Nikon AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR DX Review

Nikon's 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR kit lens is specifically designed to work in harmony with DX format digital cameras.

Resolution; zoom action; VR

Wideangle chromatic aberration; plastic build

Nikon AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR DX Review

Last April we tested the standard kit lenses available for DSLRs and the winner proved to be the Nikon optic. Now Nikon has gone back to the drawing board and produced a new zoom with Vibration Reduction, available as a bundle with the Nikon D60 or separately for £180.

Resolution; zoom action; VR

Wideangle chromatic aberration; plastic build

As with Canon's 18-55mm IS upgrade, there are rather more changes from the previous Nikon 18-55mm than at first meet the eye. The physical similarity between the lenses masks a multitude of differences; most notably the new lens has a more complex optical formula of 11 elements in 8 groups as...

Decent optical quality; Effective vibration reduction system; Very good macro performance

All-plastic construction; Rotating front element annoying for filter users; Somewhat susceptible to flare; with little help from near-useless lens hood; Short travel of focus ring makes critical manual focus rather tricky

a great camera for the novice or budding photograh

I bought this camera after drooling after it for months. It has lived up to almost all of my expectations. The pictures I take look more professional than with any other camera I've used.

Picture quality is very good; Functionality and settings are very good; It's slightly smaller than the average Digital SLR so it's easier to tote around town

I wish more of the Nikon lenses worked with this camera body; I wish there was an image stabilization feature, especially when using the longer lenses