Nikkor 70 - 300mm discontinued?

[falcon91]

Hi All,

Was at Teds in Melbourne looking at getting some more reach for my DSLR and have been comparing the Nikkor 70 - 300 and the Tamron 70 - 300.
Teds had cut the price of the Nikkor to around $800 on their website.
When I was talking to sales rep he mentioned that this lens was marked at "Discontinued"
Has anyone else heard anything like this? I know the lens is around 6 years old

Also which of the two lenses would be the best to get? The rep also suggested moving to the Sigma AF 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM? It's considerably more expensive but would it be worth trying to save up for this lens instead?

Thanks

[I @ M]

The lens is currently listed as a current production item on the Nikon Aus web site (http://www.nikon.com.au/en_AU/product_details.page?DCRPath=templatedata/en_AU/saleable_product_information/data/Nikkor%20Lenses/FX%20Format/Zoom/Telephoto%20Zoom/AF-S%20VR%20Zoom-Nikkor%2070-300mm%20f4.5-5.6G%20IF-ED.xml&CategoryID=gp11zkmv&currentTab=gp11zkn1&currentLink=gp11zkn7).

A realistic Australian retail price can be found at Euorpean Camera Supplies (http://www.cameras.net.au/product_info.php?cPath=50&products_id=64) in Sydney.

Even a grey import (http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=961) will only save you about $50.00

The difference between the Sigma and the Nikkor are of course the maximum focal length and price and also the maximum aperture which may come in handy for subject isolation and to keep shutter speeds up in low light without having to go to higher iso levels.

What are the main things that you will want to photograph?

The Nikkor has a solid reputation as a sharp and contrasty lens particularly on DX bodies and is a very good all round zoom.

Why did you go to Teds? :confused013 I don't think that they were doing you any favours with either information or prices.

[falcon91]

Thanks for the reply! What a difference in price!!!!
I can't say I've heard of that supplier before. Are there many people here that have dealt with them? What sort of experiences have you had with them?

Is there a lot if IQ between these 3 lenses?
I can see why the Sigma would be useful with the larger aperture, however it is a much larger and much more expensive lens, that said, you get what you pay for.

At the moment I would be looking at photographing a little sport we well as landscape/seascape and also some outdoor wildlife.
The only reason that I was at Teds was because it was a 10 min walk from work and I wanted to see what the lenses felt like on a D7000.
Are there any suppliers in the Melbourne CBD that you would recommend?

Thanks!

[rellik666]

If you are seriously considering wildlife/bird etc I would stick with the 300mm as 200mm is just going to be too short. Especially as you wouldn't need the 2.8 for landscapes. I don't know the lens myself, but seems to me the sales rep is trying to get you to get a more expensive lens.

None of the Melbourne dealers are going to come close to online or grey imports.

Depending on the sports, motorsport, football etc you may need the 2.8 but not all the time, esp on the D7000 with its great ISO. But it may struggle in low light at 5.6 at full zoom.

Prioritise what you want if for and tick off the needs.

[falcon91]

Thanks for the advice.
Seems that it's going to come down to the Tamron or Nikkor 70 - 300mm
Does anyone have any advice as to which lens would be better? I know the Tamron seems to put up a pretty good fight, but haven't been able to find any direct comparison to the Nikkor.

Also a correction to my first post:
I double checked the quote last night and it turns out the discontinued lens was the AF 70-300 F4-5.6D lens. :Doh:

[rellik666]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVadVRtDbQs

Interesting video on the Tamron

[J.davis]

Have a look at these and see if you like them - site doesn't have any results for the Tamron.


http://www.pixel-peeper.com/adv/?lens=219&camera=1496&perpage=12&focal_min=none&focal_max=none&aperture_min=none&aperture_max=none&iso_min=none&iso_max=none&exp_min=none&exp_max=none&res=3

[I @ M]

Thanks for the reply! What a difference in price!!!!
I can't say I've heard of that supplier before. Are there many people here that have dealt with them? What sort of experiences have you had with them?

By supplier, if you mean European Camera Supplies, they have solid reputation and are authorised Nikon Australia dealers, I haven't dealt with them but I know others who have and they haven't complained. If you are referring to DWI, they are well established grey market importers and seem to be well regarded by those who have used them.

As a comparison between the Tamron and The Nikkor, Photozone have reviewed both lenses on the same body and you can find the Tamron (http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/619-tamron70300f456fx) review here and the Nikkor (http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/620-nikon70300f4556vrfx) review here.

If you look at the specification section you will see many similarities between the two lenses in dimensions, optical elements and weight. I do remember some time ago that someone pointed out that the Nikkor is a joint venture development between the 2 companies and seeing as they review very similarly when tested it may very well be the case that beneath the surface both lenses are made in the same factory.

[farmer_rob]

If you choose the Nikon, make sure you get the VR version. The earlier versions don't get good reviews, but the VR does. (I have the VR version of the 70-300, and think it is a great lens.)


Regards,
Rob

[falcon91]

Thanks for the links for reviews and images! I would definitely be looking at the VR version!
By the look of it, both lenses will suit my needs very well. The one of the other questions is whether it's worth paying a bit more for the nikkor as that has the same size filters ring as my current 18-105.

[russrad]

I have the Nikkor and am very happy with it. I don't know the tamron you are thinking about but some of the Tamrons I have seen are a bit plasticky. The Nikkor is very well made and substantial.
The same filter size is a consideration—you don't want to have to double up on ND filters and polarisers.

[wolffman]

I've got the nikkor and it works really well. I'd want to save a lot of money to get the tamron especially with the common filter size.
It does have a really noisy vr though and turns on and off with a distinct clunk.
I've bought a couple of lenses through dwi and have had no problems at all.