Nice, lightweight zoom
Pros:
Light, sharp, good color
Cons:
Plastic mount
The Bottom Line:
For the price, I wouldn't buy it seperately; if you get it with a camera, it's worth hanging onto as a spare.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I recently bought the Nikon D80, which includes this lens as a kit lens. I've also got the D40, with the 18-200mm VR. So, I swapped 'em out, and the 18-135mmG ED is a great match with the D40. Makes for a nice, light weight running around camera. The 18-200mm VR effectively doubled the D80's weight.
I've found it to be a sharp lens, with no creep or drag, beautiful color rendition, although it does block the flash at the lower end of the zoom. I haven't noticed any AF lamp blockage. Overexposure comes from the camera (the D80 shares the same metering defect with the D40). With exposure compensation set at -0.7 (more or less, on both the D40 and D80, and depending on shooting conditions), this lens produces great images. And, like the D40's 18-55mmG ED kit lens, it has a plastic mount. I don't like plastic mounts. Yes, I know it's high strength plastic, but I still prefer a steel mount. It's also too bad it's not a VR, but I can live with that. From the prices I've seen, it's over priced if bought seperately, and for what the D80 goes for, Nikon could have made it a VR.
Overall, it's a decent lens, worth hanging on to (until you can get the 18-200mm VR). It's a good match for a light weight camera like the D40, giving you more zoom than its kit lens at nearly the same size and weight.
