The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR and the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR is the longer of the two lenses at 171mm. The Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G with a length of 117mm, is 54mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR also has a larger diameter of 91mm compared to the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G's 74mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G weighs 425g, 68% (915g) lighter than the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR's weight of 1340g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR and the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Focal Range
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR has a focal range of 80-400mm and 5.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 120 - 600mm.
Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G has a focal range of 70-300mm and 4.3X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 105 - 450mm.