AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens

In summary
Like all kit lenses, the AF-P 18-55mm is a general-purpose lens that spans angles of view from a modest wide-angle to a short telephoto range.
The stepping motors that drive autofocusing are very quick and quiet.
Its light weight and relatively small size make it a good partner for Nikon’s smaller DSLRs and, together, they would be suitable for travellers. The D3400 body plus this lens are also good for street photography.
The most economical way to purchase this lens is with a camera body but its stand-alone price is competitive. Either way, it represents good value for money.
Full review
The AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR is one of two new kit lenses offered with Nikon’s latest entry-level cameras. The other lens comes without stabilisation and has no ‘VR’ designation. The AF-P category is new and denotes the use of stepping motors for driving autofocus. This limits the number of cameras that can use them to the D3400 (used for this review), the D3300, D5300 and the D5500.

Angled view of the AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. (Source: Nikon.)
The optical design of this lens consists of 12 elements in nine groups and includes two aspherical lens elements. Nikon’s website in the USA describes them as ‘Aspherical glass elements’. Voice coil motors drive the VR stabilisation, which claims to deliver up to four stops of shake compensation.

The optical design of the AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens showign the location of the aspherical elements. (Source: Nikon.)
This lens is usually bundled with one of Nikon’s entry-level DX DSLR cameras but it’s also being sold as a stand-alone product. Both versions are available locally, although not necessarily in the same store.
Nikon doesn’t provide RRPs (recommended retail prices) to local journalists so we are forced to check out the major on-line re-sellers each time we review a Nikon product. For the first time ever since Nikon stopped supplying RRPs, we’ve discovered an interesting anomaly: it can cost you much less to buy this lens in Australia than if you shop off-shore. Nikon’s US online store has the VR version listed at US$249.95 and the unstabilised version at US$199.95. Online re-sellers in the ‘States may reduce these prices by three or four dollars; but not more.
When this review was published the VR lens was commonly listed at AU$150 on Australian online re-sellers’ sites, although we spotted it for as low as AU$127 and as high as AU$219. The non-VR version was also listed at around AU$150 but we saw it for as low as AU$121. How long these prices will last is anyone’s guess but we suggest that if you’re planning to buy this lens, do it ASAP.
Who’s it For?
Like all kit lenses, the AF-P 18-55mm is a general-purpose lens that spans angles of view from a modest wide-angle to a short telephoto range. It’s built to a price but, as a consequence, light and a great partner to Nikon’s lighter DSLR cameras.
The stepping motors that drive autofocusing are very quick and quiet, making this lens ideal for shooting movies and enabling users to shoot without attracting notice in public places. Aside from the stepping motor AF- drive, there are some important differences between the AF-P 18-55mm lens and the previous AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VRII kit lens, which are listed in the table below.
|
AF-P 18-55mm lens |
AF-S 18-55mm lens |
Optical design |
12 elements in 9 groups |
11 elements in 8 groups |
Minimum focusing distance |
25 cm |
28 cm |
Max. reproduction ratio |
0.38x |
0.31x |
Filter diameter |
55 mm |
52 mm |
Dimensions (diam. x length) |
64.5 x 62.5 mm |
73 x 79.5 mm |
Weight |
205 grams |
265 grams |
Build and Ergonomics
Like the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VRII lens supplied with previous entry-level cameras, the AF-P 18-55mm is mostly composite plastic, with plastic barrels and a plastic mounting plate and perhaps at least one plastic lens in its optical assembly. The use of stepping motors for the AF drive could account for the lens being smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Stepping motors are also simpler and cheaper than the ultrasonic motors used in AF-S lenses.
The retracting mechanism, which is operated by a button on the outer barrel, is like the mechanism used in the AF-S lens. Pressing this button as you rotate the zoom ring unlocks the lens, extending it to the shooting position. When retracting the lens, the button must be held in as the zoom ring is rotated, reducing the overall length by approximately 30 mm..
Aside from the lens release button, there are no other controls on the lens barrel. Switching between auto and manual focusing or engaging or disengaging stabilisation must be done via the camera’s menu.
The zoom ring is about 30 mm wide and mostly covered by a broadly-ribbed rubber-like grip. Five focal length settings are stamped on the trailing edge of the ring, covering 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 45mm and 55mm positions.
Each setting is lined up against a white line on the fixed section of the lens barrel to select that particular focal length. As the focal length changes, the maximum and minimum apertures are also adjusted, as shown in the table below.
Focal length |
18mm |
24mm |
35mm |
45mm |
55mm |
Maximum aperture |
f/3.5 |
f/3.8 |
f/4.5 |
f/5 |
f/5.6 |
Minimum aperture |
f/22 |
f/25 |
f/29 |
f/32 |
f/36 |
The lens barrel remains cylindrical for about 15 mm behind the zoom ring before stepping inwards to form the plastic mounting plate. Eight metal contacts on the mount provide an interface between the lens and camera.
Both versions of the lens are supplied with front and end caps and a printed instruction sheet. The HB-N106 lens hood and CL-0815 carry bag are optional extras.
Performance
We were pleasantly surprised by the performance of the review lens in our Imatest tests, which showed it to be capable of meeting expectations for the D3400’s 24-megapixel sensor at several focal length settings. The highest resolution was achieved at between 1.5 and two f-stops down from maximum aperture.
Edge softening was apparent at the widest aperture settings but was pulled in as the lens was stopped down. Diffraction began to take effect from about f/8 on, with a significant drop-off in resolution at f/16, as shown in the graph of our test results below.

Lateral chromatic aberration is corrected automatically in recent Nikon cameras so it’s not surprising to find it remained within the ‘negligible’ band at all aperture and focal length settings. In the graph of our Imatest results below, the red line marks the boundary between negligible and low CA.

The review lens was reasonably flare resistant and the camera handled backlit situations well. Bokeh (out-of-focus blurring) was as you would expect from a kit lens. Neither the f/3.5 maximum aperture at 18mm nor the f/5.6 maximum aperture at 55mm was wide enough to produce smooth background blurring in close-up shots. Not surprisingly, the resulting bokeh was fairly choppy, although this wasn’t necessarily obvious with evenly-lit backgrounds. When there were bright highlights in the background, they took on a circular shape and outlining was common.
Distortion and vignetting are both corrected in-camera by default although, unlike the chromatic aberration correction, you can switch each correction off. We did this for our tests but also recorded NEF.RAW files so we could see whether there were differences between them. If any existed, they were too small to see.
Vignetting was obvious with the widest apertures at the 18mm focal length and we had to stop down to f/5 before it became negligible. It was also apparent with the 35mm focal length but, again, stopping down to f/5 eliminated most corner darkening. By 55mm, the corner darkening was barely visible at f/5.6 (the widest aperture) and it was eliminated with the f/6.3 aperture setting.
The review lens showed noticeable barrel distortion at 18mm although, by 35mm no apparent distortion could be seen. At the 55mm focal length, slight pincushion distortion was discernible but it wouldn’t affect shots in most situations.
The relatively small maximum apertures across the focal length range of the review lens are not ideal for depth of field control and, even though it was possible to shoot pictures with out-of-focus backgrounds this was only possible at the widest lens apertures. Aside from that, for a kit lens, its overall performance was impressive.
Conclusion
Provided you own one of the cameras that can use this lens, it represents a worthwhile purchase. While not totally sharp from edge to edge of the imaging field, its central resolution is more than adequate for the photographers who are most likely to purchase it.
Its light weight and relatively small size make it a good partner for Nikon’s smaller DSLRs and, together, they would be suitable for travellers. The D3400 body plus this lens are also good for street photography.
The most economical way to purchase this lens is with a camera body but its stand-alone price is competitive. Either way, it represents good value for money and qualifies for an Editor’s Choice nomination.
SPECS
SPECS:
Picture angle: 76 degrees to 28 degrees 50 minutes
Minimum aperture: f/22-f/38
Lens construction: 12 elements in 9 groups (including 2 aspherical elements)
Lens mounts: Nikon F mount (DX cameras only)
Diaphragm Blades: 7 (rounded aperture)
Focus drive: Stepping motor
Stabilisation: Lens shift using voice coil motors
Minimum focus: 25 cm
Maximum magnification: 0.38x
Filter size: 55 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 64.5 x 62.5 mm
Weight: 205 grams
Standard Accessories: Lens front and end caps
Distributor: Nikon Australia, 1300 366 499; www.nikon.com.au
TESTS
Based on JPEG files taken with the Nikon D3400 camera.



SAMPLES

Vignetting at 8mm, f/3.5.

Vignetting at 35mm, f/4.5.

Vignetting at 55mm, f/5.6.

Rectilinear distortion at 18mm.

Rectilinear distortion at 35mm.

Rectilinear distortion at 55mm.

18mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/200 second at f/7.1.

55mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/200 second at f/7.1.

Close-up at 18mm; ISO 100, 1/1250 second at f/5.6.

Close-up at 55mm; ISO 100, 1/1600 second at f/5.6.

Bokeh in close-up at f/5.6. 55mm focal length, 1/100 second at ISO 100.

18mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

Crop from the above image at 100% magnification.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

Crop from the above image at 100% magnification.

Strong contre-jour lighting; 18mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/10.

Backlit subject; 40mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/7.1.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.

50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/160 second at f/6.3.
Additional image samples can be found with our review of the Nikon D3400 camera.
Rating
RRP: n/a; Average selling price: AU$150; US$249.95
- Build: 8.5
- Handling: 8.4
- Image quality: 8.8
- Versatility: 8.5