NikonAF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

I recently purchased the 18mm-300mm AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom lens from Amazon Prime.WOW! It was delivered in less than 24 hours! I mounted it on my D300s and that's where it will stay. I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses for nearly 40 years now, and this lens is something I wish I'd had 40 years ago! YES, it's a hefty lens (over 2 lbs) and YES it's expensive! But, hey, it's the only one of its kind - 16.7 power optical zoom! (That's 27mm to 450mm in 35mm film terms.) I took several test shots at both ends of the zoom range in RAW format, opened them up in Photoshop CS5 RAW editor and the results were AMAZING! The vibration reduction (VR) has two settings for different shooting situations and you can lock the zoom at 18mm for carrying and easily unlock it to zoom. The VR II in this lens is the best yet! The old-school rule for shutter speeds (use a minimum shutter speed equal to the focal length of the lens) is out the window! I shot several hand held pics while zoomed to 300mm using shutter speeds at 1/15 and 1/30 of a second...no problem. It requires a 77mm filter size - YES they cost more, but the front element of the 18mm to 300mm is close to the end of the lens barrel, so a UV or Sky 1A filter will offer some protection...get one! The lens comes with a hood, pouch and front and rear lens caps, so all you need is a filter to protect it. The lens is about the same overall length as the 55mm - 200mm DX lens, so it fits in my camera bag just fine. The barrel is much larger, tho.So, if you are debating on buying this zoom - buy it! It's the most versatile lens out there for a DX format camera. Did I mention that it will focus to about 18 inches, even at the 300mm setting? That is most useful if you like close up pictures of critters that might bite you! If you have a DX format Nikon, this is the lens to own.Update: The price I paid thru Amazon prime in December, 2012, has dropped $300! It first dropped at B&H and after I contacted Amazon customer service about it, I have been ignored. Their automated response to customer service is all you can expect. This doesn't refect on the lens - it just reflects on Amazon's way of doing business and ignoring their customers. The other thing that irks me about the situation is that I sold 2 more lenses (to my brother ans a mutual friend). They both spent about $3K based only on my recommendation! I am hoping they will not count on Amazon being competitive - even within their own store! $300 is a chunk of money - that's a 33% drop in price in a 3 month span of time. If you don't care about Amazon customer service - that's OK because they don't care about it, either.

The lens is working great. I bought it for a D3300 and had a hard time finding a place to buy the camera that didn't force me to buy the 18-55 in the kit. However, this is now my only lens and so far it works completely as advertised, and the photos are superb. I will no longer miss vacation shots because I was busy taking a landscape photo, but need to change a lens when an animal or bird goes by, and then I miss it, only to have to change back because my wife wants a portrait with a flower that requires a zoom out again. Also, going from a non-VR zoom lens to this is an amazing improvement in all close-up distance shots.There is only a few things a buyer should probably be aware of and I still have to adjust to.My previous camera system was a D40x which was heavier than the D3300 (significantly) with two lighter lenses. This lens is heavy compared to the camera, so it doesn't balance the same way when hanging around my neck. It's size makes me a little more paranoid protecting it when going on hiking trails looking for interesting shots. It may be a problem for people who are used to only using small lenses or an insta-camera or smartphone.The other thing, which is noted in the manual but initially surprised me, is that when you use the flash and zoom out to 18mm, you see a lens shadow. This may not be a problem with some of the larger professional cameras people use. The solution is to limit your wide angle flash shots to about 28mm which is probably sufficient. 18mm with no flash is not a problem.One last thing. When you zoom all the way out, there is a small fish-eye effect at 18mm. With auto-distortion control on my camera (and probably most other recent Nikon cameras), it corrects completely and I do not notice an issue, but if you are using this with an older camera (like my previous D40x), you are likely to encounter this. (Software programs like Lightroom can also correct for this, however)