|
Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX - Review / Test Report |
|
Lens Reviews -
Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)
|
|
Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published June 2006
Lens kindly provided for testing purposes by Tobias Jordan!
Introduction
The Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX is the standard kit zoom
often sold in combination with entry level Nikon DSLRs.
It is a designated DX lens projecting a reduced image circle and as such
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.
You will probably not shop for a naked Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED DX
but if so the price of less than 180US$/€ already indicates that there're
limits of what you can expect from such a lens.
The build quality is quite bad due to rather cheap plastics everywhere but
that's a fate shared by all entry-level kit zooms. 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. The lens is available in a black and in a silver variant
to match the body colors of Nikon's entry level DSLRs.
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 |
|---|
| 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 | 69 x 74 mm |
| Weight | 210 g |
| Filter size | 52 mm (rotating) |
| Hood | Nikon HB-33 (optional), barrel-shaped |
| Other features | Lens provides distance (D) information to the camera. |
|
