Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Lens?

I'm using a Nikon D7000 DSLR camera. There's a 70 - 300 zoom lens in the market I quite like. The specification for this lens is as below. Please can someone advise me if this lens is compatible with my camera and if it is worth me purchasing it. Thanks.

This high-power 4.3x telephoto zoom is a versatile and lightweight answer to bringing family action closer.

Lightweight 4.3X Telephoto zoom lens for SLR cameras that set aperture from command dial on camera body.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Lens Feature:
Ideal lens for candids, travel and sports photography
New G-design enables apertures to be selected from select Nikon AF SLR camera bodies
D-type design provides precise distance information for flash and ambient light exposure process

Yes it's compatible.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...s.htm#dslr

Yes, it is compatible. All Nikon "G" lenses are compatible as are all the older "D" lenses. What you don't get on that lens though is VR. There's a 70-300mm VR lens which is much better, but much more expensive.

Do you really need to go all the way to 300mm? If not, consider the 55-200mm VR lens instead. It is a pretty good lightweight lens and the VR (or Vibration Reduction) makes a LOT of difference when you are taking photos at the long end.

With the 70-300mm lens without VR, I would expect you to be using 1/500 shutter or faster at the 300mm lens to avoid camera shake. You might get away with 1/250 second if you are steady or well supported, but that will take practice. With the 55-200mm VR lens you should easily be able to take stable shots at 1/60 second at the 200mm end, which could make a lot of difference, especially late in the day when the light drops.

If you can afford the 70-300mm VR that's the lens to go for - it is very sharp and the VR works really well, (it is a bit heavy, but if you are happy with a D7000 that shouldn't be too much of a problem). If you can't afford that, I would recommend the 55-200mm VR over the 70-300mm "G" lens.

Another possibility is the 55-300mm VR lens, but it is neither as sharp or as light and convenient as the 55-200mm VR nor as good as the 70-300mm VR, so a bit of a poor compromise IMO.

The D7000 is one of the most compatible Nikon DSLR cameras, anything from AI all the way up to the latest lenses are compatible.

While you could use this lens, it's really a waste of money, it's an old lens built down to a price. You will not get much performance beyond 200mm, and because it doesn't have VR you'll need silly ISO when the light isn't great and lack of SWM means you'll be using the screwdriver which is rather slow.

If you need a good 70-300mm then you do need to invest in the AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, so on the surface this lens seems identical, same zoom range, same max aperture, but the AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR is a completely different design (indicated by the IF designation), it's Inner Focusing+SWM combo makes it much faster and the lens design and ED elements also make it sharper up to 300mm, VR gives you some leeway when the light fades. Tamron have copied this design in their A005 Tamron SP 70-300mm f4.0-5.6 Di VC USD, and this is also a capable lens, and cheaper than the Nikkor.