The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF was Nikon’s first lens to utilize a fresnel element to shrink telephoto lenses down to size. It’s as small as a 24-70mm, and lighter than one too. Did it give anything up for its size?
When Nikon launched the 300mm PF back in 2015, they claimed it was the lightest 300mm lens around. It may still be in 2022. I was curious to see how it has held up, so I attached a Nikon D780 to it and set out to see how it fares.
The Good
- Sharp
- Great contrast
- Lightweight and small size
- Quiet and decently quick autofocus
The Less Good
- Not clear from Nikon if it’s weather sealed. (It has a rear flange gasket, at least)
- Some loss of contrast photographing towards the sun
Nikon 300mm f/4E PF – TL;DR
The Nikon 300mm PF is an excellent lens. It’s light, small, and sharp. When paired with the Nikon D780, its autofocus was accurate and relatively snappy. However, it was noticeably slower to focus than some of Nikon’s newest lenses. Slow enough to miss shots, though? Probably not. I also noticed some loss of contrast when aiming toward the sun.
Aside from that, using this lens was a joy. With the D780, I had a very high keeper rate. Granted, I wasn’t shooting crazy fast subjects during my time with the lens, but I felt I could trust it. The sharpness, color, and bokeh it puts out are excellent. If you want to know how great, read on for all the glorious details.
Nikon 300mm f/4E PF – Does it Photo?
To check out the photo capabilities of the Nikon 300mm, I took it out into nature. Because of course, if you have a 300mm lens, you’re likely to want to get some sports or wildlife action captured. I was overall quite happy with how the lens performed. It delivered sharp images with great contrast, bokeh, and color. Let’s break down how it did.
Autofocus
As stated earlier, I paired the Nikon 300mm f/4E PF with a Nikon D780 body. That combo provided some top-notch autofocus performance. I put it to the test by trying to capture photos of hummingbirds and small songbirds through some thick foliage. The proof of the AF capability is in the photos. It works and it works well.
The only thing I can nitpick when it comes to AF with the Nikkor 300mm is speed. It’s certainly not the fastest focusing lens I’ve ever used. I think this is the one area it’s starting to show its age a little. However, it isn’t bad by any means. I’d imagine it could keep up with most sports and wildlife action. Just plan your shots a little and don’t try to go from one extreme to another in a short time.
Bokeh
One person’s bokeh beauty is another person’s bokeh trash. However, this is my blog and I think the Nikkor 300mm produces gorgeous bokeh! I love that it has a bit of character. The way the focus falls off from the subject is well controlled and has a great look as well. There is some cat-eye effect in the corners at times, but I like the swirly character that brings to the images.
Optical Imperfections – Flare, color fringing, etc.
While I’ve raved about the Nikon 300mm PF’s performance, it does have some shortcomings. I noticed a few issues when shooting toward the sun. The hood helps control flare pretty well, but the lens is prone to losing contrast in these situations.
Regarding chromatic aberration, the Nikkor 300mm is very well controlled. The only photo I had any show up on was the spider web above. It had a slight blue/purple fringe when zoomed in, but that is really pixel-peeping. I’m not sure if it will even show up on this web-sized version of the photo.
Sharpness, Contrast, and Color
I find that sharpness and contrast go hand in hand. Nice contrast can boost perceived sharpness, and the sharpest lenses I’ve used usually have great contrast as well. The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF delivers both. Photos taken with this lens are nice and crisp at the point of focus and even hold up well to pixel peepers. The contrast lends a nice depth to the images and makes them look great.
Likewise, the color rendition from this lens is typical of Nikkor lenses. It can be a bit on the cool side and I find it makes for lovely greens and nice sky tones. However, if that’s a trait you don’t like, it’s easily corrected in processing or with a white balance adjustment.
Nikon 300mm f/4E PF – Touch Test
The Nikon 300mm PF lens is one I have a fair amount to discuss in terms of ergonomics. Aside from the Pentax DA 300mm f/4, there isn’t another lens around with this reach at this size. From memory, I think the Pentax lens is even a little heavier than this one. Nikon’s phased fresnel glass is truly a wonder.
On the side of the lens are three switches. One is for focus modes, one for the focus limiter, and one for the VR modes. Nikon uses a nice M/A mode with their autofocus. This allows for fast and simple manual focus adjustments on the fly without resorting to using the switch.
The focus limiter is standard fare. It allows for either the full range or from 3m to infinite. Lastly, the VR switch has a position for off, normal, or sport. Sport mode is most suitable for panning situations. Its only ring is for focus. It’s lightly damped, with a decent throw. Manual focus with this lens is just fine.
Build Quality
The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF is what you’d expect from middle to high-end Nikkor lenses. It has Nikon’s signature matted finish, which has proven durable over the years. The lens feels as well built as any of the other gold-ringed Nikkor lenses. The switches all feel solid and well made, and the focus ring texture feels nice as well.
Nikon did include a gasket at the lens mount. Although, they do not list weather sealing as a feature on the lens’ product page. I wish Nikon would clearly define what lenses are weather sealed, and to what degree they’re sealed. That said, I wouldn’t worry too much. The Nikon 300mm PF should hold up to a decent amount of exposure to the elements.
Nikon 300mm f/4E PF – Punches above its weight
If you’re after a long telephoto prime in this range, the Nikon 300mm f/4E PF is going to be tough to beat. It’s sharp, light, and renders lovely images. While its autofocus feels slightly slow compared to the latest lenses, it’s certainly still capable today. If I primarily shot Nikon and wanted a prime in this range, I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to my bag.
It’s pretty awesome what Nikon has been able to accomplish with their PF lenses. I’m super interested to see what they do with this technology in the Z-mount lenses going forward. Are there any dream lenses you’d like for Nikon to build with PF tech, or is one of the existing ones enough for you? Let me know in the comments!
Are you super into Nikon? Well, if you’re interested in Nikon film cameras, check out this film Friday post, where I take my F5 and some Portra 800 out for a spin!