Nikkor Lens AFS DX 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Product Information

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. Shots considered 'sharp' have no visible blur at the pixel level, and are therefore suitable for viewing or printing at the largest sizes, whereas files with 'mild blur' are only slightly soft, and perfectly usable for all but the most critical applications.

I was shooting with the 18-55mm handheld most of the time and used my tripod only for very few shots to do some side-by-side testing. These results demonstrate that you no longer need to pay an arm and a leg for a lens with an effective VR system for your Nikon dSLR. At maximum aperture and 18mm, sharpness falls just short of excellent levels in the centre and is good towards the edges of the frame. By "sharp shots" I mean perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness when viewed at 100%, as shot on a D300 by me. m (2 ft) and remove lens hoods to prevent vignetting (shadows created where the end of the lens obscures the built-in flash).The optical design features two aspherical elements for better sharpness and chromatic aberration control. I found myself in situations when I was glad I could mount this lens on my D750 and get decent results (such as night photos of architecture). But if you shoot portraits or weddings and want to stay with the DX format, this might be your top choice since that lens is like having three primes in one zoom. When the camera is off or the standby timer has expired, the focus ring cannot be used to focus and rotating the zoom ring will change the focus position; before focusing, turn the camera on or press the shutter-release button to reactivate the standby timer. I assume this is why Nikon included one extra aspherical element in the new third-generation design.

This lens was updated to a mark II version with the release of the D40 in November 2006, featuring a new external design and smoother zoom operation.At the telephoto end results are similar, with the VR again offering about 2 stops of stabilisation, and giving a good chance of getting usable results at shutter speeds as low as 1/13 sec.

bigger or full-resolution file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display high resolution files properly). As usual, stopping down beyond F11 causes the image to degrade due to diffraction, and anything below F16 starts to look distinctly soft.So long as the system is given time to kick in properly and images are shot with care, hand held shots at 1/10sec are quite possible at 55mm, which is around three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would advise. It is an excellent feature in case you are shooting under challenging conditions, and the lens is hunting. To switch between those modes, you must use the DSLR internal menu, as there is no mechanical button/switch on the lens tube. Macro is a full-frame L-mount lens that's designed to be a medium telephoto, portrait and macro lens all-in-one.

It does not have a “Normal” and “Active” VR switch, which I personally do not miss since I hardly ever change VR from Normal to Active. Zoomed in to 55mm, this gives you decent close-up photography (near macro magnification) possibilities. When used on DX cameras, it sees the same angle of view as a 28~85mm lens sees when used on a 35mm or FX full-frame camera. If you want to shoot indoors in low light and do not want to invest in fixed primes, the Sigma 17-70mm could be a good choice. When attaching or removing the hood, hold it near the symbol on its base and avoid gripping it too tightly.The AF-P lenses are different in this aspect, and you do not notice when they acquire proper focus compared to older lenses. It is more than capable of delivering sharp images, and the compact, lightweight design will make it a perfect travel companion.