Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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

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.

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.

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.

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.