Many years ago I used to use an F80 with a Nikon 200mm F4 lens, and soon after buying the lens I considered returning it as I could not get sharp images even at 1/100 second exposures. But careful testing showed that the cause was mirror slap and/or shutter vibration. I eventually worked out that placing a large beanbag on top of the camera damped vibrations sufficiently that I could get sharp images. This severely limited my ability to take pictures, as it was a clumsy arrangement. Now I use a D200 and the mirror lock up allows me to take pin sharp images at any shutter speed. So in the case of the D200, the main cause of vibration is mirror slap, and not shutter vibration.
However, your Nikon 300m AFS F4 lens is not the same lens as my 200mm lenses which means that its vibrational characteristics will differ. In the case of my 200mm lens the tripod foot was very solid, so vibration from that source was not an issue.
You probably know that your lens has received several reviews critical of the tripod mount, indicating that it is flimsy, and that it can be improved by use of a simple wedge. Both Kirk and RRS sell replacements.
Hopefully someone will comment on whether or not MLU helps with your lens. I don't own one, so I cannot perform any tests.
As an aside, a famous nature photographer, Fritz Polking, changed from Nikon to Canon because most pro-Nikon bodies lacked MLU, which he considered essential. It meant that he could not take the photos he wanted to take if he used Nikon equipment. It is still the case that Nikon only has MLU in its expensive bodies, and I suspect the D80 will not have it either. In contrast I believe that Canon have MLU in all bodies (which can't be hard in the electronic age).
Leif
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