NikonAF-S FX NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

I've been looking for a nice wide-angle lens for a couple of years now (especially after moving to full frame three years ago) and just couldn't decide on anything in particular. I was looking for something very sharp throughout the frame, wide enough for most landscapes or architecture in closed-up spaces and light enough to take anywhere. I didn't want to buy some cheap kit or third-party lens which might be good enough. I'm a self-proclaimed pixel peeper and I knew I wouldn't be happy with a lens that exhibited imperfections such as chromatic aberration, softness in the corners or possible focusing issues. I wanted something that also produced good color and clarity.Up until this point I had tried the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 and liked it, but the lens was very heavy and I just could't see myself carrying it around in my bag just in case, or take it on long walking trips for casual shooting. The 14-24mm f/2.8 is the kind of lens you take out only if you REALLY intend to shoot some serious landscapes, or during important low light events that require ultra wide angle. The weight is a bit prohibitive and the size is ridiculous for casual outings.I then picked up a 28mm f/1.8G which is an excellent lens, super sharp, light, great for landscapes on a full frame body, but isn't wide enough for shooting large buildings around the city, especially when you're too close to them. I really wanted something wider for when I needed it. So, I began looking around at other options.I was deliberating between the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-45G and the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR. The price on both was fairly close, but more people seemed to buy the 16-35mm f/4G VR. At that point I asked myself a couple of questions.1.) Do I need VR on this lens? - For me the answer is No. I would use it for landscapes in good light, and for long exposures the camera and lens would be mounted to a tripod. I guess some would argue I could do semi-long exposures hand-held with VR, but honestly,... how often would I ever do that? Almost never. In low light and at high ISO, full frame cameras are excellent these days and a wide angle can be easily hand-held at very slow shutter speeds even without VR.2.) Do I need constant aperture of f/4? - For me the answer is No. Why would I? The 18-35mm is slightly faster at its widest with an aperture of f/3.5 so that's a bonus. At it's longest it becomes an f/4.5. No big deal there and not a big difference from the 16-35mm f/4. Most landscapes are shot anywhere from f/5.6 and smaller, so whether or not the lens is constant aperture, there doesn't seem to be any advantage.3.) Do I need the extra two millimeter difference between 16mm and 18mm? - For me the answer is No. For some people this may be important and every millimeter counts, but for me the difference is not big enough to justify paying more.4.) Which lens is sharper from corner to corner? - I did a lot of research before I made up my mind and in the end the 18-35mm seemed just a smidgen sharper than the 16-35mm f/4 G VR. That is what really mattered to me the most. The performance of the 18-35mm is just beautiful.After deliberating for weeks going back and forth, I settled on the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G. It is a superb lens. Not only is it sharp, it also produces great colors and contrast, exhibits easy-to-fix wide angle distortion, easily accepts filters, is light enough to carry around just about anywhere (though not too light in that cheap sort of way), is well-built, focuses fairly quickly, and compared to other Nikon wide-angle zooms it is quite affordable! This lens is a gem.The only minor negative I can think of (if I must) is the zoom ring, which when first used, can be a little bit tough to turn. This gets better with frequent use.Would I recommend this lens? Absolutely. I shoot it with a Nikon D610 and a Nikon D750 and these work great together.DX/CROP SENSOR SHOOTERS...This lens is great on any Nikon, but if you're shooting with a crop sensor and looking for ultra wide angle, you may need something wider than 18mm. This is a wide lens on a full frame body, but on a crop sensor it may not be wide enough for you. It would make it about a 28mm equivalent (1.5 crop factor multiplied my 18mm) at the wide end. You'll want to look into wide angle lenses specifically designed for DX models, BUT.... if you plan to upgrade to full frame sometime soon, this 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G would be a great choice.ONE MORE THING THOUGH....If I were looking for a landscape lens today and I didn't need the flexibility of a zoom, I would also look into the newly released Nikon 20mm f/1.8G. It is two millimeters narrower, but it offers a much wider aperture at f/1.8 (for low light situations) and may be sharper from corner to corner (although honestly this 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G is really, really good). If the 20mm f/1.8G is as sharp as the 28mm f/1.8G, it should be phenomenal.

I have bought other lenses from Amazon and haven't always got the greatest product. This lens was perfect and just what I was looking for.

Nice lens. It feels a little cheaply built, you feel the plastic and the movements can feel sticky. But for the price it delivers more than you can ask for. I've found it most useful for urban photography, but have used it for waterfalls and some nature in Iceland and Switzerland. It is light, which is nice and of course a tradeoff of having more plastic and less glass. If you need a wide angle nikon lens on a budget this is a fabulous choice.

First, let me say I've been researching and even testing wide angle lenses for the FX (full frame) format. My stipulations hunting for a new wide angle were: it had to accept filters, it had to have acceptable to excellent optics, and it had to be affordable (had to be under 1K). I am a serious amateur and certainly want decent glass but can't justify $2K. Two pluses would be that it was constant aperture (f/4 or f/2.8) and great build quality.I have looked at the Tokina 16-28 and haven't tried it, as it accepts no filters. Most of Nikons are too expensive as they are well over $1K. I like Tokina as I have the excellent f/2.8 11-16mm ATX lens for DX, and have taken some nice pictures with it. I have used it on my Nikon D90 and tried it on my D700. I can use it at 16mm as a prime, but it isn't that useful and the corners degrade somewhat. I was looking for the equivalent in FX format. I purchased and tried the Tokina f/4 17-35mm. I had high hopes because the reviews were decent. The lens, at least my copy was not. It was horribly mushy at the corners, and just didn't seem like it could get sharp even stopped down. Back to Amazon it went.Eureka! after performing more Google and Amazon research, I found this recently released (in March 2013) wide angle "cheap" ($750-ish) lens by Nikon. The AF-S 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED Nikkor lens. With beautiful reviews. Can it be? Can this lens actually meet my needs and be as good as some folks say? I had to find out for myself and order this lens from Amazon!After only having this lens for a day, and taking a few snapshots around the house, I can say this lens in optical quality IMO way surpasses the Tokina f/4 17-35mm I have tried. It is very sharp, with not much distortion, no vignetting, no glare (even shooting in the sunlight) or CA that I could tell so far. It is made of plastic and is pretty light, so Tokina build quality easily surpasses it on "looks and feel"... Although the Nikon focus and zoom rings are nice and smooth and well damped. Most of the lenses today are plastic unless you buy a $$$ professional or older lens type. between 18mm and 20mm the aperture is f/3.5 - 3.8, which is low-light enough for those interior and dark pictures. At f/8 and above this lens is perfect for those landscape pictures. And it takes 77mm filters, which is a very common size especially for the "pro series" of lenses and my old Tokina 11-16mm.What is there not to like?? Maybe build quality if you get hung up on plastic (although the plastic isn't "cheap" feeling like some thord-party lenses) or constant f/2.8 aperture (which I don't believe you need in a WA lens). This lens starts at 3.5 at the wide end, so if you primarily shoot around there you aren't missing too much and can still shoot inside and in the dark with a little bump in the ISO.I would highly recommend this lens to anyone looking for a Wide Angle lens on FX and being able to use filters. I think it is a great value with excellent image quality. At 18mm-35mm, this lens is functionality equivalent to a DX 12-24mm WA lens. Like another reviewer here said, "Run, Do Not Walk, to buy this lens"!In the comments section I posted a link to a set of pics that were shot with this lens. I will add to these as time and travel allow. Please ignore the composition or horrible subject matters ;-) . A number of these will be test shots.