Nikon D Series Af-p Dx Nikkor 18-55mm F/35-56g Vr Review

Nikon's latest kit zoom, the AF-P DX Nikkor xviii-55mm f/three.v-v.6G VR ($249.95), is available for purchase on its own, but every bit is the case with near starter lenses, information technology's a better value when bought at a discounted price along with a camera. Like the nearly identical AF-South DX Nikkor eighteen-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR ($346.95 at Amazon) it sports a compact, collapsible pattern, sharp optics (with some compromises in edge quality when shooting at wider angles), and a lightweight, plastic build. The differentiating factor in this iteration is the pulse focus motor—the "P" in AF-P—which delivers quiet, shine focus when shooting in Live View mode. If you're in the market for a standard zoom lens for your Nikon SLR, consider instead the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro Os HSM ($346.95 at Amazon) for its versatile range and wider discontinuity, or the Editors' Selection Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM ($346.95 at Amazon) if y'all prefer a shorter zoom range and more low-cal-gathering capability.

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Design

The xviii-55mm ($346.95 at Amazon) is small and lite. In weighs just 7.2 ounces and measures 2.five by 2.5 inches (Hd) in its collapsed position. The front element supports 55mm filters, and front end and rear caps are included—but if yous want to use a lens hood, yous'll accept to purchase 1 separately ($24.99). That said, I made information technology a point to shoot some images with the lord's day toward the corner of the frame sans hood and found that image quality remained potent.

There's a small lock button on the lens. You need to hold information technology downwardly and twist the zoom barrel in lodge to extend it for employ, and do the same to collapse information technology for storage. When collapsed, the lens is about two inches shorter, enough to let you to utilise a smaller camera bag in many instances.

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The zoom band, covered in hard, textured safe, has markings at 18, 24, 35, 45, and 55mm. Because the lens is dedicated to the APS-C (DX) sensor format, it captures a field of view that'southward equivalent to a 27-82.5mm zoom on a total-frame camera. The zoom ratio is minor (3.1x), equally is the aperture, but the upshot is a small, inexpensive zoom.

In that location is a manual focus ring; it's narrow and sits at the front of the barrel. But if you're using this lens, yous're probable using autofocus. Prototype stabilization is congenital-in—that'due south the VR (Vibration Reduction) in the lens name. There are no focus or VR command toggles on the lens itself; y'all need to alter those functions via the camera body. Nikon also sells the lens without VR for $199.95, but steadying handheld images and video is a useful feature that's worth more than $l.

The zoom focuses to 9.8 inches, expert for 1:2.6 macro magnification at the 55mm setting. It's not going to get tiny details similar a true 1:1 macro—consider the inexpensive AF-South DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G ($346.95 at Amazon) if you're serious nearly capturing minutiae. But, considering its cost and zoom range, y'all become pretty solid close focus.

Image Quality

I used Imatest to check the quality of photos captured by the AF-P eighteen-55mm when paired with the 24MP Nikon D3400 ($346.95 at Amazon) . At 18mm f/3.v the lens scores ii,203 lines per picture elevation on a middle-weighted sharpness test, which gives stronger preference to the center areas of our examination chart. That'due south better than the 1,800 lines we like to meet at a minimum, simply image quality is non uniform. The central two-thirds of the image are quite abrupt, bettering two,200 lines with ease, simply the outer tertiary drops down to ane,127 lines, delivering noticeably blurry results.

Stopping down to f/5.vi improves edge performance. The boilerplate score increases to ii,774 lines, and edges are crisp at 2,009 lines. Image quality is even more than consequent at f/8, with both the center and edges coming within 100 lines of the averaged 3,273-line score. Pinnacle performance is at f/11 (3,401 lines), while there's a drop in prototype quality at f/16 (2,999 lines) and f/22 (2,372 lines).

At 35mm the maximum aperture is f/four.5 and the average score is 2,247 lines. Just like the results at 18mm, the strong performance carries through much of the frame, but edges are blurred (one,363 lines). At f/five.vi there's pocket-sized improvement (two,427 lines), but edges are still weak (1,555 lines). You'll need to stop downwards to f/eight (iii,078 lines average, 2,264 lines at the periphery) in order to capture images that are crisp throughout the frame. Performance is fifty-fifty better at f/11 (3,301 lines), earlier trending downward at f/16 (3,030 lines) and f/22 (2,522 lines).

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At 55mm the maximum discontinuity is f/5.6 and performance is quite fifty-fifty across the frame, nearing the 2,818-line boilerplate score at the outer tertiary of an image. Stopping down to f/8 boosts overall sharpness to 3,135 lines, with similar results at f/eleven (3,180 lines). The same down turn is visible at f/16 (2,894 lines) and f/22 (2,342 lines).

Baloney is also a cistron in prototype quality. At 18mm the lens shows strong barrel baloney (4.3 percent), which gives direct lines a distinctive outward curve in images. Distortion goes away quickly as y'all zoom; it'south gone by 35mm. If yous shoot JPGs you can compensate for it past enabling in-camera distortion control, just exist aware that some of your frame will exist cropped out, slightly narrowing the wide angle coverage, when this characteristic is turned on. Raw shooters tin can compensate for distortion using software tools like Adobe Lightroom ($346.95 at Amazon) .

Finally we look at how even calorie-free is cast onto the epitome sensor. At 18mm f/3.v the corners of the epitome are dimmer than the center by two.five stops (-two.5EV), even with the D3400's Vignette Control prepare to Normal. In that location is a High setting for JPG shooters who want to further compensate for this event in-photographic camera, and again, Raw photographers can apply corrections in Lightroom.

Stopping down to f/5.vi drops the arrears to -1EV, which is noticeable, merely not distracting, in field conditions. At narrower apertures information technology becomes negligible. At 35mm f/four.5 the corners show a bit of dimness, -1.2EV, merely again, stopping downwardly further eliminates the issue. Illumination is quite even from corner to corner at 55mm.

Conclusions

The Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/iii.5-5.6G VR is a solid, inexpensive starter lens. It'due south bundled with the entry-level D3400, and is a solid choice for the kickoff time SLR possessor. But if you're looking to purchase it on its own, consider some alternatives. Its retail asking price is modest for a zoom lens, but if y'all're willing to spend a bit more money, you can get a more versatile lens with a longer zoom range and a wider discontinuity for better image quality in depression-calorie-free—specifically, the $500 Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro Bone HSM. Our favorite zoom for APS SLRs is another Sigma lens, merely it'due south vastly dissimilar than the xviii-55mm or 17-70mm—the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM sports a broad f/1.8 discontinuity and superb paradigm quality throughout its range, but that range is very curt, and the lens is quite large and heavy.

Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor eighteen-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

The Bottom Line

The Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.v-5.6G VR is a fine starter lens, but it's a better value when bought along with a camera at a discount.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/nikon-af-p-dx-nikkor-18-55mm-f35-56g-vr

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