Nikon CRTNK70300KRB 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G VR DX AF-P ED Zoom-NIKKOR Lens - (Renewed)

My main interest is in bird photography, specifically birds in flight. I've carried a 55-300mm Nikon lens around for years and have been pretty happy with it. When I upgraded my camera to a D7200, I thought I would give this a try due to the advertised increased focus speed and sharpness.I am seriously impressed with this lens. The image quality is stunning, the focus motor is super fast and quiet, and it is very sharp.Yes, the build is plastic, including the mount. Do you know what that means? It means it is light--very light--to carry around. I am very careful with my equipment, and I have no doubt I will be using this lens for years.I have a Tamron 150-600mm lens for serious birding, but I also like to carry this focal length. It is rapidly becoming my favorite walk-around lens.I was apprehensive about the VR--no manual switch, and there is no option in my D7200 menu to turn it off. But, the physical effect of the VR is so slight--much slighter than with my 55-300--that I can't see it affecting image quality. So far the pictures I have taken support that theory.Supposedly there is an update for the D7200 firmware that gives you that option in the menu, but at this point I'm not going to bother with it.In summary, I love this lens because it is lightweight and easy to carry around; the auto-focus is super fast and quiet, the VR is hardly noticeable, and the images are very sharp with good color and little noise. 5 stars for sure!

First I would like to say Beach Camera does a phenomenal job providing quality refurbished products. I have now purchased a camera and several lenses from them and they are doing a great job in regards to packaging, shipping, and customer service. It is worth mentioning for this specific product they went above and beyond to make me happy with my purchase. There was a mistake with this order and I was able to simply contact Beach Camera by email and they quickly responded with solutions to my issue. After we agreed on a solution they acted quickly to fix the problem. Keep up the great work Beach Camera, I look forward to my next purchase from you.Regarding the lens. I haven't previously owned a telephoto lens and I must say this changed a lot of how I've viewed photography. I really enjoy the focal range, as well as the autofocus speed on my D3400, Af-P seems to find the right focus very quickly and very quietly whereas AF-S lenses I have seem to hunt more to find the right focus and sometimes I find myself fine tuning manually. The lens is extremely light for its focal length and I would say feels really comfortable as a walk around lens. I find it to be a great addition to owning the kit lens and the vibration reduction makes handheld shots extremely possible. The lens is not too heavy and seems to work well on my gorrilapod and vanguard tripods.

A little nervous due the light build but was very surprised at the sharp photos this lens produced. I mounted this lens on my 7200 Nikon and set it at 300mm. The VR was great and the lens so silent I honestly thought it was broken. Snapped off a few pictures on a heavily overcast day. I then removed the lens and installed my older 70-300 lens without VR on the same camera with no changes. The difference is plain as day. Winner, winner Chicken dinner. Some axial color aberration was noted at 50% zoom. A little tweak in NX-D and the picture was great. Not a pro lens but a nice light addition worth every penny that I paid for. The lens itself was a factory refurbished. It came with a plain white end cap, a Nikon lens cap and was packaged very well. Its so clean it looks brand new. I would buy this again without a second thought. As a side note, this lens DID NOT work on my D7000 camera and according to the listing, the D7000 wasn't compatible. Not a bit concerned as I made the purchase for my D7200.

Purchased this lens because I wanted a longer zoom option. The 70-300 Nikon lens is pretty good but it isn't my favorite lens - at least not yet.Construction is ok. It's an all plastic lens and feels like I'm going to break it every time I put it on my camera. The collar is all plastic and I am betting that is where there will be a failure as the lens gets some age.Picture quality is ok - photos so far have been on the darker side so I am increasing light intake on photos that would normally be light anyway. This could be anything, so that's why I'm saying that it isn't my favorite lens just yet. I have a Nikon 18-140 that is my "go to" for almost everything and I rarely use anything else.Zoom is pretty good. I rarely need to go out as far as 300mm but it's nice to know I have the extra zoom if I need it.The price on this product was really good as I bought it refurbished, so extra savings there too. I still think you cannot go wrong with most Nikon lenses, and obviously, some are better than others.If you're in the market for a lower cost zoom lens, give this one a try. I still think it's a decent lens.