The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR ($1,049.95 direct)($946.95 at Amazon) is a zoom lens with an impressive 10.7x range, designed for use with full-frame Nikon cameras. It doesn't manage the fixed aperture of the company's pro-level zooms, but if you're looking for a fairly compact all-in-one zoom for travel or hiking, it's an appealing choice. The lens leaves very little to want in terms of sharpness, but distortion is an issue throughout its range. That's not atypical for a zoom of this range, especially one that manages to be fairly compact and cover a 24 x 36mm image sensor. The 28-300mm measures 4.5 by 3.3 inches (HD), but does extend when zoomed. It's a bit heavy at 1.8 pounds, and its big front element requires 77mm filters. A reversible lens hood is included. There are a couple of control switches on the barrel: One toggles the Vibration Reduction system, the other switches between manual and autofocus. The manual focus ring is located toward the base of the le...
The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is a sharp, compact walkaround lens, but it shows quite a lot of distortion throughout its zoom range.
Sharp throughout zoom range; 10.7x zoom ratio; Optical stabilization; Relatively compact
Loads of distortion; Soft edges at maximum aperture