I am, regrettably, selling my 300 2.8 and asking 1799 shipped and PayPal'd. It is in KEH BGN condition. Similar condition lenses are listed on KEH for $1899 and do not include a hood or case. This lens includes the CL-300 case, an Optech front neoprene cover, and the KH-22 carbon fiber lens hood from the AF-S version of this lens. Previosly purchased from a member here in this condition, and that member said, "This lens is super sharp all over the place wide open and makes no excuses." I found this to be very true. The rear element is clean. The front element has a few small marks, and there looks to be some internal dust but they do not seem to affect the image quality on a lens of this focal length. This is mentioned in interest of full disclosure.
Cosmetics are fairly rough as you can see from the images. There is brassing on the filter ring drawer knob, tripod collar, and some on the bayonet mount, as well as the strap lugs. There are numerous scuffs, marks, and small dings on this lens. The tripod collar is loose and you cannot lock it down. It fits snugly on the lens barrel but rotates freely.
The aperture is smooth and hums along nicely at 9 FPS. The aperture lock still works fine.
Since its built like a tank, however, you should get many more years of use out of it.
The AF motor runs great and makes no odd sounds and focuses very quickly.
Also includes, of course, the filter drawer holder and a Nikon 39mm clear filter (multicoated).
OMG I FOUND MY 300 2.8 AGAIN! This thing is sharp. Crazy sharp. Buy it. And I refinished the hood with 3 hours of sanding. Well worth it, it was covered with some glue residue and was horrible looking.
And what team are you folding for? It better be OCN (37726).
dudemanppl wrote:
OMG I FOUND MY 300 2.8 AGAIN! This thing is sharp. Crazy sharp. Buy it. And I refinished the hood with 3 hours of sanding. Well worth it, it was covered with some glue residue and was horrible looking.
And what team are you folding for? It better be OCN (37726).
How is the focus speed of this lens compared to the 300 f/4 AF-S?
Question for OP and dude..
Does this lens focus at comparable speeds to the Nikon AF-S I or II lenses?
Also, with the collar rotating freely, are there any issues with mounting it using lens foot onto a tripod and leaving it (ie not handholding it all the time?)
I've never tried an AF-S I or II, but its comparable to my 400 2.8 USM, just louder (its louder than most AF-D primes, but oh so fast). Not too big of an issue with the collar, screws on fine, but I barely used it on a tripod.
vchowdhary wrote:
Question for OP and dude..
Does this lens focus at comparable speeds to the Nikon AF-S I or II lenses?
Also, with the collar rotating freely, are there any issues with mounting it using lens foot onto a tripod and leaving it (ie not handholding it all the time?)
How much does it cost to replace that apparatus?
AF speed is slightly slower than a comparable 300 2.8 AF-S 1 and noticeable slower to the II and VR's (which imo are probably nikon's fastest focusing lenses outside of UWA's.)
Disclaimer for the reason i didn't buy one for super super cheap (300/4 AF-S cheap)-
AF-I's are discontinued, their parts are hard to find and nikon will now only repair AF-S lenses if any sort of mechanical malfunction happens, but if you are willing to take the risk, you can save anywhere from $800-$1000 or in my case $1500+ on the AF-S 1 and way more on the II and VR's.
This thing is sharp. Crazy sharp. Buy it. And I refinished the hood with 3 hours of sanding. Well worth it, it was covered with some glue residue and was horrible looking. 
