Nikkor DX 16-85mm VR review

[Amcacs5654]

I looking for a good lens to go with the Nikon D7000 that is better then the kit lens which is the 18-105mm. Would this lens suit that body well? I'm looking for a reasonable priced lens like this that is all around good and sharp. I will use it for landscapes, portraits, and jut random every day stuff.

[cameralabs]

@Amcacs5654 Short answer? Yep, it'[d be great! See my review at cameralabs . com for more details.

[key00992233]

Question! Can I trust the weather selling on this lens and not be afraid to take it out on the rain? 

[Aleksandaryt]

It's nice to have a tele zoom, but I really think that's better choose a wider angle with a better optic quality.

[minibint]

thank you soo much!!! very helpful:)

[cameralabs]

@BlackGabbath92 It sure is!

[TheHickstead]

@BlackGabbath92 yes it is!

[TheHickstead]

dude you are amazing! i think everyone should support you!!! these reviews are AMAZING! I just got two lenses because of your reviews!!

[cameralabs]

@TheHickstead Thankyou very much! Don't forget to check out my full reviews at cameralabs . com!

[TheHickstead]

@cameralabs I have read almost all the reviews (Nikon reviews) on your website! You put so much time and effort in your reviews thats why people should support you! and Honestly, all your reviews are correct! (I got a lens for one day and returned it, and it was just like how you described it!)

[dispossession]

I bought this lens a couple of months ago and i can say that i am not thrilled with the image quality(at least of the copy that i own).Comparing to the kit lens 18-55 ii, i can't see any major difference in terms of sharpness.On the other hand,the 16-85 has better coverage(much better for my needs),significantly better build quality,vr mechanism,perhaps better chromatic abberation control and slightly better contrast.I use the lens with a nikon d40x.

[51blue1]

i still cant decide. 16-85 or 18-200.

[freaktv12345]

If you had to choose between Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR and Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM which lens would you buy?

[nathandailo]

@freaktv12345 Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 is insanely sharp! And you get the constant f/2.8 as opposed to a variable 3.5-5.6 :)

[scupking]

Just got this lens in today to replace the kit 18-55 on my D40. So far I like it a lot but need to take more pictures.

[TIRanald]

Would this be a good upgrade from the 18-55mm kit lens in terms of quality/build etc? Thanks

[Mikrobitz]

I cant decide between this and Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM OS for Nikon D7000. I'm looking for a general-purpose lens to shoot basically everything, Sigma is more xpensive but its faster and will probably perform better in low-light for sure... then again I'm not sure how much im really gonna shoot in low-light... argh!

[danebrewer10]

well I bought this lens a couple of week ago it's great! the focussing is a smidge quicker than on the 18-55 kit lens, but not super fast, it does fall down slightly when shooting things that area approaching fairly quick it does tend to get the back half of whatever it is in focus and not the front, in this case my dogs the other day, but the 16mm is great! close to, you can ge to really great distortion effects going on and the 85mm at the long end is plenty long enough for every day use

[danebrewer10]

why is creep such a major issue????? surely when you're shooting you're gonna be holding on to the zoom ring anyways, unless you need to manually focus then it might be an issue, but I see mountains being made out of molehills over this issue (specifically with regard to the nikkor 18-200)

[Ishcoa]

Wow...

New Zealand is a very beautiful place! It's a photographer's heaven!

[SirBDD]

Thank you for your review.

[icedangel61]

You have the best reviews out there!!! Thank you so much for doing this. I'm planing to buy this lens, but I guess I'll go with 18-200mm. Of course this is sharper, but it's almost one stop slower than 18-200mm. I think you get f5.6 at 70mm on this lens, which is too high, correct?

[HRDINA1]

thanks again, trying to plan what lenses to rent for a wedding.

[rx7isfat1]

Is this a good lense for portraits? Thanks

[trfab]

Your reviews are always good.

[aenimoxxx]

hey gordon! is it compatible to use it in nikon d3000 and d5000? thanks gordon!

[ionescugeorge]

@aenimoxxx

yes,it's compatible

[phillylele]

will this work for a d40?

[LiquidTurbo]

I just picked up this lens because of this review. It's wonderful! Thank you cameralabs!

[cameralabs]

You're welcome! Don't forget there's loads of results and sample images in my review at cameralabs . com, and you can support me by shopping for anything at our partner stores!

[vancouverdogdowncast]

appartently the 18-105 is optically better than 16-85?

[ionescugeorge]

@vancouverdogdowncast

the 16-85mm is better that 18-105mm in every aspect

[lucasfunkt]

@ionescugeorge What about the Sigma 17-70mm, how does that compare?

[ionescugeorge]

@lucasfunkt

i have no ideea about 17-70mm. there ar two versions of it,the old one with F2.8-4.5 and the new one F2.8-4 OS (optical stabilized) . from what i can see the new one costs about 449$ and the 16-85mm VR about 579$ . i thing i would go with the Nikon because it's facuses faster,more silent and i assume that the build quality and the VR are supperior. you should try both of them. if you're short of money you could buy the 18-105VR,it's a great lens for the money,but 16-85VR is better

[panzarw]

so all these reviews are kinda pointless, only as a advertisment to view your site, where as i need in the video a disciption about the lens shaprness bokeh, vignet and so on, the main difference i think why people would choose between 18-70mm lens or this 16-85 or any other is the shaprness.

[cameralabs]

Hang on, the video is free to watch and the website is free to view, so what's the problem? The video is complimentary to the written review and shows things that would be hard to describe, like the sound and speed of the focusing. All the results you want are in the written review. Remember this is my full time job, not a hobby, and the bills are sadly not paid by Youtube.

[panzarw]

sorry if im mean, if its a job then its a job.

Im a student and you can already guess my budget, its just ken rockwell has reviews on lenses that are forgoten but are actually still high grade, but as its said all around 90% is false.

[cameralabs]

I recently published a guide to Nikon lenses at cameralabs which includes some cheaper models...

[warachito]

Wtf?.. free reviews.. free website..

dont bother man.

[cameralabs]

Yes it's free to view like most websites, but remember the content still has to be generated and paid for, and if people don't support us - or the other sites they visit - then they can't exist. So please do support any of the sites that you regularly visit and find useful.

[potatofunky]

because the perspective is still 16-85mm but the crop is 24-128mm. you dont get a crop factor of a 24mm but a perpective of a 16mm.

[nlindseightynine]

perhaps this is a silly question, but if this lens is DX, why call it 16-85mm if "on DX cameras its actually 24-128mm?" i dont get it. why not just call it 24-128 or not label it as DX?

[leocub]

DX indicates the lens is made to create frames of APS-C size (23.6x16.7mm)

[0ad31d1e16b02a17cbbb]

It's physically 16-85mm, but DX doesn't capture the full image but just the middle part of it. This results in an image which looks zoomed in, this is where the crop factor comes from, and that's also why it's called "equivalent" as in "looks like". The Bokeh is the same as on a full-frame 16-85mm lens.

[gigo567]

Physically, the lens is 16-85mm. The crop factor doesn't change the focal length, it changes the FoV.

[teundilles]

It is a 16-85mm lens. This is the focal length of a lens regardless of the size. It gives the EQUIVALENT of a 24-128mm lens on fullframe, buit the focal length itself stays 16-85. Try wikipedia if you want more info.

[HelloNewYorkCity]

because that indicates its only for use on APS-C nikon cameras, otherwise the mirror will hit the lens in a 35mm slr.

[904SF]

Because you can use it on an FX Camera and it could get confusing.

[ethosflux]

because it isn't if it's not mounted on a DX body.

[ethosflux]

I do kinda agree with you though.

[raugelis]

Have this lens for about 8 months and I'm just about to swipe this lens to some other, don't like vignetting, indoor pictures at low light are far away from good, must fix every exposure at 16mm on photoshop.

[Prophz]

It's not the lens...it's the photographer.

[Prophz]

its not the lens...its the photographer. you have to really suck to shoot at 16mm and still have to edit in photoshop.

[1800GOTJUNG]

Hi Gordon, Thank you for these reviews. You are very informative! btw, how would you rank this lens among all Nikon DX models in terms of Optical Quality? I've been doing some reading and some site suggest this this lens is the best DX standard zoom lens in Nikon mount to date. Thanks!

[cameralabs]

It is very good, but you'll have to read my review of it at cameralabs . com for the full report and comparisons with other Nikkor lenses.

[candradinata]

Hi Gordon, I'm about to buy d90, What lens for general purpose and WEDDING is myhobby ? mybudget about $600

[cameralabs]

I suggest asking on the Nikon section of the cameralabs forum...

[isthiswhatyoudo]

Does it work on D40?

[cameralabs]

Yes!

[jafp63]

Hello Gordon... hope you are Ok. This lens is suitable for Nikon D5000? Thanks in advance. BR

[cameralabs]

Yep, it'll work just fine!

[TheGreatBeloved]

can you do a review on the tokina 11-16 for nikon ?

[cameralabs]

Sorry, no plans to do so, but check the cameralabs forums for reviews of ultra-wide angle zooms for Nikon.

[SexyToshi]

My Nikon 18-135mm that came with D80 stopped focusing anymore. I wonder if this 16-85mm is good replacement lens or not.

[cameralabs]

I've compared them in the verdict of my 16-85mm review at cameralabs . com...

[GALB722]

please review the 16-105mm sony lens !!!

[cameralabs]

I don't have any plans to test this yet, but I may do in the future. Feel free to ask the Sony members about it in the cameralabs . com forums though!

[SchneiderStudios]

thats a sexy design for nikkor

[Emerald4ever]

Wonder if it would be possible for you to review the Sigma SD14.......

[cameralabs]

I'm afraid not. It's not that new anymore and there's very little demand - just look at how many people viewed my DP1 video and review.

[AIDSbanana]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS REVIEW! I have the nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens and I thought about replacing it with this lens, as I am not a pro and don't always need the f/2.8 aperture (even though it's nice) now I can finally make my decision. again, thank you!

[SpeedFreakNO]

There are several new Pentax lenses now, 55mm f/1.4, 200mm f/2.8, 300mm f/4 and the 17-70mm f/4 are among a few of them. Will any of these be tested by CameraLabs?

[cameralabs]

Not unless Pentax send them into review.

[marinell8228]

hey, can you make a video tour about the nikon coolpix p90?? can you.

[cameralabs]

I won't be doing a video on the P90, but I will be reviewing it in the future at cameralabs . com...

[ewebb16]

Does this lens have Internal Focus?

[cameralabs]

yes

[ailime]

absolutely fab vid with totally wicked details and examples :D Thank youu *huggles*

[exe163]

Amazing Gordon! I am planning to buy this lens and then this video shows up. Keep up the great work!

[cameralabs]

You're welcome! Don't forget to check out the full review at camewralabs. com!

[moviesunrated]

Over 2,000 views and its been up for 2 days, good job! What camcorder do you use? I noticed its not in HD (it is in HQ) whereas the Panasonic G1 review is.

[cameralabs]

I started filming this in SD some time ago, before I got an HD camcorder! This was filmed with my old Sony HC96. My HD camcorder is a Canon HV30. There'll be one more lens review in SD before I completely switch to HD.

[callmejosiah]

excellent review as always, Gordon, I'm going to bookmark this and your other Nikkor lens reviews since I plan on eventually buying a lens from their range once I'm ready to invest in a DSLR... I was surprised to see that this lens actually has a decent zoom range, though I think I would need something more toward the telephoto end just because wide-angle lenses really don't suit my photography style.

[clutchmaster22]

it would be great to see some reviews of some canon L glass, even though its out of reach for the average consumer.

[cameralabs]

I've already done the 17-40L and 24-105L for both cropped and full-frame sensors!

[clutchmaster22]

where do you guys shoot your photos and is this where your offices are? absolutely gorgeous

[cameralabs]

In Queenstown, New Zealand...

[blod5]

Hi , nice videos,

what is the 'normal' and 'active' switch on the lens?

thanks

[cameralabs]

See the features page of my review at cameralabs . com!

[beenpimped31]

excellent review, i think i'm going to buy the 18-200 lens myself, but i could really use a wide angle lens, and this did intrigue me.

[hazzard82]

its really too expensive just for 16mm wide, better get a tokina 12-24 or so if u want to go wide, i dont see the point otherwise spending so much money on this.

[ramirezhelpsout]

COMO, WTF!! ON THAT LENS?

[drifter1o1]

are you going to do a review on the new T1i (500D) when it comes out or are you gonna do it before?

[cameralabs]

See my preview at cameralabs . com!

[djaditya86]

Great! Would love to see some flash/strobes reviews too!!

[ohnzee]

wow.. thats sweet, I wish I can afford that :(

[trongs01]

if u have free time on ur hand, please do a review for the nikkor 35mm f/1.8. thanks

[cameralabs]

Free time?! I work on Cameralabs 7 days a week! But I do hope to review the 35mm f1.8 at some point in the future...

[glowinthedarkmagnum]

hello sir have you reviewd the new canon rebel.. i hear it records video

:]

[cameralabs]

See my preview at cameralabs . com!

[glowinthedarkmagnum]

thank you

[ibeplu]

nikon's answer to canon's 17-85 IS...

[cameralabs]

...except that it zooms much wider. Remember Nikon DX bodies reduce the field by 1.5x, so 16mm x 1.5 = 24mm equivalent. Canon EF-S bodies reduce by 1.6x, so 17mm x 1.6 = 27mm equivalent. As illustrated in the video, that's quite a big difference.

[syazo]

great!

but expensive...

[ManuelDr]

Good review. (like always)

[Shwanp]

Great review!