The Nikkor 18-135 f3.5-5.6G ED-IF AFS Digital Lens

is one of those Nikon kit lenses that the company seems to have become fond of developing so that they can package them with their consumer and prosumer digital SLR cameras. I have seen this lens kitted with both the Nikon D200 camera and now, the more recent Nikon D80.

For many potential Nikon prosumer dSLR buyers, whether it be a soon-to-be-departed D70s, a D50, D80 or D200, the combination of the camera body and this lens paired together at an attractive price point significantly lower than what it would be when buying both items separately, makes for quite tempting packaging.

When I bought my D200 last spring via Nikon military sales, the kitting process had not yet begun and so, all I did was buy the D200 camera body. Prior to doing so, I had been a Nikon devotee, but with the exception of loaner gear from Nikon and the folks in Combat Camera, I always used my own Nikon film bodies.

As I write this review, I have tested several of the Nikon kit lenses, but must confess that at this time, I do NOT own ANY of the company's lenses designed specifically for digital camera bodies. All of my Nikon and Tokina lenses were designed when film was still king and while these lenses are then magnified 1.5X when used on a Nikon digital body, retain the advantage of backward compatibility for use with 35 mm film bodies.

This lens, because it is designed for Nikon digital bodies is NOT backward compatible for use on film bodies. Should you do so, all of your images will show the tell-tale 'vignetting' that results when one uses a DX lens, designed for use with smaller APS sized sensors equipped digital cameras on a full frame film camera body.

The above having been said, below are my findings and comments on this lens.

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

When Nikon decided to concentrate most of their manufacturing and marketing on digital cameras at the expense of their renowned line of consumer, prosumer and professional film cameras, they decided concurrently to remove a fairly lengthy list of their established line of lenses as well. The lenses selected for elimination were, in many cases, zoom lenses and due to their focal lengths, were not suitable for digital SLRs with their sub-35mm APS sized sensors. A prime example of one of Nikon's workhorse lenses that made the cancellation list was the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 ED lens (with macro capability).

For a digital body, the above lens effectively became a 42-152.5 mm lens and while this cropping factor was great on the telephoto end, it caused the complete LOSS of the traditional wide angle capability at 28mm.

Thusly, Nikon, knowing film camera and lens sales were falling off dramatically, realized they needed to re-design their lens line to compensate for the loss of wide angle capabilities on many of their zoom lenses.

THIS LENS IS THE DIRECT DIGITAL REPLACEMENT for the 28-105 mm lens beloved and used by so many Nikon film photographers.

LENS DETAILS:

Focal length: 18-135 mm
Lens aperture: f3.5-f5.6
Focus Type: Auto Focus and Manual Focus
Macro: NONE

Closest Focusing Distance: 18 inches
Front element Filter Size: 67 mm

Groups & Elements: 15 lens elements in 13 groups*

* Note that there is ONLY ONE (1) ED lens element contained within this lens.

Lens barrel diameter: 2.6 inches

Length: 3.4 inches

Weight: 13.6 oz.

Construction: Polycarbonate with metal lens mount base

The lens utilizes Internal Focusing which means the front lens barrel does NOT rotate, thereby making the use of a circular polarizer all but effortless.

HANDLING: Because of its construction and relatively compact exterior dimensions, this is a fairly light lens that will be very much appreciated by users of Nikon's smaller dSLRs, but especially the D50. Owners and users of the D80 and the larger D200 will also appreciate its compactness and lightness, but if they are more demanding photographers, that may well be where their appreciation ends.

The zoom operation, both in an out are fairly smooth, especially when being done manually. Use of manual focus proved fairly loose for a Nikon lens and reminded me quite unfavorably of several of Nikon's really cheap lenses such as the 28-80mm f3.3-5.6 and 28-100mm f3.5-5.6 that the company used to kit with its lower end film bodies, namely the old N65, the N75 and even their higher end prosumer N80.

While the construction of the lens is more than adequate, it is NOT a professional quality lens and it will NOT stand up to major abuse OR severe weather. In my opinion, this is a lens for users of lower end Nikon digital bodies and not folks constantly moving about or taking their camera and lenses in and out of their camera bags repeatedly.

SHARPNESS: By Nikon's usually stellar standards, this lens is NOT SHARP at all! I found significant softness at 50 mm and again at 135 mm. From my testing, even should the user dial in ISO 100 for use outdoors on bright days and then try to blow up the image beyond 8 x 10 inches, he/she will experience the disappointment of very soft imagery. I found this to be unacceptable, although a complete novice might not find it disturbing. Then again, as they progressed in skill level or acquired better cameras, this lens would not be able to 'grow' with the photographer.

COLOR RENDITION: One of Nikon's strong suits and this lens, with its ED glass and special integrated coatings for ALL lens elements delivers colors quite faithfully.

CHROMATIC ABERRATION (CA): There is very little of this type of color and light distortion. Again, this is another strong family trait found in almost ALL of Nikon's recent lenses. Still, the CA is a tad higher than the Nikkor 18-70 mm lens that first came on the scene as part of the D70 kit packages and marketing campaigns.

FOCUS SPEED: Very fast. Lens did not hunt significantly and locked in quite quickly. The focus speed also benefits from Nikon's use of the Silent Wave Motor systems which uses ultra-sonic waves to power the auto-focus. A side benefit is the quietness of the motor when in use.

Getting back to sharpness as part of this overall imaging process, should you be using a Nikon D80 or D200 with their 10.2 MP CCD Sensors (developed and manufactured for Nikon by SONY), you will notice with the naked eye the image degradation. The higher quality sensors on both the D80 and D200, as well as the D2X and D2Xs operate at such a high level that NOT using the best glass available renders the better quality camera as a less than worthy tool for taking pictures.

This is an acceptable lens for a complete novice, but I cannot recommend it to photographers moving to digital from film with a lot of experience or to Nikon owners moving up to a better quality digital camera.

There are better choices available and focal lengths that can be covered using alternative lenses.

Save the money you'd spend on this lens for better glass, this lens is NOT one of the better products brought to market by Nikon.