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Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX II - Review / Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 2
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published February 2007
Lens kindly provided for testing purposes by Peter-Cornelius Spaeth!
Introduction
The Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX II is a standard zoom lens
often sold in combination with entry level Nikon DSLRs since late 2006.
The lens is available in a black and a silver variant to match the colors
of the corresponding bodies.
The Nikkor is a designated DX lens thus projecting a reduced image circle
and as such it is not compatible to full-frame SLRs. The field-of-view is equivalent
to 27-82.5mm so while it may not be a speed daemon it covers a quite
attractive range.
Regarding its name it obviously replaces the original mk I. However,
the optical design has not really been altered and consequently most of the
old review text has been copied. Nikon applied some cosmetical
changes to the outer construction (silver ring, changes in the contouring)-
FWIW, a step forward in my subjective opinion.
You will probably not shop for a naked Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED DX II
but if so the price of less than 130US$/€ already indicates that there're
limits of what you can expect from such a lens regarding its build quality -
it feels sub-standard due to rather cheap plastics but that's a fate shared by
all entry-level kit zooms. On the
D200 it certainly feels a little misplaced. The very broad rubberized
zoom ring which feels reasonably smooth. Due to cost cutting measurements
there isn't really a dedicated focus ring - you simply use the slightly
fluted front portion of the inner lens tube instead. The target audience
for this lens will probably not mind but this is surely an annoyance for
more serious users - manual focusing is quite a nightmare. If you touch the
focus ring the viewfinder image tends so shake significantly because of the
wobbling of the inner lens tube.
As you can observe above the lens extends during zooming (and focusing)
and it reaches its longest length at the two extreme ends of the zoom
range. The shortest physical length is around the ~35mm setting.
The front element rotates so using a polarizer is quite cumbersome.
Typical for all G lenses the Nikkor does not provide a dedicated
aperture ring anymore.
Surprisingly the Nikkor features an AF-S motor (silent-wave (ultrasonic))
but while this has the benefits of providing near silent AF the speed
is comparatively slow.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 27-82.5 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/5.3-f/8.4 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 7 elements in 5 groups inc. 1 ED and 1 aspherical glass element |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 (rounded) |
| min. focus distance | 0.28 m (max. magnification ratio 1:3.2) |
| Dimensions | 71 x 74 mm |
| Weight | 205 g |
| Filter size | 52 mm (rotating) |
| Hood | Nikon HB-33 (optional), barrel-shaped |
| Other features | - |
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