Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6e ED VR

£629/$597 Nikon has a history of excellent 70-300mm lenses but this one is certainly the best

The previous FX format Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.55.6g IF-ED VR was one of our all-time favourite budget telephoto zooms. It packed ring-type ultrasonic autofocus and effective VR into a robust casing, delivering very good handling and performance. But the latest AF-P edition is a major step forward. The optical path is upgraded with the aim of delivering better sharpness throughout the zoom range.

Additional weather-seals are fitted, along with a new ‘Pulse’ (stepping motor) autofocus system that delivers incredible speed and is silent, plus the aperture is electromagnetically controlled. Exposures tend to be more accurate and consistent when shooting in high-speed continuous drive mode. A downside of both the AF-P autofocus system and ‘E’ (electromagnetic) aperture control is that they’re incompatible with a number of older Nikon DSLRS. There are no incompatibility issues when using the lens on any of Nikon’s Z-system mirrorless cameras via a mount adapter.

VR is uprated to a 4.5-stop system and the ‘Active’ mode of the old stabilizer is replaced with a ‘Sport’ mode. This applies stabilization only during the exposure, making it easier to track erratically moving objects and avoids any slowing of fast continuous drive.

Performance

In lab tests, the lens doesn’t look overly impressive for sharpness at the long end of the zoom range but images in our real-world tests over more typical distances for telephoto shooting looked pin-sharp with excellent contrast, It’s the pick of the crop.