Review: AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

I poo-pooed this lens until my partner got hers, bundled with her new D3100. Since then I’ve been kicking myself for not buying my D-90 body with its kit lens.

It’s quirky, it’s chintzy it’s…really sharp. It’s fun to put a lens on your camera that performs well and is so compact and inexpensive. At 9.4 oz (266g) it’s about the same weight as my Nikkor 20mm f/2.8, yet zooms up to 82.5mm (equivalent) and has VR and a built-in motor. How’d they do that for under two bills?

Plastic mount, that’s how. The dreaded plastic mount. To be fair though, it’s a hard phenolic plastic that’s sure to wear well, especially if a little lubrication is applied from time to time. These plastics tend to be brittle though, so don’t bump the lens in sub-zero weather, and you should be fine.

I wouldn’t shoot a wedding with it, but I wouldn’t hesitate to put in in my camera bag for long trips. It’s a great backup lens you can feel good about having with you at all times.

Build Quality ★★★

With a plastic mount, there’s no question this is budget lens. But the fit and finish are on a par with Nikon’s pros-sumer line. Considering the price and performance, there are no complains here.

Focus ★★★

As AF-S NIKKORs go, this is the least manual focus-friendly lens. The plastic focus ring is attached to the rotating front barrel of the lens, requiring you to reach forward to focus. With only about an eighth  of a turn lock-to-lock, fine adjustment is challenging. However, auto focus is silent, accurate, and a joy to use. The ability to focus closely at maximum zoom is a welcome surprise, giving this lens’ quasi-macro capability.

Optical Quality ★★★★★

Really quite impressive for its cost and feature set. Center resolution is excellent across the board, peaking at f/5.6, while edge resolution tapers off from very good to fair/good levels at f/3.5. Above 35mm, resolution drops somewhat, but center and edge are neck and neck from f/8 upwards. Shoot at f/5.6-11 and you’ll always be pleased with the results.

Value ★★★★★

Low price and high performance equate to an excellent value.

Versatility ★★★★★

A great walk-around lens if you don’t need low-light capability. Close (.9 ft.) focus capability across the zoom range make it very macro-friendly.

Diaphragm

7 curved blades.

Filters

Accepts 52mm filters with a plastic thread. The threads rotate with the front barrel during focusing, making working with a polarizer or Cokin filters more challenging.

Hood

Optional HB-45 Clip-on Hood available, but not included. The Hoya 52mm Screw-In Rubber Zoom Lens Hood also works well. Fully retracted this hood does not vignette at 18mm (28mm); at 24mm (36mm) the middle extension can be used, and from 35mm on (52.5mm) the hood can be used in its fully extended position.

Included Accessories

Standard front pinch cap and “budget” translucent rear cap.

Specifications

You can view Nikon’s Specifications for this lens by visiting their website.