Which 70-300mm (ish) for a Nikon D7000

[Wdiane]

Which lens has the best IQ for a Nikon D7000 in the under £400 bracket for bird photography?
I have looked at Nikon 55-300mm VR and the Tamron 70-300mm VC.
are there better alternatives?
Ideally I want some optical stabilisation on it too.
Thanks

 

[Gr8Shot]

I have the tamron VC use and it us a great lens for the money. Might be a little short (300) for bird photography though.

 

[damianmkv]

I have the 70-300 Nikon vr and its very sharp but as above, it's too short for birds really

 

[rob-nikon]

I have the 70-300 Nikon vr and its very sharp but as above, it's too short for birds really

for your budget the 70-300vr is a good choice. its pretty sharp up to 200-250mm but gets a little soft towards 300mm. focus speed isnt too bad but no where near as fast as the 300mm f4. you can get them on here for £230-250 used.

for birds the best option would be a 300 f4 but its outside of your budget at £700 used,£950 new. for birds you are looking at 300mm minimum.

 

[new2me]

Two recent threads that might be of interest to you Diane

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=476424

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=478567

 

[rob-nikon]

Getting close is really important to get great detail. Here's some flight shots taken using a D7000 and the 70-300vr, taken from stairs on a cliff at the same height as they glided past. Not the best weather as overcast.

200mm


Herring Gull in Flight by Rob'81, on Flickr

210mm


Herring Gull in Flight by Rob'81, on Flickr

300mm


Herring Gull in Flight by Rob'81, on Flickr

 

[cambsno]

If budget allows, the 70-300 vr is the pick of them, unless you are looking at 'pro' glass like a 80-200/70-200

 

[paulminus273]

amazon have nikon 70-300 vr for less than £400 ATM

 

[new2me]

Here's a few i've taken with the D7000/Tamron 70-300 combination.
I think they were all taken within 4 metres and required cropping. I haven't used the Nikon VR or any other equivalent, but read a lot of praise for the tamron lens and it's vibration control.