Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Wide Angle Lens F/DSLR Cameras - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

2011-06-16T21:00:00

I use this product for events and as a walk around lens and it works great. The relatively low aperture (4.5) extends for a significant length of the lens (around 50-70mm) and that may be limiting to some, but having 4.5 at the long end compared to 5.6 as in most kit lenses is a major plus. The build quality on this lens is excellent and it feels as if it will last for a long time. No noticeable lens creep and its reassuringly heavy, but not too much so. Feels professional. Overall great lens for the price. If you want a serious upgrade from your 18-55 kit, go for it.

Nikon s.

2007-09-19T21:00:00

I bought this lens to go with the D50 I had. Coming from a Nikon 28-80mm, it really brought my camera (and myself) to life. Faster than your "kit" lenses (3.5-4.5 instead of 3.5-5.6). Built well, fast autofocus, crisp picture results, little distortion, sturdy, true AF-S (unlike the kit lens 18-55mm which doesn't have manual override). It gives such great results that after I sold it (it broke my heart but I had to sell my D50 and 18-70mm) that now I have the funding, I am buying a D80 with an 18-70mm. It served me so well for an entire year that I just had to get it again. Be still, my beating heart. Attached are images I took using this lens and my D50. Heavily "JPEGed" but you get the idea.

SGT D.

2007-09-09T21:00:00

This lens is a sure buy. For it's price, the optical quality delivered is wonderful. I have no qualms shooting wide-open with it and achieving consistently sharp focus. I also own the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX lens. There are two main differences between that lens and the 18-70mm. First, is corner sharpness, the 18-70mm needs to be stopped down a bit to match corners of 17-55mm - this is not to say that corners are soft when shooting at wider apertures, it's just they lack *some* of the clarity on small details, such as grass texture. Secondly and obviously is the f/2.8 difference. If you need f/2.8, you need f/2.8. In a nutshell, if you don't need a low-light lens and would like a versatile walk-about lens, the 18-70mm is the clear choice. It is as sharp, if not better in the center than then 17-55mm, and almost as sharp in the corners. I've worked with much softer lenses, such as the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 (when shooting wide angle), or Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 overall. The Nikon 18-70mm provides tremendous bang for the buck for it's price. By the way, the "wobbly" front is normal for the plastic-bodied consumer Nikon lenses, such as this one.

instamatic

2007-07-10T21:00:00

I haven't had any problems with my refurb'd lens and I've been using it for several months, putting about 800 pictures through it. It's solid, is fast and quiet. I love it.

steve-o

2007-07-03T21:00:00

I bought the re-furbished lens. Big mistake. I have had the lens 6 months (3 months out of re-furbished warranty) and have used it maybe a dozen times. Now the lens is falling apart. The barrel of the zoom wiggles side to side. The lens still works, but obviously the front element is not paralell to the sensor surface anymore. I loved the lense until it started falling apart.

Ralph24