Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

Unfortunately the version Amazon sent me looked like it was second hand (lens barrel dirty, front and rear elements dirty), so I sent it back for refund and got another from Jessops. But don't let that put you off, because this is an excellent lens.As others have said this lens is wonderfully sharp and doubles as both a macro and walkabout lens for portrait and other uses. Fully compatible with both FX and DX format, on DX cameras you will of course get a 1.5x boost in magnification compared to FX. It's expensive, but it's top quality glass and a good investment in my view. If you have a DX format SLR you will have a lens which will upgrade to FX if/when you decide to. One day I'm going to go for a D700 (or whatever semi-pro FX SLR Nikon is selling at the time), so when I do the 105 will step up with me without me having to pay again.A nice fast f/2.8 aperture, although you may notice the camera body showing a smaller aperture (higher f/number) when working in macro ranges - apparently the effective aperture at macro distances decreases (by 2x if working at 1:1 magnification). This is the law of physics and applies to all macro lenses, it's not a defect (and besides, you're unlikely to be using wide apertures when taking macros anyway, so nothing to lose sleep about).In normal ranges the AF is very quick on my D300, but this is with the limit switch on (which limits AF from 0.5M to infinity, therefore excluding macro). I found that at macro range or at normal range with the limit switch off that the lens can sometimes hunt. At macro I'm mostly working with manual focus anyway, so this isn't a problem for me. If you're using the reach of the 105 for fast action shots just keep the limit switch on. Simple.Bokeh on this lens is lovely - I've only had it a week, but have already taken some wonderful flower macros with it, with beautiful creamy bokeh. The lens is very sharp but at macro range the DoF takes some getting used to - the field of view changes at macro range with just minor movements of the lens (breathing), but given the results you get I'm prepared to live with that.It's a big lens, heavy and fairly large for a prime, but doesn't look out of place on my D300 (and well worth the size/weight inconvenience IMO). It's very well built, and looks like it would stand up to the roughest of treatment. More pro-like than the other (DX) lenses that I have. I haven't tried it on smaller SLRs, but I expect that on something like a D40 or D3000 it would make the camera feel very front heavy - my advice would be to try it out in person on the high street and see how you get on.Recommended.

I use this lens on a DX format camera (Nikon D5200), so effectively it is a 105mm-300mm f/6 lens (whereas the AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens is effectively 105-450mm and f/9-11).Lots of general reviews and data around, so I will concentrate on comparisons with the (already good) 70-300mm:Pros:+ Better low light performance+ More robust, and a fixed length when zooming (so no dust inhalation)+ Sharp throughout the range (I never used the 70-300 much beyond 200mm as I like the sharpness and the greater ability to crop on a 24MP camera body) - so better for cropping.+ better VR - though you still need to be sensible - but really is useful handheld.+ Better IQ in my opinion. Less flaring, chromatic aberration, and nicer bokeh.+ superfast autofocus - good for faster sports and birds in flight, for example.Cons:- a bit longer and heavier (but not hugely - still very useable handheld - I am fit but neither big nor young!)- more expensive (but you definitely get what you pay for)- stops at 200mm, so less range (offset by higher definition).- not so useful for macro as you need to stay 1m away from a subject - the 70-300 is much more useful for this.I don't regret the purchase at all. But the 70-300 is a pretty good lens too. In a nutshell, this is better but more expensive.It is also more forgiving of poor technique!! Helpful for those of us who don't get it right every time, with the extra stop of VR, and the sharpness across the range meaning less thought required about what you should use the lens for and what you should avoid. Basically, it is always good, except shooting backlit shots close to the sun you get some CA.I sometimes go out with only this lens. It then gets used as a fixed 105mm lens, with an option to zoom up to 300mm. So you have to think as with a prime, but with more flexibility. I do like the zoom then, because while a prime can make you walk about more and think about composition better, sometimes you just need to use the zoom to get things closer together or arrange them how you like. For me a zoom is better, provided I don't get lazy with it!Update after 5 months:Still love the lens, use it far too often!It certainly uses all the 24MP of my camera - when the camera managed to switch itself from fine to normal jpegs (6 MB), I thought the lens was broken the difference was so clear on cropping. But just some software glitch in the camera body. That should say enough about the lens IQ. The lens will not be the limiting factor on sharpness.