As of May 2011, Nikon manufactures two 300mm lenses: the AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4.0D and the AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G VR II. Because both of these telephoto lenses feature an internal focusing system, they do not require the use of a camera body compatible with AF-D lenses. The AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G VR II is the newest of the Nikon professional telephoto lenses and incorporates Nikon's latest technology. The AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4 has an older design.
Aperture
The aperture indicates the amount of light that the lens is capable of capturing. A lens with f/2.8 captures twice the amount of light that a f/4 can capture. The photographer is therefore able to use a higher shutter speed or a lower ISO with the f/2.8 lens, compared to the f/4 lens. A lens with f/2.8 also creates images with a shallower depth of field. The minimum aperture of the Nikkor 300mm f/4.0 is f/32, which is greater than the f/22 minimum aperture of the Nikkor 300mm F/2.8. The smaller the aperture the bigger the depth of field but the more light is needed to take a photograph. Like all lenses, both the Nikon 300mm will start losing image quality when using an aperture smaller than f/8 or f/11.
VR
The AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G VR II features a VR, or vibration reduction, system designed to reduce the vibration of the lens when hand-holding the lens. As a rule of thumb, a photographer can hand-hold a 300mm lens and get sharp images only if using a shutter speed of 1/300th of a second or faster. With VR, that time is reduced to 1/40th of a second. The AF-S Nikkor 300 f/4.0D does not have VR technology, requiring the use of a tripod or other stabilization method in many shooting situations in which a photographer could hand-hold a AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 G VR II lens.
Size and Weight
The apertures f/2.8 and f/4 indicate the ratio of the size of the focal length and the size of the front element of the lens. Because these two lenses have the same focal length, the f/2.8 lens will be physically larger than the f/4 lens. The VR system and its better weather sealing add bulk to the AF-S Nikkor 300 f/2.8G II. The AF-S Nikkor 300 f/2.8G II measures 4.9 by 10.5 inches and weighs 6.39 lb., and the AF-S Nikkor 300 f/4.0D measures 3.5 by 8.8 inches and weighs 3.17 lb.
Price
Released in 2010, the AF-S Nikkor 300 f/2.8G II 2010 features the latest and best of what Nikon has to offer. The AF-S Nikkor 300 f/4.0D was released in 2003 without VR and with lower-quality construction and with fewer control options, for example, a button to lock the focus to a specific point or lock the focus to a specific range. It also uses lower-quality glass. The AF-S Nikkor 300 f/4.0D costs around $1,300, and the AF-S Nikkor 300 f/2.8G II costs about $5,600, as of May 2011.
Tags: AF-S Nikkor, Nikkor 300mm, AF-S Nikkor 300mm, 300mm lens, AF-S Nikkor costs