Sharpness at 80mm

The sharpness tests for this review were carried out using a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR lens was attached to a Nikon D5500 body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure Delay Mode was activated. Slight tonal changes are due to slight changes in natural light during the session.

The full frame at 80mm

The lens is a little soft wide open in the centre, but sharpness is very good from f/5.6 through to f/11, with f/16 and f/22 slightly worse due to diffraction. The edges aren't quite so good, with the best results obtained from f/8 to f/11.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16		`
f/22		`
f/32		`