Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII – Wyoming Photos

I had a great time on my recent trip to Jackson, Wyoming and had a chance to take tons of shots with my Nikon D300 paired with the Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lens.  I used the lens solo and in combination with the Nikon TC-17EII (1.7x) teleconverter.  I was very pleased with the results from this lens BOTH with and without the teleconverter.  I am still waiting for the new Nikon TC-20E III to be in stock somewhere so I can buy it.  I will surely post results from that pairing if and when it is available.   If you are interested in some of the locations that I visited, please see the link at the end of this posting to a pdf file entiled “Grand Teton National Park Map and Photography Tour”.

The Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lens has an almost instantaneous and quite autofocus system.  Paired with the TC-17E II 1.7x teleconverter, there is only a small amount of adverse effect to autofocus ability with decent lighting…though the lens will hunt more in low light situations with this combination.  There was one instance that I had to go manuel mode because it was late in the day (low light) and the bald eagle and ospreys that I was trying to capture were moving too fast for the autofocus to keep up.  I was able to get a few nice panning shots out of it.

Overall, I find this lens to produce tack sharp photos with proper technique.  I do find myself using a tripod much more often with this lens simply because it is a bit heavy (~6.4 lbs or 2900 grams) compared to lenses like th 70-200mm (3.4 lbs/ 1540 grams).  I am a relatively well built guy and can easily manage shooting the 300mm f2.8  handheld for short periods of time.  After a while though, I notice more movement artifacts in my shots simply from muscle fatigue of holding up the lens.  As a result, I use a tripod or monopod whenever possible. 

Below are some sample shots from my trip using the Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lens with the Nikon D300 camera body.  I have seperated the photos by those with and without the Nikon TC-17EII (1.7x) teleconverter.  Note that some photos were taken at ISO’s greater than 400 due to low light conditions, so you will notice some “ISO artifact” on 100% crop.  These findings in no way reflect on a fault in the lens itself.

For a truly detailed review of the Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lens or many others please see the following website by Nasim Mansurov: http://mansurovs.com/nikon-300mm-f2-8-vr-ii-review/all/1

(BELOW)     Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII  (ONLY)

  

  (BELOW)     Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII (with TC-17EII (1.7x) teleconverter) ~510mm equivalent

 

Grand Teton National Park Map and Photography Tour pdf file:  Grand Teton National Park Map and Photography Tour

-KSQ

http://ksqphotography.zenfolio.com/

Check back for more photo updates in the future…. Also feel free to check at other sample sets for the Nikon 300mm f2.8VRII at the links below:

 http://ksqphotography.wordpress.com/my-photography-equipment-reviews-image-galleries/