Can a "Kit" Lens Be Any Good?

INTRODUCTION

The Nikkor 18-70mm AF-S ED f3.5-4.5G IF DX zoom lens is one of those lenses from Nikon that first appeared about the time that the company introduced its first sub-$1,000 U.S. digital SLR, the Nikon D70 to the camera shooting public. Originally marketed to be sold as part of the D70 "kit," it allowed buyers of the D70 to buy, for $300 more than just the camera alone, the camera and a lens designed specifically for use on a digital body.

There were those users who thought that a lens of this type would be, at best, a mediocre compromise and that argument did make some sense because Nikon had introduced some pretty average or poor lenses with their consumer kits for the N55, N65, N75, and N80 film SLR cameras (all of which have since been discontinued).

But this lens was different from past Nikon kit lenses. For one thing, this was an AF-S lens and an ED lens. That meant that the lens was equipped with Nikon's Silent Wave Motor and that its primary focusing elements were made from 'extra low dispersion glass,' a sure sign that the company designed the lens with higher quality imagery in mind.

This is also a DX lens, which means it was designed specifically for digital SLR cameras and while it will mount on a Nikon film body, it's not a lens you'll use again on a film camera because of the vignetting that will occur.

THE BASICS

Current Nikon digital cameras ALL use sensors that are smaller than the dimensions of the old 35 film frame and many folks refer to the sensor as being APS sized. Given that 35 mm film was actually 36 mm along the long axis by 24 mm on the short, the lenses developed for those cameras had image circles that were far larger than were needed to capture an image on a digital sensor. Nikon's DX lenses are designed with an image circle more appropriate to the smaller digital sensor than the old film lenses that many of them have now replaced and that is why the DX lenses are not really 'backward compatible for use on film camera bodies. Nikon DX lenses can ALSO be used on the Fujifilm S series of digital cameras since they use the Nikon F lens mount.


DIMENSIONS & OTHER INFORMATION

This is a rather small lens. It measures a mere 2.9 inches by 3.0 inches.

Weight: 13.5 ounces.

Maximum Aperture : f3.5-4.5

Min. Aperture : f22-36

Lens Construction : 15 elements in 13 groups with three of the elements being ED and one Aspherical lens element.

Minimum Focus Range : .38 meter (approx. 15 inches)

Number of Blades in Lens Diaphragm : 7 (rounded)

Filter Size : 67 mm

Film Lens Equivalent : 28-105 mm.
In fact, this lens IS the digital Direct equivalent for the Nikkor 28-105 mm f3.5-4.5 ED lens that was one of Nikon's best selling and most utilitarian lenses marketed by the company.

CONSTRUCTION:

This lens is a two-ring design lens, meaning that it has one ring for manual focusing and another for manual zooming. Consistent with Nikon lens design philosophy, the outermost of the two rubber rings is the zoom ring and the innermost is for focusing. While there is a distance scale marked on the lens, there are NO infrared or depth of field markings. This also means that hyperfocal distances are not marked. The old 35 mm distance tables don't help the digital shooter because those markings do not align with the APS sized sensor in dSLR bodies.

The lens also has the M/A button that has appeared with more regularity on Nikkor lenses. In the M/A position, the lens works automatically with manual over-ride and in the M position, the lens can only be focused manually.

The lens barrel is polycarbonate with metallic components. The lens plate is chrome plated machined brass.

The MB-32 HOOD is provided with the lens. It is a bayonet mount, butterfly hood designed to minimize flare. The hood does not really provide a great deal of shading for the front lens element due to its shallow depth. I feel Nikon did NOT pay enough attention to that when they designed and manufactured the hood. Consequently, even with the hood mounted, shooting into the sun or other light source will result in unwanted flare.

The filter size of 67 mm was an odd one for Nikon when this lens was first introduced, but there are several other Nikkor lenses that use the same size filter, which should make interchangeable use with or without a step-up ring less than a real problem.

HANDLING :

Handling may be a disappointment as this feature is not the strong suit of this lens.

Reviewers before me have commented on the stiffness of the zoom ring and I will not disagree with them. The motion of this ring is not at all fluid and the ring actually catches a bit in the middle part of the range. The lens barrel actually does extend by an additional 1.5 inches at the 70 mm focal range, so that represents a significant amount of movement for the lens element's glass and the barrel of the lens. I will tell you now so that you won't be surprised later: the barrel also 'rotates' during focusing which means you will have to re-adjust polarizing, neutral gradient and other special effects type filters. When this lens is mounted on your camera, you WILL need to remember to make these minor adjustments.

Given the little nuances of most modern lens designs, you should be re-focusing AFTER framing your scene, so for me, this is/was not that big of a problem.

Because of its light weight and small overall size, this lens balances quite nicely on every current Nikon digital body. Its light weight means that it'll probably be the lens you leave on the front of your camera until you absolutely HAVE to change it to another as a result of shooting conditions.

LENS PERFORMANCE:

To get back to the title of my review for this lens and re-state that question: "can a kit lens be any good?"

The answer in this case is a resounding YES! This is an EXCELLENT lens, especially for the money. I found that it performed very well at ALL focal lengths. There is, however, a minor problem with it and that is 'vignetting.'

This is a very sharp lens throughout its range with f8 being the sharpest aperture. At f3.5 or even f4.5 at the telephoto end of the zoom, the corners retain a high degree of sharpness. I say not bad for a lens that retails in most places in the USA for well under $500.

The vignetting appears when you use the lens wide open at f3.5. Users of image manipulation software such as Nikon Capture or Photoshop or folks who shoot only in RAW can ignore this comment because the S/W programs handle the issue quite well.

At f5.6, vignetting is still a minor presence, at least for me as I DO NOT use Capture or P/S. Chromatic aberration is controlled, but not so well as it is with the Nikkor 17-55 (which is a faster lens at f2.8 throughout the zoom range).

Some critics of this lens say that the images are NOT contrasty enough. I disagree. Given that this lens was NOT designed with the professional in mind, I'd have to say that Nikon DID pay attention to what the average consumer does need and incorporated those needs and desires into the design of this lens. I do not know any Nikon digital users, most of whom are amateurs or enthusiasts who do NOT own this lens and I think that statement says a lot. This is a popular lens with all levels of dSLR users and it's AF-S capability means that it will retain its continued popularity with folks who buy the D40/D40X which can Autofocus ONLY with AF-S lenses.

Another minor issue I should mention is 'light fall-off.' It is present and fairly obvious if you shoot wide open. If you do not or do so rarely or if you do post processing with Capture or Photoshop, it is less of an issue. The reason for the light fall off is the direct and net result of a very small iamge circle. The image circle for this lens is smallest at 18 mm and it grows a tad bigger at 50 mm. After 50 mm, the image circle gets smaller again. Some professional reviewers have commented that this reality matches the vignetting performance they've noted on the D70/D70s. Since I own a D200, I won't comment, other than to say that I have noticed it with my camera, although to a lesser degree.


The Autofocus performance of this lens is very quick and unlike other non-professional Nikkor lenses, rarely 'hunts.' When used in bright light, this lens focuses very, very quickly. It does slow a bit as available light decreases.

Overall, this is a lens that has a lot of positives on its side. These positives are amplified by the performance to cost ratio of the lens. For that reason, I believe that this is a hard-to-beat every day lens for users of Nikon's consumer and pro-sumer dSLRs.

Professionals and the well heeled will probably use the 17-55 mm f2.8, but they'll also be laying out well over a grand to do so. For the rest of us, this is a very viable alternative and it will provide excellent results for users of the recently discontinued digital bodies (the D70s and the D50) and the newer D40/D40X, the D80 and the D200.