The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR and the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR 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 AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR is the longer of the two lenses at 237mm. The Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR with a length of 123mm, is 114mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR also has a larger diameter of 106mm compared to the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR's 77mm 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 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR weighs 530g, 63% (930g) lighter than the Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR's weight of 1460g.
Filter Threads
The Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR has a filter size of 95mm whereas the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 95mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR:
Lens Mounts
The Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Focal Range
Nikon AF-S 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
750mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has a focal range of 55-300mm and 5.5X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 82.5-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
