APS-C Dslr Lenses

An affordable telephoto zoom lens for Nikon’s DX-format DSLR cameras.Designed as a second lens for DSLR kits, the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED offers an affordable option for owners of Nikon’s DX-format bodies who want a medium tele zoom lens. Compact and light in weight, this lens is made almost entirely from plastic – right down to the mounting plate. Fortunately, overall build quality is good for a plastic lens and, coupled with the 18-55mm kit lens, buyers will get a very useful range of focal lengths without adding much weight to their equipment.

The standard kit lens offered with Nikon’s new D5000 DSLR camera body.Nikon has matched Canon in offering a stabilised lens as the kit lens with its latest DSLR camera, the D5000. The AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR lens covers a focal length range equivalent to a 27-82.5mm lens on a 35mm camera. Equipped with a Silent Wave Motor drive and built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, this 3x zoom lens will focus down to 28 cm across the entire zoom range.

A lightweight, 5.5x telephoto zoom lens with built-in VR stabilisation for Nikon’s DX camera bodies. Photographers looking for a telephoto zoom lens to complement the 18-55mm kit lens supplied with Nikon DSLRs will doubtless be drawn to the new AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR lens. Designed specifically for Nikon’s DX-format cameras, where it covers a focal length range equivalent to 85-450mm, it offers some attractive features plus a decent price/performance ratio.

A well-build general-purpose lens with above-average performance for Nikon’s DX-format cameras.Designed for use with Nikon’s DX-format cameras, the new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens will be offered in some Nikon DSLR kits – including with the new D90, which was used for our tests. Covering angles of view equivalent to 27mm to 157.5mm, it represents a good general-purpose lens for everyday photography and is priced accordingly. Nikon’s internal focusing system enables the lens to be used with angle-critical filters, such as polarisers, while a Silent Wave Motor focus drive ensures autofocusing is fast and quiet.

The new AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens is the largest, heaviest and costliest of the three 18-200mm DSLR zooms we’ve reviewed in issues 25, 26 and 27. Although it can only be used on Nikon DSLR cameras – where it provides an 11.1x zoom ratio and covers a focal length range equivalent to 27-300mm in 35mm format – it has some distinguishing features that justify its relatively high price tag.

A high-quality standard zoom lens with an extended zoom range for DSLR cameras with APS-C sized sensors.Designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized sensors, Sigma’s new DC 18-125mm 1:3.8-5.6 HSM lens offers a slightly longer zoom range than most kit lenses and promises better optical quality. Constructed from 16 elements in 12 groups, it comes with Sigma’s Optical Stabiliser function and multi-layer coatings to minimise flare and ghosting.

A compact, ultra-lightweight telephoto zoom kit lens for Pentax DSLR cameras.Most people will acquire the smc Pentax-DA L 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED lens in the twin lens kit with one of Pentax’s DSLR cameras. However, the kit lens supplied for review with the K-m camera body looked a little different from the lens shown on Pentax’s website. Like the 18-55mm kit lens, the test lens lacked the green band around the rear edge of the zoom ring and focus markings in metres and feet in front of the focusing ring and no lens hood was provided.

A lightweight standard zoom kit lens for Pentax DSLR cameras.The smc Pentax-DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6AL lens supplied for us to review with the K-m camera body was not quite the same as the lens that is sold as a stand-alone item and shown on Pentax’s website. There was no green band on the review lens and no focus markings in front of the focusing ring and, although the dimensions of the review lens matched those of the lens listed on the Pentax website, it appeared to be less refined.

A versatile, but quite expensive, 5x standard zoom lens that covers a popular focal length range for general photography.Announced in mid-September 2010, the AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR is an update to the popular 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR that features a constant f/4 maximum aperture across the focal length range. Designed for Nikon’s FX (36 x 24 mm sensor) cameras, it is also usable with the company’s DX models, where it covers a focal length range equivalent to 36-180mm.