The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 300mm f6.3 and the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D 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 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR is the longer of the two lenses at 171mm. The Samyang 300mm f6.3 with a length of 74mm, is 97mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR also has a larger diameter of 91mm compared to the Samyang 300mm f6.3's 65mm 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. Samyang 300mm f6.3 weighs 260g, which means it is 1080g (80%) lighter than the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR which has a weight of 1340g.
Filter Threads
The Samyang 300mm f6.3 has a filter size of 26mm whereas the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 26mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Samyang 300mm f6.3:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR:
Lens Mounts
The Samyang 300mm f6.3 has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR 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.
Samyang 300mm f6.3 is also available in the Canon EF , Four Thirds and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang 300mm f6.3 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 300mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the 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.
