Tamron 70-300 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Nikon

I shoot handheld most of the time, and the fact this thing weighs practically nothing makes a full day of birding feel like a walk in the park. The 70-300mm range on my Nikon covers everything from close portraits to distant landscapes, and even wide open at 300mm the sharpness holds up better than

The autofocus is snappy and silent, which made shooting birds at the park a breeze. It’s surprisingly light for a telephoto, so I didn’t mind carrying it on a two-hour hike. Sharpness at 300mm is better than I expected for the price.

I’ve been using this lens for a few weeks now and the lightweight design makes it so much easier to carry around on long walks. The focus ring is smooth and precise, which really helps when I’m trying to track birds in flight. Definitely a solid upgrade from my old kit telephoto.