Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Review

December 22, 2011 | Zoltan Arva-Toth | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Sharpness Cont... 2

Sharpness at 50mm

For these tests, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens was attached to a Nikon D7000 body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure delay mode was activated. Tonal and colour variances across the crops are due to changes in natural light during the session. The 100% crops represent about 1/400th of the total frame area.

The full frame at 50mmThe full frame at 50mm

Centre sharpness is excellent from f/5.6 through f11, and still very good at f/5 and f16. Diffraction takes its toll on resolution at f22 but I would not refrain from using that setting if I needed the DoF. The borders aren't that great wide open but sharpen up rapidly upon stopping down, reaching peak performance at f11. At f16 the edges are still very sharp, and even f22 is sharper than f/5 or f/5.6.

Aperture Centre Crop Edge Crop
f/5
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22