Nikon Af-s Dx Nikkor 18-300mm F/35-63g Ed Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens Reviews
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Nikon eighteen-300mm VR
DX AF-S G ED NIKKOR
OBSOLETE. Replaced by the eighteen-300mm f/3.5-six.three VR
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore
Nikon eighteen-300mm VR (replaced by today's xviii-300mm, was DX only, 77mm filters, 29.2 oz./828g, ane.five'/0.45m close focus, about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay, or you can get it at Amazon.) bigger.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of back up is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when yous go anything, regardless of the country in which you lot live. Thanks for helping me assist you! Ken.
May 2013 Nikon Reviews Nikon Lens Reviews All Reviews
NEW: Nikon 18-300mm f/3.v-6.3 VR Ten ounces lighter than this lens, and less expensive, also!
NEW: Nikon 18-200 vs. 28-300 vs. 18-300 Comparison July 2012
Platonic for: Perfect for use on DX digital as a do-everything lens.
Not for: This lens is too big and heavy for me. The whole point of a DX arrangement is pocket-sized size. Personally, I prefer the smaller and lighter xviii-200 VR, and crop in the rare cases I need 300mm.
Sample Image File
Yogurt taps. (D7000 at ISO 100, 18mm at f/iii.v at 1/fifty). Full-size © three.5 MB JPG.
I licenced this image to McDonalds, and they used it on a BILLBOARD. Enough said?
Ryan, Katie and Dada sliding down the slide, 07 July 2012. (Nikon D7000, Nikon xviii-300mm VR at 25mm, program auto gave f/4 at 1/125 at Car ISO 2,000, Matrix meter, STANDARD Movie Control at +i Saturation, six sharpening, A3 AWB.) bigger.
Introduction top
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore
Compatibility Pricing
The Nikon xviii-300mm VR is an extension from the at present classic all-in-i Nikon 18-200mm VR.
It does the same thing, except goes all the mode to 300mm. It performs extremely well at all focus lengths, simply does get a bit softer at 300mm — but still sharper than cropping from the 18-200mm at 200mm.
This new 18-300mm lens is much heavier (830g versus 565g) and longer (120mm versus 96mm) than the 18-200mm VR, which has already gotten likewise heavy for me to want to bear around all day.
This new 18-300mm also offers Vibration Reduction (four stops) and instant manual-focus override.
Compatibility intro top
This lens works only on Nikon DX cameras.
Yes, it will shoot on FX cameras, but the corners volition always be cutting-off. Nikon offers a trick "crop" manner in their FX cameras as a sales incentive to remove the dark corners and only use the middle of the sensor, only yous throw abroad more than one-half an FX photographic camera's resolution, and have to peep through a modest cut-out in the center of the viewfinder.
Nikon offers the DX crop fashion on FX cameras more as a trick to get people to buy Nikon FX cameras, thinking that they'll exist able to use their existing DX lenses. When people exercise, they quickly observe that the crop manner is a crock, and wind up ownership all new FX lenses anyway. Nikon does this to make it seem like it'south less expensive to stay with Nikon than to change to Canon when stepping-upward to full-frame, and this trick works for Nikon.
If you run across FX in your future, don't be buying a lot of DX lenses.
On 35mm, the corners will always exist blackness at every setting, with maximum coverage at 50mm, where but a small bit of the corners are cropped off.
Pricing & Availability intro pinnacle
$999.95, May 2013.
$999.95 at introduction, June 2012.
Bachelor: Since late June 2012.
Nikon xviii-300mm VR. enlarge.
Specifications height
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore than
Name summit
Bottom, Nikon eighteen-300. bigger
Nikon calls this the AF-South DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/three.5-5.6G ED VR.
AF-S and SWM: Silent Wave Autofocus Motor.
DX: Won't work well on flick or FX cameras.
NIKKOR: Nikon's brand proper noun for all their lenses.
M: Gelded for cost-reduction and removing compatibility with older cameras.
ED: Magic Actress-low Dispersion Glass.
VR: Vibration Reduction. Claims almost iv stops improvement.
IF: Internal focusing; zero moves externally as focused.
Aspherical: Particularly curved glass to give even sharper pictures.
∅77: 77mm filter thread.
↓10↑: Lead-free RoHS solder used so that tin "whiskers" volition grow after about x years, ensuring that its circuitry is unrepairable, thus a ten-yr expected life earlier existence thrown away as unrepairable. More on tin can whiskers from NASA and more here (page 41).
Eyes top
Nikon eighteen-300mm VR internal diagram: AsphericalED.
19 elements in 14 groups.
3 ED glass elements.
3 Aspherical elements.
In that location is a small flare shield behind the front group reminiscent of the same in the Catechism 20-35 USM.
Sharpness tiptop
| | |
| Nikon 18-300mm VR MTF at 18mm. | Nikon 18-300mm VR MTF at 300mm. |
Diaphragm meridian
Nikon xviii-300mm VR.
nine rounded blades.
Stops down to f/22-32.
Coverage acme
DX only.
Focal Length top
18-300mm.
When used on a DX camera, it gives angles of view similar to what a 28-450mm lens gives when used on an FX or 35mm photographic camera.
Angle of View top
76° ~ 5.3° on DX.
Close Focus top
i.5 feet (0.45m) from the paradigm plane.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio top
1:three.2 (0.31x).
Hard Infinity Focus Finish? top
No.
You have to let the AF organization focus at infinity.
Focus Scale top
Yeah.
Depth-of-Field Calibration acme
No.
Infra-Red Focus Index meridian
No.
Aperture Ring height
No.
Filter Thread top
77mm, plastic.
Does not rotate, but pumps in and out with zoom
Vibration Reduction (VR) summit
Claims 4 stops comeback.
Size peak
Nikon specifies iii.iii" (83 mm) diameter past 4.7" (120 mm) extension from flange.
Weight top
29.213 oz. (828.2g), measured.
Nikon specifies 29.iii oz. (830 1000).
Hood superlative
Plastic bayonet HB-58 hood, included.
Case top
Lightheaded CL-1120 pouch included.
Included top
Snap-on front lens cap.
LF-four rear cap.
HB-58 plastic hood.
CL-1120 sack.
Quality superlative
Made in Thailand.
Warranty top
5 years, USA.
Packaging top
Gilt-colored microcorrugated paper-thin box.
Folded microcorrugated cardboard innards to hold lens, hood and sack.
Box, Nikon xviii-300mm VR.
Announced top
12:01 AM, 14 June 2012, New York Urban center Time.
Promised elevation
Belatedly June 2012.
Available since peak
Early July 2012.
Price, U.s.a. top
June 2012 ~ May 2013: $one,000.
Performance height
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore
Overall Autofocus Bokeh Color Distortion Ergonomics
Eyeblow Falloff Filters Focal Lengths, constructive Focus Breathing
Ghosts Hood Lateral Color Fringes Macro Maximum Aperture
Mechanics Sharpness Sounds and Noise Spherochromatism
Sunstars Survivability Zooming
Overall performance tiptop
The Nikon 18-300mm VR is a very competent ultra zoom. My biggest complaint is its size and cost.
Autofocus functioning top
Overall
AF is reasonably fast enough, and it's accurate.
AF Speed
AF speed isn't that fast, only I wait this due to the huge zoom range.
It works fine at every distance and focal length setting, just might not be equally fast as a lens that doesn't have to cover such a huge range of distances at such long focal lengths.
AF Accuracy
AF was always accurate.
Manual Focus
Manual focus is wonderful: just motion-picture show the ring with a fingertip.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the character of out of focus backgrounds, not simply how far out of focus they are, is good to neutral.
Out-of-focus backgrounds never distract. The rounded 9-bladed diaphragm ensures that blur circles are e'er round and not polygons.
Ryan's funny face. eighteen-300 at 300mm at f/vii.one on D7000.
Color Rendition performance top
The colour rendition is the same as my other Nikkor AF lenses.
Distortion performance meridian
The Nikon xviii-300mm VR has boatloads of distortion as expected. It'southward got wild barrel distortion at 18mm, and wild pincushion distortion from 28mm and longer. The good news is that recent digital cameras similar the D90, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100, D7000, D4, D800 and D800E can be prepare to correct the distortion automatically in-camera (be sure you accept the latest Lens Data, 50 1.006 or newer, loaded in your camera from Nikon).
In-photographic camera correction does a not bad job from 28mm and longer. Shorter than 28mm, in-camera correction doesn't right completely, but the great news is that it corrects the heinous higher-order distortion, leaving an easy-to-correct image with only first-club distortion. Even at its worst at 18mm, if you use in-camera correction, it's easy to correct fully with Photoshop's lens baloney filter.
Using these factors on images made without in-camera correction still leaves higher-social club waviness on images made at 28mm and shorter.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
| On DX at 10' (3m) | Correction factor with uncorrected images | Correction factor to utilize with images fabricated with correction ON in D7000 |
| 18mm | +v** | +3.2 |
| 28mm | -3.v* | -0.7 |
| 50mm | -iii.4 | 0.0 |
| 105mm | -three.8 | -0.five |
| 200mm | -3.0 | -0.5 |
| 300mm | -2.five | 0.0 |
© 2012 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
* Some waviness remains.
** Much waviness remains.
Ergonomics (handling and ease-of-use) operation top
Nikon eighteen-300 DX VR.
Ergonomics are perfect, if you lot don't mind the size.
The front end third of the lens is zoom ring.
The focus ring is always right under your fingertips.
The M/A - M AF slide switch is e'er right under your thumb.
Eyeblow functioning acme
Every bit the 18-300mm VR is zoomed in and out, air pumps in and out, and you may have some air blow out of the eyepiece into your heart.
Yous won't usually care, merely the design of the 18-300 VR is such that air, and thus dirt, are pumped in and out all the time into both your lens and your camera as y'all zoom.
Falloff (darkened corners) performance top
Falloff on DX is minor. Information technology'southward good at the wide end (some falloff helps brand wide shots stronger), and there'southward no falloff in the centre of the zoom range.
As expected, at that place is some falloff at the long finish, which is not good. Long shots ought not to have falloff. You'll rarely see this, simply you volition see information technology at the long end if about of your shot is the heaven. This might badger you lot if you're snapping birds or plans and can't fill the frame.
I've exaggerated this by shooting a greyness field and placing these on a greyness background:
Nikon 18-300mm VR falloff on DX at infinity, no correction.
| Wide Open | f/v.half-dozen | f/8 | |
| 18mm |  |  |  |
| 28mm |  |  |  |
| 50mm |  |  |  |
| 105mm | f/5.vi is wide-open > |  |  |
| 200mm | f/v.6 is wide-open > |  |  |
| 300mm | f/5.6 is wide-open > |  |  |
© 2012 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Filters, use with performance top
There is no trouble with vignetting, even with very thick filters.
In fact, even two stacked filters ordinarily work fine without vignetting even at 18mm on DX.
The filter band never rotates.
Focal Lengths, effective performance tiptop
The effective maximum focal length shortens at distances closer than infinity in club to allow this lens to focus every bit close as it does.
Here are my observations, comparing other lenses to the 300mm setting at diverse distances.
| Distance | Effective focal length |
| Infinity | 300mm |
| 10 anxiety (3m) | 200mm |
| 5 feet (1.5m) | 155mm |
So aye, at 1.5 anxiety, this eighteen-300mm is really only a 155mm lens. Tough; this is the merely mode to get a lens to focus this close.
Focus Breathing performance top
Of involvement mostly to cinematographers focusing back and forth between two subjects, the prototype from the Nikon 18-300mm VR gets smaller as focused more closely. This result is strongest at the longest focal lengths, where this is done to allow very close focusing distances.
Ghosts performance top
I've never seen any ghosts in this lens, but I haven't pushed information technology, either. Ghosts oasis't been much of a trouble in a long fourth dimension.
Hood operation topThe plastic hood is included. I incertitude it does much proficient; I never use these.
Lateral Colour Fringes performance top
There are very few lateral color fringes on the D7000, which corrects them automatically.
If you look really close, there is only the slightest xanthous-bluish in the corners at 18mm, none at 28mm, slight at 50mm, none at 105mm and longer.
Macro performance superlative
It focuses very close, but if you desire to brand huge enlargements, it's not that sharp. In the sample below, know that express depth-of-field is why the watch bezel and my skin are softer, not from lens softness.
At closest focus (1.5 anxiety) at 300mm on DX D7000.
Crop from to a higher place image at 100%.
If you really desire serious macro, buy a real macro lens, and go ane at least 105mm or 200mm.
Maximum and Minimum Apertures performance superlative
| Maximum | Minimum | |
| 18mm | f/3.five | f/22 |
| 28mm | f/4 | f/25 |
| 50mm | f/5.3 | f/32 |
| 105mm | f/five.6 | f/32 |
| 200mm | f/5.half-dozen | f/32 |
| 300mm | f/5.6 | f/32 |
Mechanics and Structure performance peak
Nikon 18-300mm VR. enlarge.
The Nikon 18-300mm VR is made the same equally most of their midprice consumer lenses: metallic mounts, but just about all-plastic otherwise. It will serve its intended purpose well, but break if dropped or banged.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood
Plastic bayonet.
Hood Mount
Plastic.
Barrel Outside
Plastic.
(1 of the two inner barrels that appears when zoomed to long focal lengths is metal)
Zoom Band
Metallic; condom covered.
Focus Ring
Rubbery plastic.
Depth-of-Field Scale
None.
Internals
More often than not plastic.
Aperture Band
None.
Mount
Tedious-chromed contumely.
Markings
Pigment.
Mounting Index Dot
White plastic ball.
Identity Plate
Metal-look plastic.
Serial Number
Sticker glued into a recess on the bottom of the lens.
Usa Model Signified by
"US" prefix to serial number.
Rain seal at mount
Yeah.
Noises When Shaken
Mild clunking.
Made in
Thailand.
Sharpness performance top
Alarm 1: Epitome sharpness depends more on you than your lens.
Warning ii: Lens sharpness doesn't mean much to skillful photographers.
With those caveats, the Nikon xviii-300mm VR is as expected: pretty darn good for a lens with such a huge zoom range.
As seen on a xvi MP D7000
At 18mm
It'southward super-sharp in the center, and slightly blurry in the corners.
Laudably, it is but every bit practiced at every aperture.
At 28mm
It'due south super-sharp in the center, and slightly softer in the corners at f/4.
By f/5.6, everything is super-sharp.
At 50mm
It'southward super-sharp in the center, and slightly blurry in the corners due to what looks like curvature of field.
The corners improve as stopped down.
At 105mm
It'southward super-sharp in the centre, and somewhat softer in the corners from what looks similar curvature of field.
The corners meliorate every bit stopped downwards.
At 200mm
Information technology's slightly softer at f/v.6, and somewhat softer in the corners.
By f/8, information technology's super-sharp everywhere.
At 300mm
Information technology's slightly softer at f/5.6, and somewhat softer in the corners.
By f/8, it'due south super-sharp, with slightly softer corners.
It's still sharper than cropping from the 200mm end of the 18-200mm.
Sounds and Noise performance top
Information technology works silently.
Autofocus makes only a slight sliding plastic sound, and VR is inaudible unless you hold the lens to your ear. This is much meliorate than earlier VR systems, which could sound like running h2o if y'all listened closely.
Spherochromatism functioning top
I run into no spherochromatism.
Spherochromatism, sometimes mistakenly called "colour bokeh" past laymen, is a minor abnormality which can add slight color fringes to out-of focus highlights.
Sunstars performance top
With its rounded nine-bladed diaphragm, the Nikon 18-300 rarely makes sunstars on brilliant points of light.
At the smallest apertures, it sometimes makes 18-pointed stars on very bright points of light.
Survivability performance tiptop
The Nikon 18-300mm VR is more often than not plastic.
Striking it too hard, and that's the end of it.
The skilful news is that if you driblet it and it breaks into two pieces (front end and dorsum will separate), Nikon's service section commonly tin can repair it for much less than buying a new lens.
The eighteen-300 is loaded with defended electronics. If the AF or VR motors die and Nikon tin can't supply parts, those features will be dead.
Since the electronics are made with pb-free solder, wait this lens to die in about ten years due to tin can whiskers forming. (more than about this from NASA here, hither and here (page 41).)
Zooming functioning summit
When zoomed to 300mm, the Nikon xviii-300 gets very long:
Nikon xviii-300 zoomed to 300mm.
The zoom ring is very well laid out, with a abiding logarithmic distribution at about 2 cm/octave.
It moves smoothly at every setting, although it'due south a bit stiff and always requires two firm fingers.
It does allow very precise setting at the wide cease, something missing in many zooms who crowd the wider focal lengths too close together.
If you lot point the lens directly up or down, it will be stiffer equally you're trying to lift half the lens.
Mine has no "creep" if pointed up or down.
I don't apply the zoom lock at 18mm. My 18-300 doesn't pitter-patter. If it did, I observe information technology more work to unlock the lock each fourth dimension anyway. When locked, it shows an orangish dot.
Usage pinnacle
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M/A - Grand Switch
Nikon goofed. This switch is supposed to be labeled "A - K."
The "M/A" position means autofocus. It's called "Thousand/A" because yous also can focus manually merely by grabbing the focus ring in this position.
The "M/A" position means autofocus. It's chosen "M/A" because dorsum in the old days, when Nikon had almost caught up to Canon who had been doing this for ten years before, Nikon was trying to bear witness off that you could focus manually while in the AF position.
Pigment over the extra M if you lot're easily confused.
VR
Go out VR ON.
Fifty-fifty on a tripod, VR nonetheless helps overcome tripod jerk.
I'd turn VR off for time exposures on a tripod, and exit it on for al normal shooting.
Employ NORMAL all the fourth dimension.
Active is merely if yous're shooting from a moving platform, for instance, shooting from a helicopter, the back of a motorcycle or out the door of a moving vehicle.
Compared top
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore
See Nikon 18-200 vs. 28-300 vs. eighteen-300 for details.
In brusk, forget the 28-300mm (FX) lens for DX considering you lose the wide terminate, and while this 18-300mm isn't that super-duper abrupt at 300mm, it's all the same sharper than cropping from the 200mm terminate of the 18-200 VR.
Nikon 18-200 VR DX , 28-300 VR and 18-300 VR DX. bigger.
Recommendations top
Intro Specs Performance Usage Compared RecommendationsMore
This is a great lens, but it's OBSOLETE. Get the newer, smaller 18-300mm f/iii.5-vi.three VR instead.
The Nikon eighteen-300mm VR can replace the combination of xviii-55mm VR and 55-300mm VR lenses in one lens.
This one-lens 18-300mm VR solution weighs equally much every bit both other lenses combined, merely in substitution for not needing to change lenses between ranges, costs twice as much as the pair.
Don't utilise this eighteen-300 on FX or 35mm cameras. It will never fill the frame on 35mm, and yous'll just be using the minor central area of the FX frame and viewfinder. For FX and 35mm, use the 28-300 VR.
For DX cameras, this lens is an easy recommendation. There is nothing on World similar this lens. Nothing else covers this huge range with VR and instant manual-focus override. Mud brands similar Tamron usually offer cheap copies, sometimes with fifty-fifty broader zoom ranges, but they usually lack full-time transmission focus override or good VR, and certainly lack mechanical quality and ofttimes lack future compatibility with new Nikon cameras.
This Nikon 18-300mm VR is a big, competent lens. I prefer the smaller 18-200 VR, simply if you actually need 300mm instead of 200mm, then this xviii-300mm VR is your lens. S ee Nikon eighteen-200 vs. 28-300 vs. 18-300 for more details.
I adopt a smaller lens over having to carry a bigger lens all the time merely for the few times I need 300mm. Most people will spring at the chance to go out to 300mm with a twist of the wrist. Personally, carrying a lens this big for what are supposed to small DX cameras seems silly to me, but about people are going to prefer this lens. Just be conscientious: what seems non too heavy when first opening your box from Adorama gets a lot heavier afterwards carrying information technology effectually your cervix all twenty-four hours.
In the defense of this lens' size, I have carried information technology all day, even chasing my kids inside the slides and climbing things at my local McDonalds, and I lived — merely I only used the wide settings that would accept been just as well served from my smaller lenses.
Katie climbing, 07 July 2012. (Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-300mm VR at 24mm, program auto gave f/3.8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 6,400, Matrix meter, STANDARD Picture Control at +1 Saturation, six sharpening, A3 AWB.) bigger.
I licenced this image to McDonalds, and they used information technology on a BILLBOARD. Enough said?
Ryan, Katie and Dada sliding down the slide, 07 July 2012. (Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-300mm VR at 25mm, program auto gave f/4 at 1/125 at Machine ISO 2,000, Matrix meter, STANDARD Picture Control at +1 Saturation, vi sharpening, A3 AWB.) bigger.
It's a large lens on a small camera, and if you really need to cover 18-300mm in one lens, information technology does a fine task. It's at its weakest at the long end of the range, but still the all-time there is in an ultrazoom. The 70-300 VR isn't any improve at the long cease; if you need significantly better performance at the long end, you'll demand the lxxx-200mm or 70-200 VR II or fixed lenses instead. At 200mm, my NIKKOR-Q 200mm f/4 from 1970 is sharper than any of these zooms, and sells for only about $75!
Zooms are yet tradeoffs. This superzoom is the world's best for its range, but if you're a pixel-counter, fixed lenses are improve at the long end.
Deployment
I'd leave either a 77mm Nikon Articulate (NC - UV) filter, or a 77mm Hoya Super HMC UV on the lens at all times.
I would leave the hood at domicile.
If I was working in nasty, dingy areas, I'd forget the cap, and employ an uncoated 77mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, just more prone to ghosting.
More than Information top
Intro Specs Functioning Usage Compared RecommendationsMore than
Nikon'south Product page.
Nikon's Press Release.
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