Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-18-135mm-f-35-56g-if-ed-af-s-dx-nikkor

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Quality-wise the Nikkor AF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED DX positioned itself between the AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G and the AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR – just as you would/should expect it regarding the zoom range and complexity of design … The center resolution is excellent throughout the range. As to be expected the border performance suffers a bit at 18mm and less so at 35mm but it’s still pretty good here. … Typical for most dedicated APS-C zooms the vignetting figures aren’t quite as good – at 18mm and 135mm @ wide-open aperture the results are rather dismal … At 18mm the lens also suffers a bit from rather hefty barrel distortions but this is quite typical for a lens in this class. CAs can be visible without being excessive although purple fringing can intensify the effect quite a bit in extreme contrast situations. … All-in-all a good consumer grade lens and maybe the current value king in Nikon land. …   READ FULL REVIEW

Other Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX Nikkor Reviews

SLR Gear

Shooting wide open, it was just uncommonly sharp for a mid-priced zoom lens, and stopping down just a little gave very uniform sharpness across the frame. – At least from 18-105mm; it does get a little softer at 135mm. It became evident that the 18-135’s sharpness came at some cost in other areas, particularly geometric distortion and light falloff in the corners, commonly (if somewhat incorrectly) referred to as vignetting. While less than perfect in terms of distortion and vignetting, the exceptional sharpness will doubtless find it many fans. READ FULL REVIEW

Camera Labs

The DX 18-55mm II is the most basic Nikkor kit zoom for Nikon DSLRs. It has the shortest optical zoom of the four models tested and the lowest build quality. It also has a rotating front section which can prove annoying for users of polarising filters and doesn’t come with a lens hood. But, and this is the big but, it’s actually very good for the money. The optical quality is surprisingly good and the focusing both quicker and quieter than, say, Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm kit lens. Sure the other lenses tested here are superior, but if budget demands you go for the DX 18-55mm II, you’ll at least be getting one of the best affordable kit lenses on the market. READ FULL REVIEW

Thom.com

The big issue is that at 70mm this is already an f/5.6 lens, which means that autofocus in low light can be compromised. The excellent sharpness of the lens is compromised by other visual drawbacks. Lack of VR makes this lens less attractive. Very, very sharp. It’s not easy to design a zoom lens that’s sharp across all focal lengths and from edge to edge. Nikon has. This is a slightly better lens than you’d expect for the price. Build quality doesn’t exceed the price point. READ FULL REVIEW

Pop Photo

Its sharp, relatively distortion-free images; ease of handling; quiet, swift, and sure operation; and all-around excellence should satisfy D80 owners and other Nikon shooters, at least until they’re ready to step up to Nikon’s truly all-star utility digital-only zoom, the 18-200mm VR. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

This 18-135mm is nice, but too expensive for what you get. Without VR the 135mm range isn’t very useful. The 18-135mm lens is great for portraits and head shots, especially for pets, since it focuses so close and has nice bokeh. I strongly prefer the more expensive Nikon 18-200mm VR, or if on a budget, the much less expensive 18-55 mm. READ FULL REVIEW


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