Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18 55mm F 3 5 5 6G VR II Review | 54 Data compared

The Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II DX AF-S NIKKOR is a compact, portable kit lens featuring a retractable barrel design and excellent center sharpness across most focal lengths. It offers efficient Vibration Reduction (VR II) providing up to 4 stops of stabilization, along with good contrast and smooth background blur, making it a capable, lightweight pairing for entry-level DX cameras. Conversely, the lens exhibits soft corners and strong barrel distortion at 18mm, along with notable softness at 35mm, while the all-plastic construction lacks weather-sealing. Additionally, the design requires a manual, two-step extension process and lacks instant, full-time manual focus override.

The ePHOTOzine review of the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II highlights this budget-friendly kit lens as a compact, highly portable option. It is praised for outstanding central sharpness when stopped down, achieving peak performance at f/5.6 (18mm) and f/8 (35mm), alongside an effective VR II system that offers up to three stops of stabilization. However, the lens has notable cons, including a largely plastic construction with no metal mount, a rotating front element, and a slow, retractable barrel design. While light at 195g, optical performance drops at maximum aperture, particularly with fair edge sharpness at 35mm.

The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II is a redesigned, collapsible starter zoom lens built for Nikon's APS-C digital SLR cameras. Evaluated as a solid and compact kit lens option, it features an in-lens vibration reduction system to help steady shots despite its narrow f/3.5-5.6 aperture range. Testing reveals that the lens delivers impressive sharpness across its zoom range when paired with high-resolution sensors like the 24-megapixel D3300. A key functional benefit over its predecessor is a non-rotating front element, which allows photographers to seamlessly utilize circular polarizing filters to cut reflections and boost color contrast. However, the lens is best acquired at a modest premium when bundled with a new camera body, as its standalone price is relatively high for what it offers. Several specific pros and cons define the performance of this optic. On the positive side, the lens is praised for being quite sharp—exceeding 1,800 lines in Imatest trials when stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8—while remaining highly compact, inexpensive, and optically stabilized. Conversely, its primary drawbacks include a massive 4.2 percent barrel distortion at...

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The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6G VR II is a highly compact and lightweight standard zoom lens designed as an affordable starter kit lens for DX-format cameras like the Nikon D3300. It features an updated retractable lens mechanism that makes it 25% lighter and significantly shorter during transport than its predecessor. Optically, the lens delivers surprisingly excellent center sharpness that peaks between f/5.6 and f/8, rivaling some fixed-focal-length lenses within the 30-50mm range. It is equipped with a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for quiet autofocus operations and built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) that successfully compensates for camera shake by allowing shutter speeds up to four times slower. The core advantages of this lens include its superb price-to-quality ratio, compact and light build, built-in image stabilization, and excellent overall sharpness. It also handles lens flare well and has automatic chromatic aberration correction when paired with Nikon bodies saving JPEG files. However, the lens comes with notable downsides, such as its limited maximum aperture, which restricts low-light performance and prevents deep, spectacular background bokeh. Photographers must also manually expand the lens before...

Ken Rockwell calls the Nikon 18-55mm VR II a "miracle" of modern optical engineering, highlighting its exceptional sharpness that rivals far more expensive lenses. Key pros include a lightweight plastic design that balances well with entry-level DX bodies, highly effective VR (Vibration Reduction), and a very close focusing distance. Ken Rockwell Conversely, the lens has a budget-friendly plastic mount and lacks the rugged durability of higher-end optics. Its notable cons include a retractable design that requires an extra step to operate, the absence of instant manual-focus override, and a restricted maximum aperture.

The Radojuva review characterizes the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6GII VR II as a lightweight, compact, and capable DX-format kit lens featuring a retractable design, an efficient VR II system with 4-stop compensation, and reliable center sharpness. Key performance highlights include fast, built-in autofocus and excellent portability, making it a functional, affordable, and easy-to-carry option for photographers. Conversely, the lens is built with a plastic mount and features a slow, variable aperture that limits its low-light performance, while exhibiting significant vignetting, distortion, and weak corner sharpness, especially at the 18mm wide end. The review notes these compromises result in a budget-conscious build that requires stopping down to f/8 for optimal image uniformity.