Customer Reviews

Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The current issue of Popular Photography has a glowing review of this lens and its sibling, the 55mm-200mm zoom lens, for Nikon DX Digital SLR cameras. I'm amazed that Nikon has opted to produced a high quality moderate wide angle zoom lens for digital SLRs at a relatively low price. But don't be fooled that this relatively inexpensive lens isn't capable of producing excellent results, which the fine Popular Photography review certainly attests (At nearly every focal length there is excellent contrast and resolution, with minimal barrel distortion, except at 18mm, since there the barrel distortion is a bit noticeable: this would only have an adverse impact in photographing buildings, but again, the impact is just hardly noticeable.). Nikon has opted to use most of its optical innovations, including the new improved Super Nikon Intergrated Coating (Nikon's latest multicoating) to help greatly minimize flare and thus produce images which have excellent contrast and resolution. For many owners of Nikon's inexpensive line of DX Digital SLRs, such as the new Nikon D70s, this lens and its 55mm-200mm zoom sibling, may be all the optical firepower they'll need for photography, with the chance of expanding sometime later into Nikon's impressive line of superb optics for 35mm film and digital photography.

The Nikon 18-55 is one of those rare pieces of glass that surprises across the board -- I find that it is far superior to the more expensive Nikon 18-70 kit lens now packaged with most new Nikon dSLR's. The 18-55 is not only a third of the price, but it is crisper and clearer at 18, and super sharp from 35 - 55. There is next to no barrel distortion at 18, certainly far less that the 18-70. And there is nothing better than a 6 ounce lens for carrying to parties, events, and dinners, rather than those pound+ lenses. I highly recommend this lens.

I'm quite happy with this lens, included in the D50 kit. It seems much better than my old Canon and Sigma zooms (which I've sold some years ago, after change from a EOS650 to digital), although it presents some barrel distortion at wide-angle (18mm). To be honest, I only noticed it recently (only after taking a few hundred shots), when I had the chance to get some pictures with the ocean at the horizon. I will try to remember not to use this lens at 18mm with perfectly "horizontal horizons"...

Anyhow, one can solve it in Photoshop, quite easily.

Overall, I'm content with the building quality and sharpness of this lens and, probably, I'll spend much more time with it (getting used again with a SLR).

Typically the kit lens on an SLR is something along the lines of "You wanted a piece of glass, you got a piece of glass."

Certainly handling the lens doesn't inspire confidence, as it's mostly plastic, and feels flimsy. Many people often put down plastic lenses as they're supposedly to liable to break, but the ones saying that are often veterans from the film era when camera bodies were metal and simple. I'd say if you've dropped your digital SLR hard enough to break a plastic lens, you've probably broken a few other things as well.

What the 18-55 does offer is a 3X zoom, silent wave motor focusing, and widely spaced zoom settings, with only moderate distortion. It's not until you've used some other zoom lenses, where at the wide angle everything turns in a barreled funhouse, or the zoom settings are something like 28-35-50------135---200 that you appreciate how well this lens is thought out.

The only odd thing about the lens is it extends and then retracts through the zoom cycle. The silent wave motor is quick and fast, and results have consistently been sharp.

While it's "only" a 3X zoom, it gets around the compromises in distortion that full length zooms have. Pair this with the 55-200mm VR and you'll have 90 percent of your photo needs covered.

I upgraded to a D200 from my D70 and waited and waited and am still waiting for my 18-200 VR. I needed a wide angle lens so I listened to Ken Rockwell (I enourage everyone to visit his site) and bought the 18-55. It is a wonderful lens, produces excellent, sharp images, is light weight, and focuses quickly. It's an inexpensive build, but for the price I can use for a few years (or until my 18-200 arrives which ever is first) and feel that I have gotten more than my money's worth. Don't let the light weight fool you, though, this is a great lens.

So, this is the 3rd version of this lens I have owned. The first one came with the camera, and since then I have purchased two from Amazon. This is a great beginner lens. Does what it is supposed to do and produces nice images.

The biggest problem I have with this lens is its construction. The reason I have bought 3. Now, I know I prob. should just pick a different lens, but this one is soooo compact and light! back to the construction, be careful of bumping, knocking and general use hazards, the previous 2 lenses have broken different parts internally, due to my clumsy nature.

The other lenses I own have been through the same if not MORE and are still kicking. In fact I fell down about a 15 foot edge of a trail in Yellowstone 2 years ago with my 55-200VR IN MY POCKET and have had no problems with it.

I bought this lens for just over $100.00 on eBay. I expected it to perform as well as it does. For the price, the lens is better than the 28-80mm by far. The images are clear (in good lighting conditions) and the sharpness is adequate. I have taken several thousand pictures with the lens, and I am satisfied with its performance. The macro photo possibilities are generally acceptable. It is a good beginning lens because you really get what you pay for. The lens does not perform well in low-light conditions, however, due to its aperture limitations. It does not feel too light, although the plastic mount is a liability if you remove lenses often. All in all, it is a worthwhile purchase for anyone excited about jumping into photography. This is a good, general portrait, landscape, and non-zoom macro lens.

EDIT: 2/26/07 The lens began sticking after a few months and ultimately became useless. I dismantled it to determine the cause and noted that the (unofficial name) three rails that the internal lens slides on all have a velvet-type layer of friction material glued to them. One of my rails started losing it's adhesive velvet material and the lens stuck on it as I zoomed in and out, eventually causing my zoom to be inoperable.

It is nice to see a quality lens that is affordable. I had been using my old nikorr 28-80mm lens on my D50, because I didnt think it would make a difference. After getting this lens ($120 from cameta) I would definitely recommend it. I can really tell the difference in sharpness and contrast between this and my old 35mm lens. Most people get this kit lens with their camera, but if you are like me and bought the body only and are thinking about upgrading I say it is worth it (especially at under $200)

I had just purchased a Nikon D80 and needed to pick up 3 lenses for a trip to Lee Vining / Yosemite. I had read great reviews on this item and decided to go for it. I know that there is a faster, much more expensive lens in the same focal length range but that wasn't going to work for me. Not only does this lens capture great images, I can't say enough about the speed with which it was delivered to me. This was especially important since I ordered mere days before the start of my trip! All in all this is a fantastic lens for those of us on a budget.

I bought this lens for my D70s because of its light weight - almost half the weight of the Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens - and because it has less barrel distortion at 18 mm than the 18-70. True, the build quality is not as good, but I'm careful so that wasn't too much a concern to me. After 15 months of extensive use, my lens is still working fine.

Reportedly, sharpness is best (and is excellent) across the frame at f/8 at 18mm, f/8-11 at 35mm, and f/11 at 55mm.

After 15 months of use, my two favorite features in this lens are still its light weight, and minimal distortion compared to other zoom lenses. For example the Nikon 18-200 VR, which I own also, has very noticeable pincushion distortion at 50mm. In contrast, this little 18-55 doesn't have any perceptible distortion at focal lengths higher than 35 mm.