chili-master's reviews

Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF DX AF-S Nikkor

I got this as a kit lens with my D80. The salesman suggested me to get this (instead of the 18-135) and I'm glad I did.

What I liked:

- Lens feels very solid in my hand. I used the 18-55 on a friend's D50 and it feels cheap compared to my 18-70.
- Metal lens mount (instead of plastic on the 18-135).
- Focuses quickly and very quietly.
- Excellent image quality. There is a bit of distortion at 18mm but it's not noticeable in real world use.
- Don't need focal lengths over 70mm because this lens lacks VR (stabilization). If I want more zoom I'd get a zoom lens with VR because it's difficult to get sharp pictures at 70mm indoors.
- Covers the complete zoom range of a typical point and shoot camera (I upgraded to the D80 from a 3x optical zoom point and shoot).


What I didn't:

- A bit expensive for a kit lens. I had to spend quite a bit more compared to getting a Canon Rebel XTi with kit lens ($200 more for the D80 and $200 more for this lens).
- Shorter focal lengths (lower zoom levels) are crammed together on the zoom ring. This makes it harder to set the zoom precisely, as turning the zoom ring a little changes the zoom a lot. This is not a problem at longer focal lengths (higher zoom) as they are more spaced out on the zoom ring.


I recommend this lens for anyone getting their first DSLR as well as anyone looking for a general purpose zoom lens to complement their longer range zooms.