NikonAF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Quick summary: This is a great replacement for the 18-55mm kit lens that typically comes with the Nikon D3500 (which I used to take all of the attached photos). It is much larger and heavier, however, but the picture quality is relatively sharp. Good for beginners/intermediates in photography (especially nature photography).I am a novice nature photographer, and here are my thoughts:Firstly, the company that I bought this from stated that the item was used but 'like new,' and I'm pleased to say that they were absolutely correct! The lens is absolutely in like-new condition and lives up to my quality standards in terms of build quality and cleanliness.it doesn't show signs of use. Thumbs up there.Next, the lens itself; talking about size, weight, and usability, picture quality aside (that comes in my next paragraph). In the three-lens photos, you'll see this lens in the middle, sandwiched by my 70-300mm VR kit lens (left) and my 18-55mm kit lens (right). In one photo, each lens is collapsed as small as they get, and in the other photo, the lenses are extended as large as they get. I have to say, the overall size of the 18-140mm (center) is a happy medium between the two, and its hefty weight feels good to hold but isn't too heavy that I can't hold it up for a while. It's been a very easy to use lens, and is great for nearly all shooting conditions in my experience. I love the switches on the side for turning on and off VR as well as switching between AF and MF. The D3500 makes you navigate through a few menus to enable and disable VR, so having the switch is really, really nice. The focus ring also has hard stops when in manual focus mode, which I also love when compared to the motorized manual focus of both kit lenses. I was never a fan of the disconnect that you feel when focusing manually with the ring, but then having the lag of the lens needing to use its motors to put the focus where you want it rather than just manually moving the lens with the ring itself if that makes sense. I like this lens as it makes me feel like I can use it more efficiently.Lastly, let's talk photo quality. At 18mm, the lens does have some heavy distortion (pictured in the photo of my window fan). This is easily fixed in Camera RAW with the default lens correction setting as Camera RAW recognises the lens and corrects for distortion accordingly. I also noticed that when zoomed all the way out to 18mm, there is some decent chromatic aberration and color distortion, and there seems to be a bit of a lack of sharpness in low-light conditions, but this could be due to me still not being used to the lens and getting used to the mechanical focus ring all over again after switching from the kit lenses which have electronic manual focus rings. When zoomed in all the way, you can still achieve great bokeh and a nice narrow depth-of-field if desired, thanks to the f/5.6 capability when zoomed all the way in at 140mm. when zooming in further, the image does feel much sharper and less distorted/fringed, which is to be expected with such a wide zoom range. Overall, the picture quality (sharpness and color accuracy) does change based on how zoomed in you are, but still looks great after a little post-processing. (the only post-processing done to the two window photos shown is making them slightly brighter, as my dumb self underexposed them in the initial shot - but I dod not touch any lens profile corrections.)One more thing that I'll add is that this has been great for blogging and everyday videography as well. An example is that I was able to film some great interior shots of my dad in his corvette, as well as exterior shots more zoomed in, with the same lens. This lens is great for high-speed shooting or filming where you may not have time to switch lenses to be able to zoom in.Overall, I have loved using this lens. It suits my needs as a novice nature photographer as it means that I don't have to switch lenses in order to zoom in further, and I only have to switch to my 70-300mm lens if I'm trying to get in really close to something that's far away. For everyday shooting, this lens has been somewhat of a game-changer in just how versatile it is in so many different shooting conditions. Being able to get a nice wide shot of a landscape or river, and then zooming right into something happening somewhat in the distance, has been a great ability to have for me. I can't recommend this lens for professionals that need the best picture quality that they can get, but for someone on a budget, being able to get this lens for under $200 (used) is an absolute must.

This is the primary lens on my Nikon D5200. At 7.8x zoom, it covers almost all my focal length needs, with surprisingly few optical compromises. Build quality is solid with near premium materials. It's reasonably sharp at all focal length. Focusing performance is superb: lightning fast, and always on target. There is essentially no focus hunting, even in low light. At longer focal lengths, you get a nice background blur. The zoom gears are a little on the stiff side, but as a result there is absolutely no zoom creep. At 55 mm focal length, the aperture opens to f4.8, which is one-half stop brighter than the f5.6 value of Nikon's 18-55 basic kit zoom at the same focal length.What are the downsides?In the first place, a well built long zoom like this is going to be big and heavy. There is no way around it. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to its size.When zoomed out, the top edge of the lens does cast a small shadow when the built in flash is used. It's only noticeable in certain situation.There is minor barrel distortion at the wide end, but it can be easily corrected manually in-camera if it bothers you. Nikon has not issued a firmware update for automatic distortion correction yet.The image colors taken by this lens are not as vibrant as what you get with a prime, but certainly no worse than the standard 18-55 mm VR kit.Regarding the price. This lens is listed at $600, but the price drops down to $350 when purchased as a kit along with Nikon D5300 or D7100.Verdict: A perfect all around lens for your Nikon DSLR if you don't mind the bulk

This lens work really well for vacations and offers versatility in a variety of shooting situations. The auto focus is fast! It saved me a lot versus buying this at a camera store.

This lens is used on a D7200. I like the way this lens focuses, It finds focus fast and does not hunt. I like the sharpness of the images. I like the light weight.I use this lens primarily for wildlife photography. I works ok for large birds but does not have enough reach for small birds. For small birds I use trap focus with an external intervalometer because I cannot get close enough to them. The small F-stop at 300mm does not let in lots of light so this lens is best for daylight shooting. The lens is plastic and the manual focus ring is electronically driven. It does not have a VR switch so on the D7200 VR is turned on. Newer cameras will have a setting to turn VR on and off. Its a good lens for photographing larger birds/wildlife.

I like the range of this lens, great for those occasions when you don't want to pack the entire camera bag.

So far this lens is outstanding! Took my first pics on an overcast day outdoors. The colors were great, and sharpness outstanding for the price point. Similar build to the 18-70 with the extra reach! I can't wait to get pics in bright sun. Sharpness looked to be consistent all through the focal range, shooting at 160th sec and f5.6 with a D90. Build quality and the focal range were my reasons for buying this! So far I am very impressed! Added thoughts on this lens: I find the feel and weight of lens to be excellent for the price point. The extra reach makes this almost perfect as an all in one lens. There is absolutely no zoom creep, but the lens feels a little tight in mounting. Fortunately this covers about 95 % of the focal range most people would need, so This lens will live right on my camera almost permanently.