Highly portable, powerful zoom lens with high-quality optics designed for use with Nikon DX Format digital SLRs. With a 5.3X zoom and 16-85mm focal range, this lens delivers superb versatility for a wide variety of shooting situations. Equipped with Nikon’s second-generation Vibration Reduction (VRII) system and exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM), it offers superb performance in low-light, delivering steady images to both the sensor and viewfinder, and features fast, quiet autofocus. An ideal all-round lens for today’s high-Resolution SLRs.
Powerful 5.3x zoom with wide 16-85mm focal range (35mm equivalent: 24 to 127.5mm), perfect for everything from portraits to interiors, architecture and landscapes.
Second-generation Vibration Reduction (VR II) stabilization system enables more flexible hand-held shooting and lets you use shutter speeds that are up to 4 times slower.
Exceptionally high optical performance: designed specifically for use with Nikon DX format digital SLR sensors.
Editor review : Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens is in almost direct competition with its bigger brother the 18-200mm VR though obviously slightly shorted and has yet to gain the popularity of the 18-200mm VR. Though the 16-85mm appears to display much less distortion then the 18-200mm VR. This could be a good option if the 18-200mm VR has justto much distortion for you needs
The build quality is good as you would expect from Nikon, the zoom ring has a nice feel to it and does not slip or feel clunky .
Sharpness is also good for this lens and in the same ball park as the 18-200mm VR. I was slightly surprised at this as I though the 16-85mm was going to be better.
The 16-85mm is a good all round lens for the price and if you feel the 18-200mm VR is a Bit over the top for your work then this will fill its boot adequately.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Yes Pros: Sharp, good zoom, build quality Cons: Slight distortion, but only slight.
Last updated: Wednesday, 27 February 2008
User Lens Reviews
Average user rating from: 76 user(s)
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.5
Build Quality
4.5
AF Speed
4.5
Value for Money
4.5
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Best all-around DX lens (and almost perfect), Sunday, 29 August 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens after owning the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for about seven months. This lens is much sharper, and is a great performer wide-open. Some functionality is lost compared to the 18-200, but many of the images I took with that lens were much softer, and the wide-open performance was pretty bad. It could have been a bad sample. In any event, I echo the comments of many others here - this lens is a winner. I think it's either a love it or hate it compared to the 18-200 (Ken Rockwell's comparison of these two lens was quite subjective as he gave the 18-200 glowing reviews compared to the 16-85, even after admitting to the 16-85 having better IQ). I prefer to couple this lens with my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras for traveling and get superior image quality over the 18-200.
My only beef with this lens is that it's rather slow. If this was a constant f/4 lens, I think it would have better Nikon product line-up positioning and would make the perfect DX lens (even if this makes the lens a tad larger and about $200 more expensive).
This is a purchase you will definitely be happy with if you are after a very good lens with decent coverage that's very sharp across its focal length and aperture range. It will not disappoint!
Best all-around DX lens (and almost perfect), Sunday, 29 August 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens after owning the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for about seven months. This lens is much sharper, and is a great performer wide-open. Some functionality is lost compared to the 18-200, but many of the images I took with that lens were much softer, and the wide-open performance was pretty bad. It could have been a bad sample. In any event, I echo the comments of many others here - this lens is a winner. I think it's either a love it or hate it compared to the 18-200 (Ken Rockwell's comparison of these two lens was quite subjective as he gave the 18-200 glowing reviews compared to the 16-85, even after admitting to the 16-85 having better IQ). Also, the 18-200 has significant lens creep (which is unacceptable); this 16-85 seems to be constructed the same way (albeit slightly smaller) but has no creep. I prefer to couple this lens with my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras for traveling and get superior image quality over the 18-200.
My only beef with this lens is that it's rather slow. If this was a constant f/4 lens, I think it would have better Nikon product line-up positioning and would make the perfect DX lens (even if this makes the lens just a tad larger and a little more expensive).
This is a purchase you will definitely be happy with if you are after a very good lens with decent coverage that's very sharp across its focal length and aperture range. It will not disappoint!
I've had this lens for about a year, and it has never failed to deliver wonderful results. As an everyday lens, it wipes out the 18-200mm since it's lighter, sharper, has no lens creep. Photozone.de reviews this lens in depth and gives it a rare 4 star rating overall. This lens is worth every penny, my advice, just get one, you won't be sorry.
This is a very sharp lens with a very good VR, quick focus and range. For what it is, a very sharp DX lens for a good price it does a great job. I think with this lens and the 70-300 VR any Nikon DX shooter has almost everything that they need. Maybe a 50mm wide aperature f/1.8 or 1.4 and a 10-24 or 11-16mm even better added later on. This lens has a nice range at 16mm for those wide shoots when you need them. Of course theres purple fringing once in a while and some distortion but all these minor faults can be corrected in PS CS5 so in reality it's a great lens. And with the VR you have the ability to shoot in low light situations especially with Nikons sensitive sensors. Very nice.
I bought this lens a few months ago. It has not been taken off my camera (other than cleaning) since. It takes great pictures and is the perfect range for my photography.
I use this on a D90 as a walkaround lens and have been very happy. I like it better in terms of quality and performance than the kit lenses, although I think it's just a touch pricey and a bit slow at the long end. Can't argue with the results though, and to get anything better would cost much more - and probably doesn't really belong on a D90 anyway. Mostly I use it for architectural shots, so every bit of wide angle helps, especially with the crop factor of the D90.
I got the lens yesterday and went out and shot 50 pictures to check it out. Findings are as follows:
VR works well. ½ second hand held at 33mm equivalent. It's dead sharp and 4 stops slower than the nominal 1/30th. I also took one at 1 second that was not too bad.
Colors and focus are right on.
Macro works OK.
It's heavy: I knew it would be. Lens plus D90 with strap, lens cover, and protective filter weigh 3.1 lb. For comparison, it's 1½ times as heavy as my 1.9 lb D40 with the 18-55 VR kit lens, filter, and strap. My Canon S90 weights 0.9 lb ready to go.
I bought the 16-85 VR lens to be my primary lens for the D90 and to pair with my 70-300 VR lens. I have found with the D40 that the break between the 18-55 and 55-200 lenses (both of which are excellent performing lenses) is at just the wrong place. Too often I've had to make do with the wrong lens on the camera. Remembering from the `80's that a 35-105 lens covered the most used range of zooms on my old Minolta X700, the 16-85 factors to 24 - 127 mm 35 mm equivalent and that should be about right.
An alternative was the 18-200 VR which Ken Rockwell thinks so highly of. The 16-85 is slightly smaller and slightly lighter than the 18-200. Given that I already had the 70-300 (which I got together with the D90 to take pictures of RC model airplanes doing aerobatics at 50-60 mph) the 16-85 seems to be the better choice for me. Tameron has a roughly equivalent lens for a lot less money but it isn't VR. My hand steadiness is such that I have to have VR to get reasonably sharp pictures.
Borrowing from another reviewer, I now have a very expensive (and very heavy) point and shoot camera. That's OK. In its zone of effectivity, the S90 can't be beat for picture quality but the D-90 with 16-85 VR "point-and-shoot" has a much bigger zone of effectivitiy that I plan to exercise in my trips to Glacier National Park and Monument Valley this year, with a little help from the 70-300 for any mountain goats etc that I might get to photograph.
Very impressed with this lens, Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this as an upgrade for the kit lens (18-55) that came with my D40, and to serve as the general purpose lens for future nikon camera upgrades. While the 18-55 is very good, I found a noticeable improvement in picture quality as soon as I attached this new lens. Also since the outer barrel doesn't turn with focusing it makes using polarizing filters much easier.
Expensive, but unique to the Nikon lineup, Friday, 26 February 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
If you're reading this you're probably cross shopping the 18-200mm. Is the 16-85mm worth it over the 18-200mm? Depends on if you need to shoot past 85mm. I shoot almost all 16-50mm so I chose this lens, although I found myself at an air show and at 85mm it was very inadequate to capture the planes in flight. For those who wonder if this lense is sharp, a resounding YES! It's very sharp for a zoom lense. Distortions and flare are well controlled. The 16mm wide end gives you a view that's impossible to see with the 18mm. Be careful with using the lens hood with the on camera flash at it's widest setting, I screwed up some of my pics unknowingly. I find my Nikon D50 has some trouble with underexposed shots with this lense. I'm not sure what it is but it always underexposes by 1/2 to 1 full stop, I can compensate by increasing the default exposure but it's still annoying. This lense is slow so there's no point in using this indoors without adequate lighting, I use my 35mm f1.8 for indoor shots.
Best cheap allround DX lens, Thursday, 25 February 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
i love this lens.
In the 8 months i have had this lens it has been though all lot of abuse. I have droped the camera from quite a height on a few occasions and had it land on the lens only to smash the UV filter. But for all the bumbs a drops it has never failed to work like the day i got it.
My favorite thing about this lens has the be the focal rage i never liked the typical 18-200mm i always thought the wide end wasn't quite wide enough, but with the 16-85mm i get the wide end im looking for and a zoom that covers pretty much any scenario. I should say that the VR is also a great reason the get this lens.
And thats why i love this lens
On my D300 i choose this lens over any other..
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: I own it Where did you buy this item?: WarehouseExpress.com Price paid: 444 When did you buy this item?: June 2009
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Yes Pros: Sharp, Great focal rage, fast focus, good weight, Cons: none
The best DX lens for the advanced amateur budget, Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I was one of the lucky few that got this lens when it first came out, and I must say, it has been the best lens purchase I've made since shooting nikon DX digital. It has been a faithful companion to my D80. I've found it to be quite versatile and dependable. This is one of the least recognized lenses that nikon makes, a focal length which lies within some pretty steep competition. Many people have opted for the 18-200 VR, for its added telephoto reach, or the 17-55 2.8, for its faster aperture. I decided that since I had the longer focal lengths covered with my 70-210, I didn't need the 18-200, but needed something longer than 55mm in a zoom lens. I felt that there were too many trade-offs for having an 11x zoom lens, with regard to image quality; and that two stops in aperture speed wasn't worth the extra cash vs. VR. What I found was that this lens is in many ways, more versatile than the 18-200 and 17-55, with no trade-offs. For people who don't need the telephoto reach, the 16mm end of this lens is more valuable a feature. It approximates a 24mm field of view, equivalent to full frame. The perspective is noticably wider than 18mm. The lens itself is smaller than the 18-200, lighter than the 17-55, it uses more common 67mm filters, it has no zoom creep (an issue seen in the first version of the 18-200mm, the version most people are still using), less distortion at 16mm than the 18-200 has at 18mm, and the 17-55 at 17mm, and more effective VR compared to the 18-200 (I've taken well stabilized, one handed shots over 50mm, while walking, consistantly at 1/30 with VR set to "active"). The 16-85 VR has a stellar build, fit, and finish - much higher quality than any of nikon's kit lenses (I had the 18-135). I've not had any missed focus issues, which attests to the capability of this lens. I use the lens for mostly general purpose, in addition to some portraiture. The VR makes up for its slow aperture, if what you shoot doesn't move a lot, and is much better compared to having f/2.8 without VR (if you factor a 3 stop level of compensation vs. the two stop faster aperture). But for a portrait lens, I have found that it doesn't hold a candle to the 85 1.4D, at 85mm, with regard to bokeh. However, I have used the 16-85 VR for portraiture with acceptable results, which is a testament to its versatility. All around, this is a quality lens, for a relative good price compared to the 17-55 2.8 DX, which isn't any sharper; and on par with the 18-200, with regard to overall image quality, with better handling. It is a good step-up from a kit lens.
Painfully Expensive but Amazing Lens. Wide angle , Sunday, 21 February 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
3.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
You lose something on the long end, but the wide angle of 16mm is so incredibly useful. I compare this to my older tamron 18-200 and I only barely miss the long end (85-200). The picture quality is much much better head to head. It is painfully and unnecessarily expensive but...what the hell. I am saving on film. 4 stars because of the cost. S
Although I have the full compliment of Nikon pro lenses, I frequently use the 16-85 as my "walking around lens" for casual shooting. It is very sharp and boasts high image quality, has an effective VR system (unlike Nikon's pro grade 24-70 lens, which has no VR), and is lightweight and compact to boot.
Although the pro lenses are marginally sharper and optically faster, I tend to see it as a balance. If I didn't use the 16-85, I'd probably be carrying at least the 24-70 and one other lens. Not only is the 24-70 quite a bit heavier than the 16-85, I'd probably miss some shots due to changing lenses. Still, the pro lenses are amazing and they have their purpose too (for instance, soon as you go to an FX camera)...it's just for maybe two-thirds of my casual shooting the 16-85 is more convenient and "good enough". Unlike some other long-range zooms (the 24-120 comes to mind), this lens produces very sharp and contrasty pictures with great color and that "pop" you get from top lenses. I never get the sense I'm using a substandard lens, and from what I've seen, it's well ahead of the 18-200 and Nikon's kit lenses.
One of my few complaints about this lens is that out of focus areas (bokeh) tend to be somewhat harsh and jagged, not soft and "creamy" in the tradition of Nikon's excellent 85mm f/1.4. This isn't a deal breaker for me...just means I spend relatively more time fixing backgrounds in the computer after the shot. The only other complaint I have is the the f/5.6 at the long end is really a bit too dark...I would have preferred a constant f/3.5 or f/4 through the range, even if it meant making the lens marginally bigger.
Mechanically, the lens seems rugged and well made, although just a hair lower quality than Nikon's pro lenses. Note that if you use filters with it, the very wide 16mm end of the zoom range calls for thin mount filters, otherwise you get a bit of Vignetting. Still, it has been through many thousands of exposures on my D300 in conditions ranging from the tropics to frozen New England winters, and it has always focused quickly and smoothly and acts like new.
Excellent all purpose Nikon DX lens, Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Nikon 16-85mm is a general purpose lens designed for Nikon DX camera. DX camera is camera that use APS-C size sensor. There are plenty of DX cameras in the market from beginner (D3000, D5000) to advanced (D90, D300s). The focal length is equivalent to 24-127mm. It is capable to take wide landscape or very tall building in one frame without panorama sticthing. It is also long enough for close-up portrait or pulling subject from 20 meters away.
Like other non-kit lens, Nikon 16-85mm has metal mount. The outer shell are made by combination of metal and plastic. It is very sturdy and well made. Nikon 16-85mm comes with a plastic bayonet type lens hood.
Nikon 16-85mm features VR (Vibration Reduction) which stabilized the image sensor to prevent blurring on images due to Camera shake. This lens also features AF-S SWM, which ensure fast and silent auto focus.
The lens is almost perfect but I wish it has constant aperture like f/4 or even f/2.8. But I understand it might increase the size and double the price.
Many people might compare this lens to Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon DX-format Digital SLR Cameras. Here are some differences: Nikon 16-85mm vs Nikon 18-200mm
* Nikon 16-85mm is a bit wider, so it is better for landscape / architecture photography. * Nikon 16-85mm is more compact (85mm x 72mm / 3.4 in. x 2.8 in. vs 96.5mm x 77mm / 3.8 in. x 3.0 in.) * Nikon 16-85mm delivers more consistent result especially wide open at f/3.5-5.6, however this advantage diminished when you shoot at f/8. * Nikon 16-85mm is slightly cheaper. (Approx. 20% cheaper) * Nikon 18-200mm has a much longer telephoto end, thus more versatile in various shooting condition.
Based on what I read, the 18-200mm is more popular than 16-85mm because of its zoom power, but professionals might prefer 16-85mm because of its consistent result across focal length and aperture.
Nikon 16-85mm like other Nikon DX lenses is also mountable in Nikon full frame camera. But because it is designed for much smaller image sensor, you will lose 50-60% image resolution.
Overall this is an excellent walk around lens, it delivers consistent high quality result in all focal lens and great for casual and professional use.
Tips: when you use built-in flash with this lens, you need to remove lens hood because it obstruct the light. Additional tips: The size and weight balance very well when used with Nikon D80 or Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
for more reviews and image sample, please visit my blog. The address is in my profile page. Thanks for reading.
