The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G 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 a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G is the longer of the two lenses at 117mm. The Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR with a length of 99mm, is 18mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G also has a larger diameter of 74mm compared to the Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR's 73mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR weighs 355g, which means it is 70g (16%) lighter than the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G which has a weight of 425g.
Filter Threads
The Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G has a 62mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G:
Lens Mounts
The Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount and Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount.
Focal Range
Nikon Micro-85mm f3.5G ED VR is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 85mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
127.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the 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.
