Nikon 18mm - 70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Wide Angle Autofocus Zoom Lens,Grey Market.

2009-03-05T19:00:00

This is a great lens in general. I upgraded from my 18-55 VR because it just wasn't durable or an excellent lens. I got this and it's great. The sharpness is perfect, and while it's heavy it's fairly compact. It's the perfect companion for the 70-300 VR. I love it and wouldn't trade it in for anything.

Joe

2008-01-30T19:00:00

I was talked into getting this lens when I bought my D200 when I found the 18-200 wasn't available- and I have no regrets! This lens has been very versatile. I love it's range and the images captured have been very good- if this is "just OK" Nikon glass- then I guess I'm in for a real treat when I raise the big dollars for their best because this one does just fine!

shashin 5.

2008-01-20T19:00:00

This was my first lens, and it was a great starting lens. It's great for all around shooting because of its zoom, and the autofocus is fast. The colors on it are nice, and the overall quality of the picture is great, especially for this price. Though it is very limiting with its f stop. f/3.5 at 18mm and f/4.5 at 70mm just is not a very low dof (for low dof shots I use my nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens) Also at f/3.5 and 18mm this lens vignettes a lot. Overall though this is a great general shooting lens, and a great beginner's lens.

Mike

2008-01-20T19:00:00

This was my first lens, and it was a great starting lens. It's great for all around shooting because of its zoom, and the autofocus is fast. The colors on it are nice, and the overall quality of the picture is great, especially for this price. Though it is very limiting with its f stop. f/3.5 at 18mm and f/4.5 at 70mm just is not a very low dof (for low dof shots I use my nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens) Also at f/3.5 and 18mm this lens vignettes a lot. Overall though this is a great general shooting lens, and a great beginner's lens, and great for its price.

Mike

2007-07-26T21:00:00

Nice lens but the front element that attaches to the lens hood wobbles side to side, top and bottom about 0.5 to 1mm. Do a web search and you will find this is common for this lens, but not all of them have this undocumented feature. Imagine your car steering wheel having a half inch play, side to side and up and down, and you will see what I mean. Would you find that acceptable? To me the wobble is unsettling and unacceptable. It effects my confidence in the lens and that could be reflected in the final images as a result. Other than that, the zoom ring seems plastic-like and non linear. The focus ring is small and doesn't have much fine resolution due to the small turning arc. The o-ring at the mount was quite unexpected, but welcomed, given the price of the lens. Image quality is very good, no significant coloration or flare in direct light. The lens is lightweight and the Auto-focusing was fast. There was no hunting in low light situations, yet there were images that were not properly focused which maybe due to the camera AF sensors. While I will recommend this lens to a friend, it would come as a guarded recommendation and I would have them check the their copy for lens wobble. And get a copy without the wobble. Also I have read that lens wobble can occur months later, but I have not read that this single negative quality attribute resulted in any loss of image quality. Do not expect this lens to be a professional level lens it is not even close. Expect it to be a slightly better than average plastic kit lens with a metal mount and you will not be disappointed.

DONALD F.

2007-07-25T21:00:00

This is the second one I own, the first was attached to my D70 when it got stolen. I bought another one to use with my D80. It has served me very well over a few years and it has been a lens that I use most of the time. It produces very sharp images, it's relatively light and has a reasonable zoom range. I took it to the Sahara, to the beaches in Costa Rica, Israel, California, Mauritania, and it always worked well, except for some dust that seemed to have gotten to the inside of the lens. It was never visible on pictures though.

Haye

2007-05-27T21:00:00

An excellent lens, deserving far better than its 'kit' status. The focus window and true AFS are great advantages over the little 18-55 and 18-135. It also has a metal mount (not plastic). I'd highly recommend this lens over the 18-55 and even the 18-135 both of which are more plastically in feel as well. Overall a good lens for general use until you need something special.

BananaMan

2007-05-07T21:00:00

Great all around lens, not pro glass but plenty sharp for every day use, good value for the money 18 -24 zoom ranges are very close on lens and can be hard to fine tune.

BSG

2007-02-13T19:00:00

I liked the lens so much I traded it for an 18-135 which I like even better.

Old f.

2007-02-13T19:00:00

Took it travelling last summer, used it a lot in interior shots, and for excellent closeups of family.

cmackg

2007-02-11T19:00:00

This is a good lens and that's why it is such a popular kit lens. It's the lens I keep on my D200 all the time (at least until my 18-200 VR arrives - if it ever does). With the smaller chip, my old 28-105 just didn't give the wide angle view I need.

Kristopher250

2007-02-11T19:00:00

Good all-around lens. Not suitable for critical wide-angle work, but for snapshots, etc., this is a bargain. Pictures are quite sharp if stopped down a couple stops from wide-open (which is where most folks will use this lens).

Photomic

2007-02-11T19:00:00

The price is very good for the money you will spent,Great lens

Kentuckyblueman

2007-02-07T19:00:00

Excellent "Kit" Lens.I recently augmented it with the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 which is much sharper.

Henry

2007-02-05T19:00:00

It was easy to buy, great prices, nice lens to use

KP

2007-02-05T19:00:00

Image quality is great although not a significant improvement over the standard kit lens (Nikon 18-55) for the D-50 but the lens is much preferable in use. Manual focus a wonderful improvement and I find myself using the range above 55 mm a great deal.

Physicsguy

2007-02-04T19:00:00

Great results - easy lens to use, even easier to change.

Dodger