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

 

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

The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is a 5.5x telephoto zoom lens designed to complement the 18-55mm kit zoom that comes bundled with many cropped-sensor Nikon digital SLR cameras. Offering a 35mm equivalent focal range of 82.5-450mm, the Nikon 55-300mm VR lens features a built-in auto-focus motor, Vibration Reduction and an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades for a soft rendering of the out-of-focus areas. The optical formula comprises 17 lens elements arranged in 11 groups, including 2 ED glass elements and one high-refractive-index element. The AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED

The Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens mounted on a Nikon D7000 body

Weighing in at approximately 580 grams, the AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G is fairly lightweight for a 5.5x telezoom lens, and as seen in the photo above, complements the Nikon D7000 well. It may look a little out of proportion on the smaller D5100 or D3100, though.

Alongside the D7000 Build quality is pretty decent for a consumer zoom. Most of the outer parts are plastic – contributing the light weight of the lens –, but the optical elements are made of high-grade glass. The zoom ring is wide and ridged, and zoom creep is not an issue. On our test sample, the zooming action was very smooth, but I've come across a few copies that had somewhat stiffer zoom rings – this is something to watch out for when shopping for this lens.

Zoomed out and zoomed in

Zooming is not internal – as you can see, the front extends considerably upon zooming to 300mm.

In terms of features, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor DX 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is a bit of a mixed bag. One one hand, it has Vibration Reduction on board – hence the VR abbreviation in the product name –; on the other, it isn't as sophisticated as on some other Nikon lenses. There's an on-off switch on the lens barrel, but there's no choice between active and normal modes. Likewise, the lens has a built-in auto-focus motor that allows AF operation on every Nikon DX camera body, including entry-level offerings like the D3100 or D5100, but – unlike with most other AF-S lenses – focusing is not internal, and manual focusing is not possible when the focus mode selector is set to the 'A' position, as shown above. The lens has no distance scale and no focus limiter, either.

Side of the lens The  AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm lens may have a lot of plastic parts, but the lens mount is, thankfully, made of metal.

Rear of lens, isometric view The lens is not claimed to be weatherproof but there is a rubber seal around the lens mount that should provide basic dust protection.

The 55-300mm VR Nikkor ships with a dedicated plastic hood (HB-57) and a soft case (CL-1020).