Nikkor AF-I 300 2.8 + TC20E experiences appreciated

<p>Hi to all,<br>

I am mostly interested in the oprical quality and the performance/reliability of AF.<br>

I am currently using the 300/4 AFS, with excellent results with the lens alone and the TC14E, but with the TC20E things get much more difficult. That said, when I manage to get the focus right and to keep the thing steady enough and the shutter speed outside the danger zone, I am happy with the results.<br>

I am hoping that with the 2.8 version of the 300 the same results with the 2X or hopefully even a bit better are easier to get, as the af should be within the 5.6 limit and the sutter speed one stop faster.<br>

I am aware of the shortage of replacement parts for the lens and would be interested to hear if someone actually had the lens af system fail. Also comments relative the more current AFS versions are wellcome.<br>

Thank you very much,<br>

Marco</p>

 

<p>I would like to know how the TC20E works with wht 105 2.8. VR still work?</p>

<p>Marco,</p>

<p>I did have the 300 Af-I and it woked great for the 2+ years i owned it. It finally began behaving erratically, so i sent in out to APS, they fixed a few items, and replaced others and it worked better, but still did not focus as reliably as i need. I did sell it for a song, and picked up like brand new Series 1 AF-S and i'm very happy with it.</p>

<p>WHile you are aware there is a shortage of parts, i've learned that the 400, & 500 parts are in real short supply, while the 300 parts(thru APS anyway) are available.</p>

<p>If you can muster the extra scratch, i would look for a series 1 AF-S 300 2.8. you can find them for proabley a few hundred bucks more than the AF-I version.<br>

GOod Luck</p>

<p>JV</p>

<p>I have only used a 300mm/f2.8 AF-I briefly and without any TC, but I have the first AF-S version. The 300mm/f2.8 AF-S is one of few lenses (essentially f2.8 or faster non-zoom teles) that can work well with the TC-20E. It is still better if you can stop down by a stop. I would imagine that the AF-I version is also fine optically.</p>

<p>The main issue is that all AF-I lenses were discontinued back in 1996 in favor of the AF-S equivalents. The typical 10-year part supply period has passed so that in case there are any problems, you may have a hard time getting parts. If you can find an excellent deal on an AF-I, it may worth a try, but if you can, I would get the AF-S version. The 300mm/f2.8 AF-S is arguably the sharpest tele I have ever owned.</p>

<p>Nice lens but heavy vs the newer models and the foot is so short you cant use it as a handle...sounds silly I know but the 300's are large enough it makes it a real pain.<br /> <br /> Like the other posters here I moved to the AFS model... when my 400 AF-I needed service and parts where not available I picked up a 300 version I and a new 400 AFS II (about a week before the VR was announced!)<br /> <br /> The 1.4x works great on all the 300 2.8's but I never cared for the 2x, I have much better results just cropping than using the 2x converters <br /></p>

<p>Marco<br>

I have the 300mm you speak of my copy is super sharp and maybe I've just been lucky but it's led a hard life and works great still {hope I'm not jinxing it}, I do not have the TC 20-E but use a Tamron 1.4X AFS MC4 TC, this work beautifully with the 300mm it hardly affects quality or speed and I think only cost me one stop giving the equivilant to 420 F3.5. I only paid $80.00 for the TC making it something of a bargain. Most of my bird and animal pics were made with this combo. <br>

Steve</p>

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