The Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 arrived in February 1989 as an affordable autofocus telephoto zoom for the Nikon F-501 and F-801 generation of AF SLRs. It sat in Nikon's budget travel-zoom range alongside the shorter 70-210mm, giving F-mount shooters extra reach at low cost.
Built from 13 elements in 11 groups with NIC multicoating, it uses a one-touch push-pull zoom collar and takes 62mm filters. Weight is approximately 850g, with a barrel about 72mm in diameter and 166mm long. A macro detent lets the focus ring reach 1.5m through the zoom range, versus roughly 3m in normal autofocus use.
Wide open the lens softens past 200mm and the plastic push-pull barrel invites zoom creep with age, but stopped to f/8 it gives usable contrast for a lens of its price class. The macro setting, absent from many contemporaries, suits casual close-ups despite a modest roughly 1:4 reproduction ratio.
These trade cheaply used, often bundled with entry-level AF film bodies. Check the push-pull zoom action for grease migration onto the aperture blades, confirm the macro detent still locks, and inspect the rear element for haze, common on unsealed 1980s Nikkor zooms stored in damp cases.