Anyone heard of a new 70-300 release?

[maryanne_morrow]

<p>Hi there,<br>

I was going to buy the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VRII at some point over the next few months for my D90. I just saw that it was on sale ($50 off) at my local store so I thought I might take advantage of this sale. However, I always wonder when things go on sale (without an obvious reason like a holiday) that it may be because they are trying to move inventory if a newer model is set to be released. Has anyone heard of a newer or replacement model of this lens that may be released soon? I hate when I buy something and then a newer model comes out two weeks later (even though there may have been nothing wrong with the older version)!!</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>So you would have bought this lens for $50 more if it weren't on sale?</p>

<p>The current 70-300mm AF-S VR is a fairly new lens. I think it is unlikely that Nikon will replace it any time soon, but you never know. Again, the PMA will begin in about 2.5 weeks. There should be various new product announcements prior to the PMA. So if you want to wait, I would wait a couple of weeks. After that, who knows. New products will be announced year around; you could be waiting and waiting.</p>

[mccosh]

<p>This lens was released on the 9th Aug. 2006 it’s it's predecessor the AF f/4-5.6G was released on the 24th March 2001 and the previous model the AF F/4-5.6D ED was released on the 25th march 1998<br>

Therefore the AF F/4-5.6D ED had a lifespan of 3 years, the AF f/4-5.6G - 5 Years 5 months while the current AF-S VR f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED model is 3 years 5 months into it's life cycle.<br>

I own one of these lenses and think there a great lens with very high optics and don't believe there is much Nikon can do to improve on this lens. Is Nikon about to replace it.... my thoughts are NO! But who knows. Your guess is as good as anyone else’s. <br>

John</p>

[robert_hooper1]

<p>Maryanne,</p>

<p>If you are interested in this lens, I would purchase it now at it's lowered price of <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449088-USA/Nikon_2161_AF_S_VR_Zoom_Nikkor_70_300mm.html">$540</a>. Nikon sometimes follows a sale price by a sharp increase in cost over the pre-sale price of the item. One such item was the Nikon 80-200 f2.8 which went on sale at one point and then jumped in price. Luckily I made my purchase just before such a jump in price occurred.</p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>I would wait for the PMA like Shun said. If a new lens comes out, the price of the old one may drop even more. Adorama now has factory refurbished 70-300 VR's for $489.95.</p>

[pge]

<p>I bought this lens on sale in September 2008 for $499 Canadian dollars at Blacks Photography, a Canadian film processing store chain that is trying to morph into a photography store. I am not sure why I went into such detail here, just to say that a sale does not always mean the end of the line.</p>

<p>Also, IMO, lenses are not like bodies have become, you don't need the latest to have something very good. Again, IMO, this is a very good lens.</p>

[jen_st._louis]

<p>I bought this lens last spring, and I've really loved it. I've been happy with the IQ, overall, even at 300mm. It's not crystal clear when blown up, but that probably has more to do with me not having surgeon-steady hands when shooting.<br>

I've just started getting into bird photography, and it's the first time I'm finding the lens limiting. It's great if the birds are close (like feeder birds), but for anything else? I've been trying to get good shots of snowy owls and bald eagles the last few weeks (they're much further away than any of the other birds I've shot before), and I'm disappointed in the IQ at full zoom. But again, that could just be my shaky hands.</p>

[maryanne_morrow]

<p>Jen,<br>

If you are in the market for a telephoto that will give you more depth than the 300 mm, I'd be interested to know what your interested in/looking at. I looked at both the sigmas 120-400 and the 150-500mm. I also toyed with the Nikon 80-400 mm. I simply couldn't decide and ultimately made the decision to wait as it's not a lens that I will get a chance to use often.</p>

[phil_koenig]

<p>The price on the 70-300VR came down significantly since Nikon started a promotion bundling it with DSLR bodies for a very aggressive price.<br>

It's a very nice lens for the money, although it suffers a bit from a common long-zoom problem where the performance starts to falloff somewhat at the long end. (The 80-400VR also reputedly suffers from that problem, in addition to having a reputation for slow AF)<br>

The hot item in that range is reputedly the 200-400VR Nikkor.  Unfortunately it's about $6300 at Calumet.  ;-)<br>

I'm with these other people: we need a really nice ~70-200 or 70-300 VR lens with a fixed F/4, to bridge the gap between the "amateur" lenses and the "lenses that cost as much as a car".  [crossing fingers]<br>

I got my 70-300VR in mint condition for $420 last year.  Now that's close to what it costs in one of these new DSLR bundles.. sigh.  (Same thing happened to me on the 55-200VR, which I still need to sell.  I sorta lose my motivation to post an ad when I see what the value has dropped to..)</p>

[stan_schurman1]

<p>I bought my 70-300 VRII at Black's in Canada for $529.99 down from $599.99. Before , and just after, Christmas it was selling at $50.00 off. Then it went back up to its regular price. Then I walked in one day and it was at $70.00 off. How could I refuse...besides I had a gift certificate from my kids. The manager of the store had promised it to me at the $549.99 Christmas sale price when I was ready to buy, but there was no need as it came down even further. I jokingly asked her if she was still going to give me the original $50.00 off of of the new lower price, but she wasn't biting. I don't think that they are trying to unload them as it is a hugely popular lense as far as I can tell. IMHO, it is one of the best values Nikon has had out there.</p>