Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX AF-S Review Round-Up

nikon-af-s-18-70mm-f-35-45g-if-ed-dx

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 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX is a lens with many souls. The lens is capable to deliver very good resolution figures and low CAs but on the other hand distortions as well as vignetting are very pronounced specifically at 18mm. However, most users will rarely use large aperture settings at 18mm so the vignetting problem is usually no show stopper. The build quality of the lens is very decent and the Silent-Wave drive provides a speedy and silent AF. All-in-all the price performance ratio of the Nikkor is very sound. … READ FULL REVIEW

Other Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX AF-S Reviews

SLR Gear

Among Nikon’s three mid-range zooms, this one hits the sweet spot in terms of price, quality, and weight. Compared to the high priced constant aperture 17-55 and the low priced 18-55, the 18-70 offers a 3.8x zoom, reasonable weight, and excellent image characteristics. A very handy lens to own, and a great bargain when bought as part of a D70/D70S bundle. Bottom line, the Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G DX is a very high-quality optic, well worth the price. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

Camera Labs

The Nikkor DX 18-70mm offers much more than just an extra 15mm over the most basic Nikkor kit lens – it’s a step-up in every respect. The build and optical quality are superior, the maximum aperture when zoomed-in is brighter, the focusing a little quicker, the end section doesn’t rotate when focusing, and it comes with a lens hood. It is overall a far superior lens, but this is reflected in a higher price. If you’re after a superior general purpose zoom lens though and aren’t bothered about spending much extra for either the brighter DX 17-55mm f2.8 or the longer, stabilised DX 18-200mm, then it’s a great choice. If you’re buying a new Nikon body, look out for bundles with the DX 18-70mm, as they’re often cheaper than buying both separately. … READ FULL REVIEW

Thom.com

We’d forgotten about vignetting when we moved to digital SLRs, as the older lenses had much larger image circles than necessary, but with a small DX lens that barely covers the APS-sized sensor, it’s back. Variable aperture, the big issue is that at 70mm this is an f/4.5 lens, which means that autofocus in low light can be compromised slightly. Still, not a big issue, though a negative one. Build quality doesn’t exceed the price point. Excellent optics. Other than that vignetting, no flaws worth mentioning. Considering the price, superb performance. The 28-105mm for the digital world. Yes, the mid-range zoom is back in full force. If that’s what you want, this is the lens to get. Price/Performance winner. This is a far better lens than you’ll ever expect for US$300. Far better. Good enough that it stays in my kit for when I want to go light. “¦READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

Buy one if you want, I did in 2004! Today (2008) I’d suggest saving for the 18-200mm VR instead, or using the 18-55mm DX I usually use because it’s so small. For the same price as this 18-70mm you can get the 18-55 and the excellent 55-200mm VR. That’s what I’d do with $350. Your choice should be based on how you like how they feel and focus. Image quality is very similar. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

This Post Has One Comment

  1. I have owned and still own and used the Nikkor 18-70 f3. 5-4.5 ED Lens since I got it as the kit lens on my Nikon D70. I have numerous other lenses both prime and zoom however I continue to use this trusted friend as my everyday walk around lens. It produces good sharp photos and has worked flawlessly since I purchased it. I presently have it attached to my Nikon D7000 and will likely keep this lens until I ever start to use a FX camera at which time I will be forced to retire it. No VR but I haven’t used a lot of VR in my photography so I likely just don’t know what I am missing so that doesn’t bother me. It is a well built lens however I probably would not get much for it if I did try to sell it do it is worth more to me than on the market. I find the zoom range fits well with my other zooms. A Tokina 11-16mm f 2.8 and a Nikkor 70-300 f4.5-5.6GVR. With these I pretty much have what I need. For low light I use primes.

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