Sharpness Cont... 2

Sharpness at 50mm

The sharpness tests for this review were carried out using a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens was attached to a Nikon D7000 body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. We also used an infrared remote release and mirror lock-up to prevent any blurring that may result from camera or mirror movement. Slight tonal changes are due to slight changes in natural light during the session. The 100% crops represent about 1/400th of the total frame area.

The full frame at 50mm

Sharpness in the centre of the frame is commendably high even wide open at f/5.3 and gets better still at f/8. Stopping down further brings no perceivable benefit in terms of sharpness.

The borders and corners are clearly softer but still adequate, with f11 being the best setting.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/5.3
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22