Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18 140mm F 3 5 5 6G ED VR Review | 54 Data compared

The Nikon Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is a highly accessible and portable "super-zoom" lens designed for Nikon DX-format cameras, earning a very good overall DxOMark score of 16 points and a sharpness score of 11 P-Mpix. Priced at $600, this model represents a price increase over its $480 predecessor, the 18-135mm lens, but justifies the premium by introducing built-in optical image stabilization and a more durable metal mount over the older plastic version. Optically, it features a complex construction of 17 elements in 12 groups, including one ED glass element and one aspherical surface. Testing reveals that it stands out as the sharpest lens of its class in the database, notably outpacing more expensive alternative options like the $999 Nikkor 18-300mm in overall image quality and sharpness. The lens boasts several key pros, most notably its excellent center-to-corner sharpness uniformity across the entire zoom range, including at the difficult telephoto end. It also does a commendable job keeping overall distortion well-controlled at 0.7%, alongside generally well-managed vignetting and chromatic aberration. On the con side, the lens is larger (78x97mm)...

The DPReview analysis of the Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR finds it to be an impressive all-round DX lens, boasting high sharpness at the wide end and efficient in-camera correction of chromatic aberrations and vignetting. The review notes the lens performs best when stopped down, providing a well-rounded option for general photography despite minor vignetting issues at wide-open apertures. However, the lens exhibits significant distortion, with notable barrel distortion at 18mm and pincushioning throughout the rest of the zoom range, particularly around 50mm. While sharpness drops off slightly at the telephoto end, the lens remains a versatile, high-performing choice, according to the review on dpreview.com.

The Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR lens is a versatile convenience zoom designed for DX-format DSLRs, effectively serving as a double-duty replacement for older lenses like the 18-135mm and 18-105mm. The reviewer notes several key pros, including excellent center sharpness at the 18mm wide end and very good center sharpness at the 140mm telephoto end. Additionally, it features fast and quiet continuous autofocus performance, decent build quality with a tighter barrel design that prevents wiggling, and smooth handling that balances well on mid-range bodies like the D5300. Chromatic aberration and vignetting are also well-managed, especially since recent Nikon DSLRs automatically correct them in-camera for JPEGs. However, the lens suffers from notable cons that prevent it from fully capitalizing on modern 24-megapixel sensors. Optically, the corners never reach "excellent" sharpness at any aperture, and there is a heavy presence of linear distortion, showcasing nearly 3% barrel distortion at 18mm and peaking with 3% pincushion distortion around 50-70mm. Correcting this massive distortion via software further degrades edge resolution. Physical drawbacks include its relatively large size, heavy 17.3-ounce weight, a loose-feeling manual...

The Nikon 18-140mm VR lens is a highly capable DX-format superzoom that significantly outperforms the older Nikon 18-200mm VR, particularly in image sharpness. The reviewer found that its center sharpness at 140mm and f/5.6 closely rivals the reference-standard Sigma 150mm macro lens, representing a massive upgrade over the "shockingly bad" wide-open performance of the 18-200mm. Additional advantages include exceptionally quick autofocus speed, highly effective Vibration Reduction (VR) providing over 3 stops of consistent stabilization, a slightly slimmer barrel profile, and zero zoom creep during testing. The optical quality is so superior that cropping a 140mm shot to a 200mm field of view still yields better results than shooting natively with the older 200mm lens. However, the lens does come with some notable drawbacks. In terms of cons, it is constructed entirely out of plastic, which some online users feel makes it look less premium or slightly cheaper than its predecessor. Optically, the edge and corner sharpness is weaker than the center and suffers from a visible loss of contrast. It also completely lacks a physical distance scale, which forces photographers...