Nikon 2216 AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300 mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR Lens, Black

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The increased magnification of the 300mm telephoto end is clear here - the 18-300mm does give noticeably more 'reach', and of course gathers a bit more light than the other lenses too. But whether this is worth the increased bulk and price is very much a personal decision. Autofocus Get the latest photography news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter. Newsletter Signup We're very easy to find, our London store is just off Oxford Street between Oxford Circus station and Tottenham Court Road station. The Essex shop is located in High Chelmer Shopping Centre, just off the High Street in Chelmsford.The Stevenage shop is located in the Old Town, in the old Post Office with parking outside There’s only slight color fringing at mid-zoom settings but it’s quite pronounced at the short end and even worse at the long end. Automatic in-camera corrections virtually eliminate the problem in all but the earliest Nikon DSLRs.

The 18-300mm is distinctly supersized compared to other DX-format superzooms, and indeed contrives to be larger and heavier than the full frame AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Its design and construction are both typical mid-range Nikon, with extensive use of high-quality plastics for the lens barrel, and a runner seal around the metal lens mount to help prevent dust and water getting into the camera. The large barrel does mean that the zoom and focus rings are both generously sized. Ditto, last in respect to contrast. C is supposed to lose contrast at 300mm. But if it does, so does A. I see no difference. They're both good at 300.Typical of superzoom lenses, barrel distortion at the shortest zoom setting is clearly visible, but it’s rather less extreme than the Tamron 16-300mm. Colour fringing is noticeable, especially at long zoom settings where it’s very similar to the Tamron 16-300mm. Overall, the new Tamron’s huge zoom range doesn’t come at the cost of a greater compromise in image quality compared to other superzooms. Tamron 18-400mm: Lab tests This lens is the superzoom of choice if you want maximum telephoto reach – and it performs rather well, considering its massive 22x zoom range. However, Tamron’s 16-300mm has a slightly wider angle of view, is smaller and lighter in weight, and better value for money. Tamron 18-400mm: Specifications

Superzooms make sacrifices in terms of optical quality too, especially at the longer zoom settings, where it's not uncommon to see some soft detail and noticeable colour fringing at the edges of the frame. On a positive note, the lens is built well and feels solid in hands – certainly better than the Tamron and Sigma equivalents. It has a plastic barrel with plastic focus and zoom rings (the zoom ring is covered with rubber). Most of the recently-announced lenses by Nikon have a plastic exterior, which does not necessarily mean that the lenses are not solid. The interior of the Nikon 18-300mm contains plenty of metal to hold optical elements, although judging from the weight, it feels like the lens has nothing but glass. The lens mount is also made of solid metal, not plastic as in some cheap kit lenses like 18-55mm DX. Tipping the scales at 550 grams, the new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR is 34% lighter than the older 18-300mm Nikon lens, although it's still about 100 grams heavier than the Tamron AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. You’ve probably noticed my skeptical tone by now. I will be straightforward – I do not like this lens nor any other 18-300mm class optic. Why? Because they are too much of a compromise. Here’s what Nasim thought about the f/3.5-5.6 version of this lens in our review: At the 300mm end, the angle of view narrows to 5° 20', which is equivalent to that of a 450mm lens on a 35mm camera body (at least when focused at infinity).For a superzoom lens, the Nikon is impressively sharp at its shortest focal length but sharpness drops off steadily at longer zoom settings, becoming quite mediocre at 300mm. Corner sharpness is also particularly disappointing at longer focal lengths. From Nikon lens literature) Nikon Inc. has announced the latest addition to its legendary NIKKOR lineup, the new AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR telephoto zoom lens. Designed for the DX-format photographer looking to get more out of their D-SLR camera, the versatile NIKKOR 18-300mm is a compact and lightweight 16.7X all-in-one telephoto zoom lens that delivers high performance and superior image quality. Whether capturing still images or HD video, the 18-300mm lens is built to help users capture content with vibrant colors and sharp details, plus shoot sports, vacations and wildlife with confidence. One feature worthy of note is the focusing system - the lens has an A/M position that allows manual override of autofocus at any time, and the focus ring doesn't rotate during autofocus. It's also geared, which means it has a much-longer travel from closest focus to infinity compared to most of its peers, which should facilitate more-accurate manual focus. These characteristics are all associated with a ring-type focus motor. Zoom action / zoom creep