Nikon AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3g ED £296/$347

It’s fairly inexpensive to buy but the lack of VR can make it a false economy

Nikon’s AF-P DX 70-300mm is the least expensive zoom lens in the group but it’s the only F-mount lens designed for DSLRS that lacks optical VR (Vibration Reduction). Considering that the effective maximum focal length on a DX format body is 450mm, this makes it a real challenge to get consistently sharp handheld shots, unless you’re under bright sunlight and can bank on shutter speeds of around 1/500 sec or more.

Apart from the lack of VR, this lens is identical to the other AF-P DX 70-300mm on test. They were launched simultaneously back in 2016, as Nikon’s first telephoto zooms to feature AF-P stepping motor autofocus systems. The two lenses look pretty much identical apart from the addition of a ‘VR’ legend on the stabilized edition. The lenses feature a plastic rather than metal mounting plate, which contributes to the lightweight nature of the construction but is less robust. On the plus side, the optical design does include one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element.

Performance

Given that the two lenses have essentially the same optical design, we were surprised that this non-vr edition proved rather less sharp throughout the entire zoom range. And that’s in our lab tests using a sturdy tripod and with optical stabilization switched off for all lenses. In real-life handheld shooting, the difference is generally even more noticeable. All in all, this lens is cheaper to buy than other Nikon lenses in the group but be aware that the performance is lacklustre and the lack of stabilization can be a deal-breaker.