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Rent NowThe Nikon AF Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED (also known as the ED AF Nikkor 300mm f/4) is a telephoto prime lens for Nikon F-mount 35mm film and compatible digital SLR cameras, produced from 1987 to 2000. It’s a genuine, highly regarded telephoto workhorse well suited to wildlife, sports, and nature photography, offering substantial reach in a build designed for demanding professional use.
Optically, the lens offers a 300mm focal length with a maximum aperture of f/4 narrowing to a minimum of f/32, built from 8 elements in 6 groups, including two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements to reduce chromatic aberration, delivering sharp, well-corrected images with minimal color fringing. A 9-blade diaphragm (straight blades) contributes to the lens’s background rendering.
Autofocus is driven by the camera body’s screw-drive focus motor rather than an internal motor within the lens, so autofocus functions only on Nikon bodies equipped with a built-in focus motor. A large AM switch toggles between autofocus and manual focus modes, and a focus limiter switch helps speed up AF acquisition by restricting the focus range. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 2.5m (8.2 ft.), yielding a maximum reproduction ratio of approximately 1:7.1.
A standout feature is the lens’s internal filter drawer, accepting compact 39mm drop-in filters rather than requiring large, expensive front filters, despite the lens’s substantial 82mm front element diameter. Build quality is primarily metal and glass construction, with a telescoping built-in lens hood and a rotatable tripod collar that locks at any position, with index marks for horizontal and vertical orientations. The lens weighs approximately 1,388g (3 lb., with rear cap and filters) and measures accordingly substantial for a 300mm f/4 prime of its era.
As an FX-format lens, the AF Nikkor 300mm f/4 ED delivers its full angle of view on Nikon full-frame F-mount bodies while remaining compatible with Nikon DX-format APS-C cameras at an effective, narrower equivalent field of view, though autofocus compatibility should be confirmed with specific camera bodies lacking an in-camera focus motor.
Key Features
– 300mm f/4 telephoto prime lens for Nikon F-mount
– 8 elements in 6 groups, including 2 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements
– 9-blade (straight) diaphragm
– Screw-drive autofocus (requires camera body with built-in focus motor)
– AM focus mode switch and focus limiter switch
– Minimum focusing distance of 2.5m (8.2 ft.); approximately 1:7.1 maximum reproduction ratio
– Internal filter drawer (accepts 39mm drop-in filters)
– 82mm front element diameter
– Telescoping built-in lens hood
– Rotatable, lockable tripod collar with horizontal/vertical index marks
– All-metal-and-glass construction (approximately 1,388g with rear cap and filters)
– No image stabilization
– Compatible with Nikon full-frame (FX) and APS-C (DX) F-mount cameras (confirm AF motor compatibility)
