The 18-55mm provides a focal length ranging from reasonably wide-angle to short telephoto. Unlike prime lenses with a fixed focal length, with them, you can comfortably zoom in or out to get the desired photo without moving your body. It has only the very slightest green-magenta fringing in the corners at the wide end on a D200 or other older camera. It will be invisible in normal use and is better than the 18-200mm VR. Given the very limited zoom ratio, it is quite a slow lens in terms of how much light it can gather, but it is still a standard for kit lenses. This is by no means a weather-sealed lens. You should avoid shooting in heavy rain and dusty conditions. On the other hand, I was shooting with it for two weeks in the Canary Islands and Oman (including in deserts), and I did not observe any dust/sand getting into the lens. Autofocus Speed and Accuracy This can be somewhat confusing for someone who is just beginning to learn photography and camera settings and features. Expensive lenses are a lot more rugged and durable as they are made from metal and have weatherproofing.)

August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 18mm, f/3.5 hand-held at 1/4 at Auto ISO 900, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution perspective-corrected file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display high resolution files properly). This VR version is a tiny bit bigger than the non-VR 18-55mm II, and weighs two more ounces (60g). This 18-55mm VR is still featherweight and tiny. A fair price is one of the things that make the 18-55mm glass good for beginner photographers. While you can get one after purchasing a new camera, you can also get one separately at an affordable price.The old 18-55mm VR II doesn't focus very fast, and requires moving a switch to get to manual focus. Good riddance. While the 85mm is said to be the best focal length for great portraits, the versatility of the 18-55mm glass allows adjusting it to its full length, achieving excellent portraits. I have tested this lens on Nikon DSLR bodies D5300, D7100, Nikon 1 J5 (paired with FT-1 adapter), and D750 – all worked great, except that with D7100 and D750, I was not able to switch off the VR function (see more below). At 35mm it's just a little softer in the corners, but with no lateral color it's sharp enough for anything. To put it in simple words, how wide the aperture can open is directly related to how zoomed in the lens is. If the zoomed in subject is at a far distance, the aperture is wider and if the subject is zoomed in is near the photographer, the aperture closes.

AF is essentially instantaneous, possibly the fastest focussing Nikkor I own, and it's this fast even on the basic D3300. Nikkor 18-55mm allows for a maximum magnification of 0.17x (1:1.26) at the closest focusing distance of 0.25m (0.9 feet). Zoomed in to 55mm, this gives you decent close-up photography (near macro magnification) possibilities. I tried to shoot insects on my lavender flower bed, and I was quite happy with the ratio of in-focus shots. Photographing shy insects is not recommended with this lens, as 55mm is too short, and you have to be just a few centimeters away from your subject, which may frighten it and make it move away. NIKON D5300 + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 400, 1/320, f/5.6There is a big mess in all the names and types of the small and inexpensive 18-55mm Nikkor zooms that Nikon produced since 2005. The orientation is difficult since there are eight different versions of this lens (in five generations, the last three of which are either stabilized or non-stabilized). Nikon currently ships two types of 18-55mm zoom, either with or without optical stabilization. While “only” 4 different versions are sold at the time being, you may still easily encounter older versions on the grey market. The first three generations were notorious for poor build quality and low optical performance, so I do not recommend buying them at any price. If considering the 18-55mm focal range, I recommend buying either of the last two generations (depending on your DSLR body type – see the compatibility chart below). Type

Nikon's 18-55mm P is extraordinary in that unlike every other 18-55mm kit lens, its new stepper autofocus motor lets it focus essentially instantly, even in near total darkness, even on the cheapest D3300 camera. Measured with two real samples, this VR version actually weighs 2.105 oz. (59.7g) more than my 18-55mm AF-S II.

The Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR ‘kit zoom’ is a smart buy in own right, as a compact walkabout lens

It's the same as the 18-55mm non-VR. Both of these have so little to no corner color fringing that you have to shoot white lawn furniture to see it, and then only on an older camera at the 18mm end. If you have just bought a camera with an 18-55mm lens, you are probably wondering what is an 18-55mm is good for? Below are the primary reasons why it is good. In this review, I will focus on comparing the latest AF-P version with the older AF-S VR II version. Just for the sake of highlighting the progress of the last two generations, I also include the 2007 generation in the following comparison table: Feature Doing direct same-camera, same-subject, same time comparisons, it's the same as the 16-85mm VR, 18-200mm VR and 18-55mm AF-S- II. I compared at at 18mm and 55mm, both wide open and stopped down.