I enjoyed using this lens alot. It got me from wide to close and focused quickly. I was about 1 month into using it and it started whining during focusing, especially in landscape shots. I am about to take it back to Wolf and get an 18-200mm, which is the one I wanted anyway.

The title says it all. I bought the lens because the glass is sharp, the focal length is handy, and it is lightweight and easy to use. But the light fall-off in the corners is significant unless you stop-down every shot. You'll see visible distortion at any focal length on the zoom - over 1% barrel distortion on the wide end and pincussion on the long end. The auto-focus is slow and tends to hunt, even in medium light. I wish the focus ring had distance markings, but at least I can override the AF-S with a turn of the focus knob. I plan on keeping the lens, but I am disappointed in the results. Let's just say this lens is a slight improvement over the mediocre 18-55mm kit lens.

I have used this lens at work for over a year - I am a prof media photog. It is a lens you can put on and use for a variety of subjects from grip & grins to creative still life or creative landscape work. I am buying it for myself which is how indispensible it is. Can't photograph without it. Sharp optics, great on reducing vibrations at slower shutter speeds. It allows you to use one lens on location which is very important for keeping dirt from ccds on location shoots.

Here's what Nikon won't tell you (unless you push the customer service agents): This lens distorts the imagery at every focal length--not just the extreme telephoto range. Take a photo of something squarely framed, or, say, the siding on a house, and you will see that the image is pulled towards the center; the top, bottom, and sides bow inwards. This is true for the lens I bought and for ALL others opened in the store. Nikon says that Photoshop can fix these errors, but who wants to "fix" every portrait? For a lens that costs several hundred dollars--and one that's most frequently packaged with the D80--this is astonishing and, at best, disappointing.

I bought this lens with the D80 and have not been disappointed. It is extremely sharp throughout the entire zoom range. I've taken many excellent photos. There is some nominal distortion and light falloff but it is either mostly acceptable or correctable. Great lens for the price.

This is a very nice mid level lens. Use with an external speedlight for
best indoor results. Images are very clean and clear. If you don't want
to spring for the 18-200mm VR this lens is a very good option.

I originally had the 55-200mm lens but find this lens much more functional as a lot of the pictures I take lately seem to be indoors... (it's cold out :) )

At the extreme ranges I find that I can make out distortion when I look at them on my Plasma-37, LCD-42, or Projection TV - 65 all connected via Digital outputs...

You can't really notice it on prints, and if you have plenty of light there isn't anything this lens hasn't been able to do for me. I refuse to cough up the money for the VR lens. Maybe if I didn't already own the two I have, but I'm happy with what I have. Great photos!

I've had this lens for a few weeks now and can recommend it as a good multipurpose lens at a good price point for use on a Nikon DSLR camera. It appears to produce images that are better then the manual zooms I was used to from film cameras of a few years ago. If you are looking for a general Nikon lens for your new DSLR, you may find the 18-55 and 18-70 zooms a little short in the focal length range (as I did) and the 18-200 VR price tag a bit hard to swallow. This lens will give you a zoom range without being too hard on the wallet and I think it is as good as any of those other zooms over the same focal lengths for picture quality.

I purchased this lens with a D-80 on December 6, 2006. In February 2007 the auto focis started to intermittently fail. By March 24, 2007 the autofocus totally failed. I sent the lens to Nikon in Melville, NY on March 28 and believed their 7-10 day service turnaround. It is now May 3, 2007 and the lens is on a "parts hold" with no return date in sight. The customer service persons say the same thing..."There's a Parts Hold on the lens." Nikon will not replace the NEW lens and they can't seem to get parts for it. Hey Nikon....Try FEDEX!!!

I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses since 1968 and they have had my support and loyalty for 40 years to the tune of multi-thousands of dollars.

But Nikon is not loyal to this consumer when Nikon's new product fails. Loyalty seems to be a one-way money trail for Nikon these days.

Nikon needs to examine their service policy, and service procedures. And they should replace new equipment when it fails and they cannot locate parts for it.

I regret having invested $1200+ into this Nikon paperweight.

I can't honestly give this a 1 or 2 star rating because i don't believe every one of these that Nikon makes will suffer the same fate as mine. It's far too easy to just blast a product because it didn't work for me, but at the same time, leave out the part that mine might just be a lemon and that doesn't necessarily mean all of these lenses are bad.

Got mine in a D80 kit for Christmas 2006. Everything worked great. This is my first digital SLR, I had been using Nikon 35mm products and many Nikon AF lenses before this. Focus was much faster than my previous setup. The images seemed extremely sharp at all focal lengths. I wasn't going to be printing 4ft prints so if there is minor problems in the corners I wasn't noticing it. Read what Ken Rockwell has to say about judging lenses before you take any of these reveiwers words for it.

My problem
I was out in the cold one night taking some shots and the motor just started making some grinding noise and then ceased to rotate the lens. The lens would no longer focus automatically. Manual focus worked fine, but not AF. This was within the first 1,000 shots of using this camera/lens. I sent it to Nikon for repair. They sent it back to me probably 6 weeks later. The thing seemed to be working fine, I didn't do any extensive testing with it other than a few dozen shots here and there. I go to an event where I wanted to take pictures and my camera's AF button wasn't responding properly and the lens wouldn't focus. This time it wasn't a grinding noise, the camera was simply acting as though it didn't recognize the lens as AF. The weird thing is the functionality would come and go randomly and quite frequently (every 10-30 seconds or so). Took the lens off and tried 3 other Nikon AF lenses and everything worked great so it isn't the body. Called Nikon, they said I'd need to send it in for repairs...again.

I'm going on a trip at the end of May and I'll probably be without this lense which means I'll either need to buy a new lens (most likely the Nikon 18-200mm with the VR) OR stick with my next longest zoom which only goes to 105mm.

I wish my wife had done what i'd asked and bought me the camera body only. But nooo, she had to be nice and get me the kit so that I wouldn't have to go out and buy a lens. The problem is I wanted the 18-200mm zoom instead of this lense because it is WAAAAAY better and much longer. If I go and buy it now my 18-135mm is a total paper weight and will never be used again.

Your choice:
If you are looking at this lens but can't afford the $900 for the 18-200mm, then realize you might have the same problems I had. However, if you don't have the problems i had you will have a great lens that will take nice sharp images at any focal length. The focus is great and the AF (when working) is fast and accurate. I wish this were a larger aperature lens as I do with all my lenses but if it were an f/2 lens then it wouldn't be $300 now would it? If you can afford it, or are serious about photography, just pony up the dough and buy the 18-200mm, you won't regret it.

This lens gets a 3 out of 5 because of the problems I had with it. If I had not had the problems I had, or if they managed to fix it permanently the first time I sent it in, I would have given it a 4. For a 5 it would need to be a longer focal length becaue 135 is not quite a zoom for me thus limiting its capabilities.

I'm a hobbiest/enthusiast not a professional, yet I've taken the time to learn terms like vignette, bokeh and about pincushion/barrel lens effect. The 18-135mm DX Nikkor lens suffers from all of them. If you're not a perfectionist or professional, then you will certainly not be disappointed by this utilitarian starter lens. If you expect to take your photography to "the next level" then this lens will quickly become a paperweight not worthy of space in your camera bag. ---

First, I've noticed vignetting (i.e., a slight darkening of the corners) at "extreme zoom" (135mm zoom). It's most noticible on skylines and photos of airborne objects. ---

Second, I've noticed slight pincushioning (the inverse of a fish-eye lens, everything is pulled towards the center of the photo, destroying square lines) at almost all zoom settings. ---

Third, the Bokeh (blur) is bad bokeh. Typically, photographers consider good bokeh to be that which is brightest in the center and gradually fades towards the edges until it merges with the blurred background. The 18-135mm lens suffers from bad bokeh, which is the blur highlight is on the edge of the blur. While this might be what you want for some artistic reason, it makes small light sources that blur in your background really stand out and detract from professional grade photographs. ---

Lastly, if you do any night shots, macro/close-up work or want to do any extended shutter photography, you will find that the lack of image stabilization (or vibration reduction as Nikon calls it) will drive you to purchase another lens quickly... unless you can work with tripod for all of your shots. ---

However, I've not suffered from any of the auto-focus issues that other customers have (although it doesn't focus well in darkness, this is not the lens's fault and there are solutions outside of the lens to solve this problem), nor have I had any defects in my lens. The photos are sharp (other than the above problems), but I have not had a chance to test (nor will I intentionally experiment with) durability. I've taken my 18-135mm on several "vacation" style outings and snapped well over 1000 shots in the first 3 weeks I owned my D80 w/ 18-135mm Nikkor Zoom lens. --- Already I'm upgrading to the 18-200mm Nikkor Zoom lens with VR. --- I wish I had not purchased this lens as part of my kit, but it has been good to me.

In summary, the 18-135mm Nikkor zoom-lens is an excellent beginner lens, but if you are a perfectionist (or professional) you would be better served to avoid purchasing the 18-135mm as part of your starter kit.

I have been using this lens on a D70S for several months with good results. Autofocus functions well if you respect the limits (avoid poor contrast, target object small relative to the total frame, poor lighting, etc.). In any case, like all Nikon IF lenses you can tweak the focus by grabbing the focus ring.

I don't consider the pincushion/distortion issues significant and I am satisified with the immages from 18 to 135.

This lens compliments my 70-300 VR Nikon, and the combo is about the same price as the 18-200 VR but with an extra 100 mm on the long end.

The optics, performance, and convenience of this lens are all very good, but there is significant pincushion distortion at the wide angle end--where we take a large percentage of our pictures. Otherwise, the zoom range would be perfect for those who frequently want to carry only one lens.

I DONT UNDERSTAND ALL THE SOUR GRAPES ABOUT THIS LENS FROM OTHER REVIEWERS. THEY MUST USE THIS LENS FOR HAND BALL PRACTICE......OR JUST THROW IT AROUND........I USE THIS LENS ON MY NIKON D80 AND WITH THE NIKON SOFTWARE HAVE GOTTEN SOME VERY NICE RESULTS........GRANTED THIS IS NOT A
NIKKOR 2.8 SUPER SHARP LENS...IT REALLY DOES A NICE JOB ......I USED IT AT A AIR SHOW LAST WEEK AND TOGETHER WITH MY EPSON PRINTER GOT BEAUTIFUL RESULTS.........I REALLY DONT THINK THAT NIKON MAKES A BAD LENS.....
THEIR GLASS IS MADE IN HOUSE .AND ALL THE OTHER CAMERA COMPANIES TRY TO COMPARE THEMSELVES TO THEM.SO IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A FINE EVERY DAY LENS WITH A NICE ZOOM THIS IS YOU BABY.........

The title of my review basically says it all. I sold this lens soon after getting it as part of a D80 kit. While the contrast and colors are better than expected from a kit lens, the pincushion is just terrible. In any of the pictures I took that featured vertical lines (posts, poles, building edges, etc) the pincushion was so bad that it is uncorrectable even with Photoshop CS2. This was noticeable at any focal length. In the pictures that featured no vertical lines of any type, however, I did not notice any pincushion effect. The ones that did, however, were bad enough (for me) to decide to sell the lens. While I would not recommend this lens to anyone, I don't think it is a horrible lens by any means. Just not quite up to my standards. My review is 2.5 stars but they don't let you do that so I picked 3 stars.

Wide open this lens has some noticeable flaws, but if you force it to using a more closed aperture (say F8), many of those become less apparent. Even if you're forced to shoot wide open or you don't know better, you can correct the aberrations and vignetting in software.

While some prefer the slightly better build of the 18-70mm, I'd take the extra 65mm (close to 100mm on the DSLRs that use these lenses) any day over a distance scale and a metal lens mount. For crying out loud it's an autofocus walk around lens, so distance scales are relics for few people to use and the mount is a moot point, since it will stay on 99% of the time. As for focus speed, it's great. There are faster focusing lenses, but not with a comparable zoom range for the price. Nikon is not a charity, they design sophisticated lenses, build them to high tolerances, and sell them to a loyal following at a fair price. Yes a $1000 lens will be better than a $330 one, and yes a $2500 lens collection will do better than a $330 lens. I should hope so!

Enough of the weaknesses, which plenty of other folks will write about, it is a very good lens. 135mm is about as long of a lens that I would want without VR stabilization, but it works well when there is ample light. Since it's only intended for DSLRs, bumping the ISO is always an option to assure shake free shutter speeds.

Why isn't this a 5* review, well, I can honestly tell you that there are many people with defective lenses in need of repair/replacement. I believe those issues have been fixed, but it's not a good circumstance. I recommend that you be sure to buy a genuine US copy with a full warranty--don't fall for any extended warranty though, as it's got a generous 5 years from Nikon. Being to 'po boy I am, I opted for one of those refurbished ones, hoping it was a unit that was returned by someone expecting a perfect lens at a bargain price, and a double check by Nikon assured that it is and likely will always be fully functional. No regrets thus far.

This Lens that I ordered thru you is exactly as I expected it to be, it arrived BRAND NEW, and is the USA VERSION of the Lens, it is NOT a grey market item, it is the SAME as if you bought it from Nikon USA Directly.
Again, I'm Very Happy.

Sharp, Good Zoom Range, Works perfectly on my D50 and D70s. Does have strong Chromatic Aborations

Great travel lens, It does have some dark corners but it also has a huge zoom ratio from 18mm to 135, so it is understandable. If you shoot at f8 a lot of the "problems" disappear. A lot of people expect this to shoot like a prime but it's just not going to happen, especially at this price.

Okay, here's my scoop. I own this lens, which was part of the D80 kit and went on to purchase the 17-55mm, the 105mm VR macro and my flagship lens the 70-200mm VR. No, this lens does not compare to the others I own but nor should it as it only costs a fraction of the price. Sinece investing in these top end lenses I have hardly used the 18-135mm kit lens at all. However...this is not a terrible lens. It served me very well during the time it took me to accumulate better glass and I still get compliments on the thousands of photographs that I took with it. You have to work harder with this lens than you do with better glass, by way of making sure you have more light, using a monopod where you can, using some distortion correction in photoshop but such is the nature of kit lenses. It goes without saying that your end resuts will be better using $1700 glass than they are when you use $300 glass. All around however, for the new photographer or the person who wants a decent lens with a wide variety of uses this is a good all around , "blue colar" tool.

Ich kann bis jetzt nur positives sagen.
Habe das Objektiv seit ca. 2 Wochen und sehe es bereits jetzt als
"Immerdraufobjektiv"! Benutze es mit meiner D40X.
Einziger Wermutstropfen ist der erste Qualitätseindruck - Plastig, Plastig und nochmal Plastik. Aus meiner analogen Zeit bin ich was anderes gewohnt. Aber das tut der Darstellungsqualität keine Abbruch. In allen Brennweiten top bis gut!
Es gibt lichtstärkere Objektive, aber nicht zu diesem Preis.

This lense takes very sharp pictures. I have noticed some of the distortion that people refer to. In particuar, there is some pincushioning at certain focal lengths. I also read that there was vignetting at certain focal lengths, but I have not noticed that as much.

When I bought this lense I was looking for something versatile. I considered the 18-200mm VR, but I just couldn't justify the $900.

Overall, I am very happy with this lense. It takes great pictures and to me, the sharpness is worth the trade off with a little bit of distortion. The auto focus is also quick and I have no complaints about that.

Quit your beefin'...this is a fine lens!
I use this lens exclusively and just cannot understand the naysayers to its quality, speed and pincushion problems.
Wierd that I have one of the few good ones?
It balances and handles great on my DSLR and takes sharp, richly colored, pics day in and day out.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that there is some 'purple fringing' at full tele. Not major but enough to ding a star.
This lens is a great value. For those who did get a bummer lens, it may worth another try or have it fixed.
I owned the reknowned Nikon 18-200 VR for a week and frankly found it heavy, clunky and the quality was no better. I returned it and kept this one.
OK, my two cents. I LIKE this lens a lot.

I bought this as a kit lens with my D80. It is a good multipurpose lens that will work well for most situations the average photographer will encounter. The lens exhibits pincushion distortion at all focal lengths, however, this is only obvious when the image contains a lot of perfectly straight lines. In most pictures it is not going to be obvious. The lens also exhibits vignetting but again unless your picture contains just sky or an even colored and lighted surface it is not really that bad. For the money it is a very decent lens. You can't expect a lens in the $300 range to compete with $1500+ lenses. You get what you pay for. I am going to keep the lens and add the 60 mm macro lens as well.

I switched to this lens after a very poor experience with Sigma 24-60mm lens. This Lens is sharper at max open f/stop that the sigma was stopped down. With my test pictures this lens beats the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens.
Not as fast as I want, but it will work till I save enough money for a f/2.8 Nikon lens. Pictures appear to be sharp from edge to edge. I have not seen the distortion that others talk about in my normal test shots. size and weight appear to fit the D80 nicely. operation of the zoom is smooth. I agree with others that a depth of field guage on the lens barrel would have been a nice touch. Auto focus seems fast in good light. My experience with nikon lens is limited to 18-55 and 55-200mm kits lenses. For very close pictures (macro type) my Tokina 100mm and Sigma 50mm are sharper. I would recommend this lens for anyone on a budget.

Leider muß ich sagen, daß Nikon mit diesem Objektiv eine "Gurke" in seinen Objektivpark aufgenommen hat. Zwischen dem 18-70mm und dem teuren 18-200mm VR platziert, mag es nicht so recht überzeugen. Meine Erfahrungen mit einer D40 sind jedenfalls eher negativ.
Das Objektiv selber ist billigst verarbeitet. Ein Plastik-Bajonett - kenne ich sonst nur von dem günstigen 18-55mm. Dieses Objektiv erweckt generell den Eindruck einer "längeren" Version des 18-55mm. Und das für einen wesentlich höheren Preis, das ist schon fast unverschämt.
Nicht daß das 18-55mm schlecht wäre, aber wer würde dafür mehr als 350 ¬ zahlen?
Zurück zum 18-135mm.
Die Abbildungsleistung ist recht mau, zu geringer Kontrast, zu wenig Schärfe. Auch abgeblendet kann es nicht überzeugen.
Insgesamt schätze ich es in der Hinsicht sogar schlechter als das 18-55mm ein. Die 135mm sind unbrauchbar, da starke Vignettierung und geringe Schärfe vorherrschen.
Der Autofokus ist geschwindigkeitsmäßig auf einer Ebene mit eben diesem. Der vom 18-70mm hingegen ist sehr schnell im Vergleich...

Am meisten gestört hat mich jedoch, daß dieses Objektiv ein richtiger Staubsauger ist. Ich hatte vorher mehrere Linsen auf der Kamera und keine Probleme mit Staub. Kaum war das 18-135mm drauf, hatte ich schöne graue "Pickel" im Bild und der Weißabgleich produziert bei solchen Gelegenheiten gerne einen grünen Himmel...intensive Reinigung mit dem Wattepad war angesagt, der Blasebalg reichte nicht mehr.

Ich bin inzwischen auf das teurere 18-200mm VR als "Immerdrauf" umgestiegen. Und was soll ich sagen, das ist um Welten besser. Schärfer, schneller beim Fokussieren und bis dato keine Staubprobleme, abgesehen davon, daß es einen Stabilisator bietet. Klar kostet es erheblich mehr, aber den Aufpreis ist es auch wert.

Ich kann vom 18-135mm nur abraten. Wenn man z.B. seine D40 aufwerten möchte, gleich zum 18-200mm VR greifen oder es bei der Kit-Linse belassen. Entweder ganz oder gar nicht, das 18-135mm ist dazwischen und kann nicht überzeugen.

Hab dieses Objektiv im Set mit meiner DSLR gekauft. Für ein Kit-Objektiv ist es zweifelsohne nicht schlecht:

+ zügige Fokusierung
+ gute Abbildungsqualität für ein Kit-Objektiv
+ Haptik für ein Kunststoffobjektiv o.k.

Kritikpunkte:

- Plastikbajonett (wer öfters das Objektiv wechselt, wird damit kaum glücklich werden)
- wer oft große Brennweiten nutzt und ohne Stativ fotografiert, wird den fehlenden VR vermissen
- für die gebotene Leistung zu teuer (besonders wenn man es nicht im Set, sondern separat kauft)

Fazit: wenn Nikon-Zoom, dann lieber gleich das 18-200 VR (hab ich mir statt des 18-135 geholt; von der Haptik und dem Qualitätseindruck um Klassen besser; die optischen Qualitäten werde ich die kommenden Tage testen und in einer Rezension zusammenfassen).

So you want to buy a nice "all around lens." Well, this could be it, however, take some of my following into consideration.

Pros;
This lens is a cheap and easy way to cover a large range of zooms. Depending upon your needs and camera you own, this lens allows for a lot of versatility. +1 Star.

The lens is light weight and fairly short when dealing with storage. Being compact and still having a decent zoom range makes it a good all around lens. +1 Star

This lens has few buttons and is easy to understand. I have taken some very decent "professional" shots with it, from close up of flowers to family portraiture, and even dark evening long exposure shots that would rival many of my other more expensive lenses, and never had to fumble with buttons, or switches, or even that pesky aperture ring when the time didn't allow it, a good fire and forget lens. +2 Stars

Its a Nikon lens, and as such has a very nice large sweet spot when focusing. Typically with high aperture numbers, you loose your sweet spot, and get a "general focus," rather than a sharp focus on your subject. For a cheap lens this lens does rather well covering most bases. +2 Stars

Cons;

You get what you pay for. This lens being made of plastic, and not having any real support in the frame, is easy to break (trust me I know). -1 Star (Partially for my own stupidity)

Vignetting on this lens is horrible in the wrong situations. There are many photos that I have had low light, used my SB-800, and got some nasty rings around the corners. I can only imagine what it must look like on a film camera. -2 Star

Because this lens is so slow (yes, f/3.5 is slow) the auto focus feature does not work well in many situations, such as dark, or low contrast vertical lines. I like to shut off my "white light" on my D200 so as not to blind my subjects. -2 Stars

This lens is so slow to focus that if you are taking fast nature shots, get another lens, and leave this one at home. This lens would have been a perfect candidate to receive the VR treatment with its slow f3.5-5.6, and at longer focal lengths the "camera shake" can be so bad as to ruin a good shot. When looking at this lens make sure that its just a general "get into the photography world" lens, and not your "End all Beat all" lens. -3 stars (for not going all the way to where it should be.)

Conclusion;

When looking at a lens, there are often three factors a newbie should look at...

1. Can I afford it. If you have to buy more of the same lens because of cheap workmanship, is it worth having? Why not just buy the "less than twice" expensive upgrade that will last four times longer or more?

2. Is it easy to use, or easy to learn. A lens (or anything in life) is no fun, and is not worth it, if you can't figure out how to use it. This lens is as easy as they come.

3. What kind of photography am I going to shoot? As an armature or "newbie" photographer, this lens will satisfy most of your requirements. However, just know that at some point, the lack of features may bite you when you need it most. Being a slow lens, you are destined to have to rely on your flash much more, or, never get that shot of the Buck jumping across the shadow laden stream at twilit.

Final Score?
5 stars assumed to begin with.

5 +1 +1 +2 +2 -1 -2 -2 -3 = 3 Stars.

Das Nikon AF S DX 18-135/3,5-5,6G IF-ED erschien mir als gutes immerdabei-Objektiv, Größe und Gewicht sind okay, der Preis vertretbar. Also drauf auf die D80 und als ersten Echt-Einsatz einen 70. Geburtstag in der Familie, im Garten bei hellem Sonnenlicht abgelichtet. Die rd. 200 Roh-Fotos waren ausgezeichnet belichtet, sehr scharf, farblich ausgewogen, nahezu ohne Randverzeichnungen und bedurften kaum der Nacharbeit, der Jubilar war begeistert, ich auch.

Dann kamen einige Serien mit Blitz (Nikon SB-600) und merkwürdigem Ergebnis, alles war seltsam dunkel, ein leichter Schleier schien über allem zu liegen. Also erstmal ein anderes Objektiv drauf (das Standard 18-55 und auch mal ein 1,4/50 AF), Ergebnis, alles einwandfrei. Mit dem 18-135 waren akzeptable Ergebnisse nur nach erheblichen manuellen Korrekturen bei Kamera und Blitz erreichbar.

Nächster Test, bei wenig Licht ohne Blitz: Ergebnis, alles matschig, körnig (egal bei welchen ISO-Werten), Bilder zum Wegwerfen.

Nächster Test: Nahaufnahmen mit Blitz: Ergebnis, ebenfalls zu dunkel, körnig, Schleier, Farben gehen unter, Verzeichnungen in den Ecken usw.

Zum Abschluß noch mal eine Bilderreihe im Freien bei gutem Licht: alles einwandfrei wie eingangs beschrieben.

Nun weiß ich nach 40 Jahren Fotofrafie-Erfahrung natürlich schon daß Zooms immer ein Kompromiß sind, aber ich habe schon mit vielen Zooms fotografiert, so schlechte Ergebnisse gab's jedoch noch nie.

Fazit: als Urlaubs-/Ausflugs-/Schönwetter-Objektiv okay, aber bei weitergehenden Ansprüchen muss ich von diesem Objektiv abraten.

Das Nikon AF-S DX 18-135 Objektiv (umgerechnet 27-202.5mm für KB) ist ein gutes und leichtes schönwetter Reiseobjektiv wenn man sich seiner Schwächen bewusst ist. Ich schätze es sehr für seine überdurchschnittlich hohe Gesamtchärfe über den gesamten Brennweitenbereich und Bildbereich und ich schätze es auch sehr für die Möglichkeit bei z.B. Hochzeiten tolle Kopfnahaufnahmen zu schießen ohne den Leuten auf den Füssen zu stehen also aus z.B. 3,5m bei einer Schärfentiefe von 15cm. Es hat auch keine Probleme mit CAs (Chromatic Aberrations).
Aber seine Schwächen sind ebenfalls nicht weg zu diskutieren. Ohne Abblenden kann es vereinzelt vorkommen, dass es vignettiert. Leider ist es auch nicht Lichtstark genug um bei schlechtem Wetter oder in dunklen Innenräumen eine gute Figur abzugeben da noch nicht einmal ein Bildstabilisator vorhanden ist um zumindest statische Objekte aufnehmen zu können.

Fazit:
Trotzdem, für den Brennweitenbereich und die Gesamtschärfe für 300,00 Euro ein gutes Objektiv.

Würde es mit einem Bildstabilisator (VRII) versehen sein, wäre es für mich das ideale Reiseobjektiv überhaupt sein und seine 450,00 Euro wert.

I compared this to the Nikon 18-200 VR:
1) The 18-135 is lighter and nicely balanced in handling, when mounted on the light bodies (like D-40). The 18-200 VR is much too heavy for the slight added zoom range.
2) The build quality is better than the 18-200. I got an 18-200 from the Japan factory, and it had dirt inside, inbetween lens elements! The 18-135 came perfectly clean.
3) The 18-135 has a smooth zoom barrel. While the 18-200VR has a horribly grinding zoom barrel, which sounds like it's got sand in it.
4) The zoom barrel stays put in any position, while the 18-200 does not stay in place (if you hold it vertical, it starts drifting - a LOT).
5) The focus speed is Much Faster than the 18-200. If you think this is slow, wait till you spend $ 700 for the 18-200 and have to wait while it hunts-n-pecks, focusing endlessly...
5) The VR did not give me any faster exposures. I composed the exact same shot with both lenses and got the exact same readings.
6) The only down side is the pincussioning. I agree with the other reviewers about this. But it's really only noticeable on architecture. Everything else about this lens overrides this blemish.
All-in-all, the 18-200 VR is nothing but Hype, for which they charge the consumer an extra $ 400. This is sales baloney.
I can't wait to get rid of my 18-200! I'm keeping this one.

I received my lens yesterday and it worked really good. The flaws mentioned by earlier comments were hardly noticable unless you blow up photos to 12 X 12. For an amateur photographer who won't and can't spend too much to buy the 18-200 VR this is the next best.......I'm happy..It's clear...Nice Range...lightweight...Good all around lens.....

I have had this lens for about a year and use it as my walk around lens. It is a very sharp lens. Haven't noticed a lot of CA but it does have some distortion. It focuses pretty close.

The lens could use VR but then it would probably be as expensive as the 18-200mm VR.

It is obviously a kit quality lens and not a pro lens but, all in all, I think it is a good, versatile focal length lens for the money.

I really hate how everyone whines and complains about distortion with this lens. From the comparison shots I've taken it's not that noticeable unless you get super nit picky about it.

This lens is a versatile zoom lens meant for everyday use. It's not meant for studio work as far as I can tell. For one thing it's slow in low light, F3.5 to me is way to slow for studio work. Not to mention all low cost wide angle lenses distort in one way or another. For studio, portrait, and portfolio shots you should be getting a straight 50mm lens with F1.4 or 1.8. It's only a $100 lens and cuts out any distortion and is closest to the human eye's focal range.

I would not use this for serious architecture work either. Any 35mm or DSLR camera will give you a huge angular distortion, this is where a 4x5 film camera comes in. *at least half of the people giving this lens a bad review just said "duh what?"* With a large format camera you can line up angles perfectly with the camera, not to mention you get the sharpest image you'll ever need. Photoshop does the same thing by enabling you to fudge the angles.

IMO the sub $500 Digital SLR equipment is meant for immediacy, it's meant for you to be able to bang out thousands of images without breaking the bank. It's not meant for making perfect architecture shots or professional grade studio shots, and thats not what I expect from it. The bane of being a photographer is to have multiple sets of equipment. A DSLR for the ability to bang out multiple shots with a wide focal range lens, a 35mm or DSLR with a nice 50mm lens for studio portraits and proof work, and a large format camera for those perfect crystal clear architecture shots.

Pros:
-This is a relatively cheap lens in the grand scheme of things
-It has a versatile focal range
-Quick focus in medium to high light level
-Quiet operation
-Build quality is nice.

Cons:
-Ok it distorts, but it's so subtle that I doubt a normal human will care.
-It does aggravate me that this does not have a focus range indicator, the 18-70DX and the 18-200VR has one why not this model?
-Also when in manual the focus ring slides past the min and max focusing points, I like a focus ring that clicks in and stops when I get to min and max focus.
-The lens wasn't free

These are minor cons compared to the gains you get, it allows an amateur or student to have a full range lens for a reasonable price. I'm a BFA Photo student fresh out of college BTW so this lens is perfect for me. If you are a "Professional Photographer" you shouldn't even be considering this lens. It's definitely not professional grade, it's for us who are at an intermediate level where we can't spend a fortune on 1 lens.

I have heard that this model has a tendency to fail in one way or another, I have had it for 2 weeks and it's still working for me. I'll check back if it does fail. However I bought mine brand spanking new with the 5 year extended nikon warranty. I know nikon service is a pain but it's worth it if you're still under warranty.

as you can read in other reviews, it does suffer from pincushion and vignetting so did my old 18-55mm so nothing changed there. I like this lens because of the nice range 18 to 135mm, I was considering the 55-200mm but I don't see myself changing lenses most of the time. I recommend it.

When I decided on the Nikon D80, I wanted a lens that I could keep on the camera all the time. So I bought a body and this lens. The "kit" lens wasn't as useful and, by separating the purchase of the body and lens I got a very good combined deal. And I got a single lens that does it all (for me).

Sure, a SLR is meant to have interchangeable lenses but for my purposes, a medium zoom covers all the bases. With this lens, I have the 35mm equivalent of 27mm to 205mm; just perfect.

Works well, too. Sharp, not too heavy. A great choice IMHO.

Chaz

This is the lowest review I have ever given a Nikon product. The distortion issue has been reviewed previously and I absolutely agree that wide-open this lens can act like it came out of a bubblegum machine. At higher f-stops it becomes a resonably good tool. I use it almost excluseively in Aperture mode, and seldom below f-8. If you use higher f-stops at longer focal lengths it noticeably shades the periphery of light objects, a flaw you can use to your advantage with portraits and other specialized purposes. Otherwise it is really annoying.

I purchased it with my D80, which I absolutely love, hoping it would make for a lighter kit. As titled, only for backpacking, when you don't want extra weight and need a versatile tool. In that case, you need to be thoroughly aware of the lens's limitations.

I am surprised that Nikon would catagorize this as an IF lens because of its variables at different apertures. I have f-2.8 28-80mm APO and f 2.8 70-210 APO lenses that are like boulders to carry for general purposes, but if I want professional results, they are my alternatives for best results.

I am going to purchase the 55-200 AF-S DX VR lens as a partial substitute in the field. That has great reviews, still expressing some reservations. However, my bottom line is still going to be quality, no matter how my back feels.

This is a good, decent lens for all-around use by amateurs. It has a nice, wide zoom range, and takes good photos. Yes, there is some distortion around the edges, but it's not evident on all photos; if you're a pro, you should be buying much higher quality optics anyways; for amateurs that don't want to take out a second mortgage on the house, this is a good lens to have.

Even know alot say they dont like this lens I DO. It is real sharp. Its just at 135mm it can tend to get a little blurry without a tripod or the VR. So you might want to look into getting the 18-200mm VR instead. But if your on a budget this is still a great lens. I shot a graduation party with it and My candids of other people came out like magazine advertisments. They were that sharp and clear.

Ich habe mir für den Urlaub für meine D40 dieses Objektiv ausgeborgt: es hat meine Erwartungen mehr als erfüllt! Die Qualität der Aufnahmen war für mich als Amateur absolut zufriedenstellend, sowohl im Inneren von Gebäuden im Zusammenhang mit 1600 oder 3200 ISO, Aufnahmen bei Nacht waren ebenso ok, außer wenn es schon seeeeehr finster war - dann wurde die Aufnahme aufgrund der hohen Empfindlichkeit schon sehr grobkörnig. Bei Schönwetter - aber darüber muss ich erst gar nicht schreiben - war sowieso alles super!

Natürlich kann man von diesem Objektiv nicht erwarten, bei trübem Wetter mit 200 ISO und maximaler Brennweite und 1/30 s ein sinnvolles Foto zu machen.

Die Fokussierung erfolgt für meine Begriffe äußerst schnell und ich würde mir dieses Objektiv auch sofort kaufen, wenn es nicht schon verlockenderes geben würde! (18 bis 200, mit Stabilisierung).

Dennoch uneingeschränkt 5 Sterne!

I purchased a Nikon D80 kit with the 18-135 lens thinking it would be a good overall lens for my pedestrian photographic needs. I'm not a professional, but I like to know when I buy something that it is going to work well. That is, after all, why I chose Nikon in the first place. The lens worked great for the first 700 pictures. It endured no trauma or other abuse and at a party just the other night it started grinding and sputtering and stopped working in autofocus mode. Dead as a doornail. My wife was all over me. "I told you so! Why didn't you just stick with the little camera I already bought????" A little time on the internet and now I find out that this lens is plagued with this very problem. I'm sending the lens in tomorrow to be fixed since it is under warranty. But I am buying the 18-200 mm lens tonight so I can continuing taking pictures this summer. This is a real let down for me. It's the same reason I would choose a Lexus over a Mercedes ... great names are earned ... but they can also be lost through neglect! Get your act together Nikon.

I wanted a versatile lens for travel, I guess this will do, but I'm not impressed so far...