Is the Nikkor 70-300mm AF-S VR good for sports ?

Question

I'm thinking about acquiring a Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR for the purpose of taking some surf pictures . Would this lens be suitable for such action ( and more such as , snowboarding , windsurfing and so on ) ?

Answer 1

It is a good lens for an amatuer to use for sports pictures. It has a good zoom range but maybe a little short for surfing pictures. It really depends how far out the surfer is. To get really good shots of people surfing you will need a much longer lens. A good choice would be in the 600mm range. You would also probably want a teleconverter as well to add a little extra. These lenses will cost you thousands of dollars though. For your purposes the 70-300mm is probably your only reasonable choice. I don't mean to discourage you but I am assuming you will be a long way from your subject.

Answer 2

It is not that fast of a lens (having an aperture range of f/4.5-5.6) however, you will be in bright sunlight most of the time, so it will do for the average beginner. You have to remember that the VR only helps with still subjects: you can stop the blur from your hands, but you can't slow down any moving subject.

Ideally, one would have a f/2.8 200mm or the f/4 300mm and a teleconverter for sports, but these lenses are twice the price of the 70-300mm. Image quality and speed is greatly improved, but price is also raised proportionally.

Once again, though, most of the time, you'll be shooting in bright sunlight: the easiest time that there is to shoot photographs. I say go for it. It's a great all-around telephoto. Once again, a teleconverter will be very handy for someone on a budget, greatly increasing their range.

Answer 3

Sure..

That's A Great Lens..

it has telephoto abilities, with vibration reduction, which you pay five hundred and fifty dollars for. That's a very nice feature on such a lens, because when you zoom in so drastically, you need VR in the lens, so you don't get much shake, and it reduced the amount of shake you see through the view-finder..

i know alot about this lens, you can stand from afar and get some really good shots of sports and objects in action. you can get really close, without your subject stinging you or getting to close for comfort. I'm getting this lens, without the VR, because i can't afford it..

that's also a good lens, but it can only really be used outside in alot of light, because it doesn't have VR it's not the best lens for indoor photography,  but the lens you're thinking about will be better in such conditions.

you can get alot of depth in your images, just make sure you don't get too close to the action, and get your lens hit, or wet, because that would be a big investment fed to the sharks right?

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