Nikon Standard Wide Angle Zoom Lens Comparison Test:
Nikon D80 With Lenses Set To 50mm f/8

To see how well the Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm ED II, AF-S DX 18-70mm IF-ED, AF-S DX 18-135mm IF-ED and the AF-S DX VR 18-200mm IF-ED Nikkor zoom lenses perform based on corner to corner sharpness, we compared each lens by taking a sample image of a standard resolution chart.

We also decided to include the Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D standard prime lens to use as a comparative benchmark in our tests. We begin by looking at a comparison crop taken from the center of each image.

Nikon D80 with AF-S DX 18-55mm II IF-ED f/8 at 50mm	Nikon D80 with AF-S DX 18-70mm IF-ED f/8 at 50mm
Nikon D80 with AF-S DX 18-135mm IF-ED f/8 at 50mm	Nikon D80 with Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm IF-ED VR f/8 at 50mm

Nikon D80 with AF 50mm f/1.8D at f/8		Subject Resolution Test Chart................

The results from all of our test lenses look good, although the Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D still stands out. The AF 50mm f/1.8D is a fixed prime lens that has gathered a lot of praise and is known for its sharpness and quality. This lens is not a Nikon AF-S lens (no silent wave motor) so it will not provide auto focus when used with the Nikon D40 or the Nikon D40x digital SLR. The lens can be used however with either of these camera bodies in manual focus mode.

When simply looking at this center area crop, it is difficult to see any major difference between these four lenses even when compared to the Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D.

Below we look at crops taken from the top right corner section of the same comparison images (again viewed at full size) and see how the lenses performed in this area.

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D set at f/8 Larger File Size 4.5MB	Check out the great deals on Nikon Digital SLR lenses at B&H Photo
Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm IF-ED Zoom at 50mm Larger File Size 4.5MB	Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm IF-ED Zoom at 50mm Larger File Size 4.6MB
Nikon AF-S DX 18-135mm IF-ED Zoom at 50mm Larger File Size 4.5MB	Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm IF-ED VR Zoom at 50mm Larger File Size 4.5MB
The Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D shows superior edge to edge sharpness and the AF-S DX 18-70mm and the AF-S DX 18-55mm also performed well. The Nikon AF-S DX 18-135mm IF-ED and the Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm IF-ED VR Zoom both exhibit a fair amount of corner softness, with the AF-S DX 18-200mm VR being the worst. The difference that we see in the above corner crops is emphasized since in this particular test our subject matter has no background or foreground depth (a flat resolution chart). In reality, the corners of an image are often masked by a lack of depth of field which makes them appear naturally out of focus.   To compare the corner to corner sharpness of these lenses when dealing with a shallow depth of field, we tested each lens by taking an image of the statue seen on the left. Focal length was set to its widest 18mm coverage and aperture wide open at f/3.5. The focus area was centered on the face of the statue. Comparing the center portion of each image we again found that there was little noticeable difference to be seen between these lenses in this particular area. Looking at the corner area crops below there now seems to be little difference between the lenses, since the selected area is now blurred out due to a lack of depth of field (the trees are located quite a few feet behind the statue). The crops are taken from the top left corner of each sample image.   Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm IF-ED Zoom at 18mm f/3.5   Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm IF-ED Zoom at 18mm f/3.5   Nikon AF-S DX 18-135mm IF-ED Zoom at 18mm f/3.5   Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm IF-ED VR Zoom at 18mm f/3.5 Next Page Nikon Side by Side Lens Comparison Introduction: Overview, Features, Specifications and Design Nikon DX Wide Angle Zoom Lens Comparison Test: 18mm at f/8 Nikon DX Wide Angle Zoom Lens Comparison Test: Nikkor DX Zooms Versus 50mm f/1.8D Prime Lens Nikon DX Wide Angle Zoom Lens Comparison Test: 35mm at f/5.6 Nikon DX Wide Angle Zoom Test Optical Characteristics and Conclusion Back to Top Back to Main News Page