In article , Rob wrote:

Any thoughts on the Nikon 70-300 VR IF ED lens.

Most reviews gloss over the lens but no real user reports.

Wanting to buy it as a replacement lens but unsure if its any good.

it's a very good lens and well worth the money.

My other option is the Nikon 80-400 but the AF is slow mechanical type
and not the SW focus.

that's an old lens and not that good. it doesn't have afs focusing and
its vr is first generation and not as good as the 70-300. the only
advantage is it goes to 400 versus 300 but it's not that great past 300
so you aren't really gaining anything. it's definitely not worth the
money.

Is there any other recommendations within this range or is the Sigma
50-500 f4.5-6.3 worth looking at??

don't even think about that lens. zooms with that wide of a range are
for convenience, not for quality, not that sigma can do quality.

depending on your budget, a 70-200 f/2.8 might be a consideration. it's
a *lot* more money but it's a much better lens too.