Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18?55mm f/3.5?5.6G VR II Lens Review

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II Handling and Features

Collapsible lenses seem to be all the rage at the moment, and the design of this Nikon lens does shave valuable inches off the overall length of the lens when collapsed. A button on the zoom ring releases the lens along with rotating the zoom ring and the process is reversed to fold it back in. Build quality is typical of Nikon kit lenses bundled with their entry level cameras, with high quality plastics being used for all of the construction, including the lens bayonet. The light weight of 195g and compact size make this lens the perfect companion for compact Nikon DSLR bodies, such as the D3300 used for testing.

Auto focus is powered by a silent wave motor, and auto focus speeds are adequate but certainly not lightening quick. Unlike more expensive AF-S lenses manual adjustments cannot be applied at any time via the focusing ring and autofocus needs to be disengaged via the switch on the side of the lens. The manual focus ring is flush to the part of the lens that extends when unfolded and is not damped at all. This can make applying manual focus adjustments trickier than with a smoother, better damped system.



Closest focus distance is 28cm with AF, and the lens can be focused three centimetres closer in manual focus mode. The 52mm filter thread does not rotate, which should make this lens ideal for use with graduated filters and polarisers.

Nikon's Vibration Reduction II system promises to allow hand-held shots to be taken at shutter speeds slower than would be possible without the technology. So long as the system is given time to kick in properly and images are shot with care, hand held shots at 1/10sec are quite possible at 55mm, which is around three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would advise.

Add your message