Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6g vr ii dx af-s nikkor

Reasons to Buy Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II Lens

Here we’ve included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.

PROs

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CONs

Lens Mount

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II is compatible with cameras that have a Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (DX) lenses are Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600.

Size, Weight and Filter Thread

Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II has a maximum diameter of 60mm and total length of 66mm when not extended. It weighs 195g / 6.9 oz.

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II has a filter thread of 52mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II:

Optical Image Stabilization

The Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II features an optical image stabilization system which helps to reduce the blur that occurs due to shaking during hand-held shooting.

Zoom Method

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.

Maximum Magnification Ratio

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.31x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.28m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.31x is considered a high magnification and will come handy for close-up shots.

Below are the 3 Standard Zoom type Nikon F mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:

• Nikon 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G VR: 0.38x — (Compare)
• Nikon 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G: 0.38x — (Compare)
• Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM: 0.37x — (Compare)

Aperture

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f3.5 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 18mm, and a max aperture of f5.6 and minimum aperture of f36 at 55mm .

Optical Formula

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II’s optical formula consists of 11 elements in 8 groups . Special elements used in this design is 1 aspheric element.

Lens Hood

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR II doesn’t come with a lens hood. You have to order the hood separately and the model number of the hood is HB-69.

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Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II DX AF-S Nikkor User Reviews

8.7/10
average of 3 review(s)

Build Quality
7.7/10

Image Quality
8.7/10

• 9 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  Sharp, light-weighed, cheap
  Could do w/o the focus lock

  I recently took this kit lens on a trip to London and Edinburgh and was quite taken by the fact that I came away with hundreds of sharp, lovely colored photos. I never once felt the need to switch to another lens, because this focal range, on a cropped sensor camera, covers all the bases when walking city streets, taking shots of people and buildings. I did not notice the reported weakness at 35mm, probably because I mostly used the low and high ends of the focal range (something I suspect most users will do with this lens). Anybody looking to buy a Nikon DX camera that comes with this lens: You are getting a great little lens for practically nothing.

  reviewed June 23rd, 2017

• 9 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  Handy size and weight, good focal length range, sharp enough for normal use, good value.
  None of any significance

  I bought this lens as a walkabout companion for my 55-300. I have sharper…and heavier…lenses for better resolution at all ranges, but this one is nice for grab-and-go on my D7100 and D3300.
  First the pros. It’s light and the focal range is handy, dovetailing perfectly with the 55-300. Resolution color rendition and dynamic range are quite good, and the latest-generation VR is very impressive. The price is right, particularly if you buy a refurbished one, as I did, and I like the collapsing button to carry it comfortably in my pocket. It’s a better lens than I expected, and I’ll use it more than I thought I would.
  The cons are mostly nitpicking. It’s an entry level lens and can’t be expected to perform at the level of my more expensive zooms. The difference is noticeable, but the results are plenty good enough for what it is. Focus is noticeably slow. But it does focus accurately, which is a lot more important.

  reviewed May 26th, 2016
  (purchased for $100)

• 8 out of 10 points
  and recommended

  small and light, reasonable price, very good image quality
  nothing important

  I have owned a number of aps-c cameras and lenses at this point and have concluded that size and weight are an important factor in the kind of photography I like to do, which is travelling and walking around. I find that this lens fits the bill very nicely. Of course the lens must also take very good quality photos, and this lens doesn’t disappoint as long as you stop it down to f/5.6 or f/8, depending on the focal length. This is not a «bright» lens of course, but Nikon’s new image stabilization is so much better than the old one that you can actually see it in the viewfinder; the viewfinder seems to be almost locked on the image so that even a good jiggle doesn’t move the scene very much. This compensates quite a bit for the smaller aperture. I own the other two popular Nikon kit zoom lenses, the 18-140 and the 18-105 and am impressed with both. This lens offers similar image quality (with a much smaller zoom range) but with far less weight, and I expect that it will be the one I use the most for casual shooting. Please be aware that on my d7100 I had to set the AF fine tune to +6 or +9 for best results, similar to what I found with the 18-140 lens. C’mon Nikon, get it together with this focus thing!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  reviewed February 1st, 2015
  (purchased for $246)

Comparison to Older 18-55mm Lenses

There is a big mess in all the names and types of the small and inexpensive 18-55mm Nikkor zooms that Nikon produced since 2005. The orientation is difficult since there are eight different versions of this lens (in five generations, the last three of which are either stabilized or non-stabilized). Nikon currently ships two types of 18-55mm zoom, either with or without optical stabilization. While “only” 4 different versions are sold at the time being, you may still easily encounter older versions on the grey market. The first three generations were notorious for poor build quality and low optical performance, so I do not recommend buying them at any price. If considering the 18-55mm focal range, I recommend buying either of the last two generations (depending on your DSLR body type – see the compatibility chart below).

In this review, I will focus on comparing the latest AF-P version with the older AF-S VR II version. Just for the sake of highlighting the progress of the last two generations, I also include the 2007 generation in the following comparison table:

So how to discern those which I recommend from those that I would not (not even for total beginners)? As a rule of thumb, you can use the following rule: the latest two generations of 18-55mm lenses that offer much better performance, have a button on the side of the lens barrel – this button is pushed to get the lens into the ready position.

NIKON D750 + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 100, 1/80, f/8.0

Autofocus Speed and Accuracy

The third generation of the Nikkor 18-55mm was the first-ever lens in the Nikon line-up featuring the new AF-P technology. Compared to the previous generation of ultrasonic engines (Silent Wave Motor, or SWM, referred to as “AF-S”), the new stepping motor technology (abbreviation for auto-focus pulsing, referred to as the “AF-P”) is faster and quieter. Quieter is not the right word – it is simply silent. The benefits are clear both for video shooting and for shooting stills. Focusing is very smooth, even in Live View Mode, where AF-S lenses tended to hunt back and forth before nailing the focus. The new focus motor is so silent that it is not audible in the video’s soundtrack (typically a problem in AF-S lenses).

Similar to my experience with the DX 70-300mm AF-P telephoto zoom, my real-life shooting experience shows that this lens focuses silently, accurately, and reliably. I estimate that this lens focuses roughly 30% faster than the older 18-55mm AF-S VR II lens. Focusing in low light with the D5300 was no problem either.

Speed and muteness of the sound is not the only advantage. The AF-P version offers instant manual override, unavailable on the previous 18-55mm AF-S version. It is an excellent feature in case you are shooting under challenging conditions, and the lens is hunting. You can then help the lens “find” the proper range and snap into focus. Manual override has been featured in most of the recent Nikkor lenses – except for the cheapest 18-55mm kit lenses – it is praiseworthy that Nikon finally included this technology in the cheapest lenses too.

Nikkor 18-55mm allows for a maximum magnification of 0.17x (1:1.26) at the closest focusing distance of 0.25m (0.9 feet). Zoomed in to 55mm, this gives you decent close-up photography (near macro magnification) possibilities. I tried to shoot insects on my lavender flower bed, and I was quite happy with the ratio of in-focus shots. Photographing shy insects is not recommended with this lens, as 55mm is too short, and you have to be just a few centimeters away from your subject, which may frighten it and make it move away.

NIKON D5300 + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 400, 1/320, f/5.6

My only complaint concerns the missing AF ON / OFF switches (typically signed as M/A and M on Nikkor lenses). I repeat here what I wrote in the AF-P 10-20mm wide-angle review: even though one should praise Nikon for designing a faster and quieter focusing lens, I realized that, combined with the missing on-the-lens switch, I experienced some frustrating moments. When shooting with the entry-level D5300 body, I often had to opt for manual focus (in-camera setting) while making some panoramas.

First, doing this in the camera menu takes longer (do not underestimate how crucial this might be in some moments). What’s more, I repeatedly forgot to re-set the original setting (getting back to normal autofocus), and hence I ended up with a handful of out-of-focus shots. My fault, obviously, but I just want to highlight that it is easier to forget about this with AF-P lenses. Faster and noise-less focusing also has its drawbacks. One can easily lose the previous habit of controlling focus acquisition through the short yet visible and audible refocusing process. The AF-P lenses are different in this aspect, and you do not notice when they acquire proper focus compared to older lenses. So just pay attention to other indicators (such as the camera beep – which I hate, or the blinking circular control in the viewfinder). Anyway, I wish this lens came with the AF-S / AF-M switch.