” screen inside Lightroom’s Develop Module. Sharpness Test – Nikon 55-300mm @ 55mm Center Frame Lab testing revealed negligible chromatic aberration at short and mid-range focal lengths but distinct colour fringing became apparent on the high-contrast test target when the lens was set to 300mm. Similarly, although the MTF curves for 70mm and 135mm both remained above 0.25 cycles-per-pixel from wide-open down to f/16, the curve for 300mm peaked at just 0.2 cycles-per-pixel at f/11. Sample images Vignetting is typically not a problem on telephoto lenses, however, the Nikon 55-300mm does have a significant amount of vignetting present past 135mm when shooting at the largest aperture. Stopping down the lens to f/8.0 completely gets rid of vignetting though, which is great. Here is an example of vignetting at f/5.0 @ 200mm (left) and at f/8.0 @ 200mm (right):

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

How does the Nikon 55-300mm VR compare to the older Nikon 55-200mm VR? Let’s take a look at direct comparisons between the two. Nikon 55-300mm vs Nikon 55-200mm @ 55mm Center Frame

The zoom is smooth and image quality is as good as the venerable 70-300 VR lens, perhaps a bit better to my eyes (especially at 300mm). The quality of bokeh this lens produces is pretty good. It is not as good as what the Nikon 70-300mm VR and other exotic lenses such as the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G can do, but still quite pleasing for a lens like this. Here is a bokeh comparison between the Nikon 55-300 and 28-300: Nikon 55-300mm vs Nikon 28-300mm Bokeh Nikon’s zoom manages to provide a reasonable 5.5x zoom range. It also has the added benefit of coming complete with a protective carrying pouch.

Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Review - Photography Life Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Review - Photography Life

Macro results are fair for this lens, with a magnfication of 0.28x, and a close-focusing range of 1.4 meters (around 4 and a half feet). I have now taken many more pictures with this lens on my D7100, specifically looking for difficult subjects and conditions. In most cases, it has been pretty good to about 200 or 210mm, with or without a Kenko 1.4x TC, in or out of crop mode. So up to roughly 400mm DX net it's fine for "normal" subjects. Supplied Accessories: HB-58 Bayonet Lens Hood, LC-77 Snap-on Front Lens Cap, LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, CL-1120 Soft Case

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Corners look all the same to me in terms of sharpness, with a slight amount of visible purple fringing in the corners. So, which one is sharper, the Nikon 55-300mm or the Nikon 55-200mm? As you can see from the above tests, both perform equally well, with the 55-300mm performing just a little better than the 55-200mm towards the longer range at 200mm. Overall, I would say the performance is almost identical, with small differences here and there. When it comes to distortion, CA and other lens characteristics, lenses are very comparable, with the 55-200 having a little more vignetting at 200mm than the 55-300. The obvious advantage the 55-300mm has over the 55-200mm, is focal length. Those 100mm play a big role when it comes to reaching distant subjects and without a doubt, the 55-300mm is a lot more useful than the 55-200mm.