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: 23 user(s)
Overall rating (weighted)
4.4
Sharpness
4.5
Build Quality
4.3
AF Speed
4.4
Value for Money
4.4
Add new review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
It's a Nikon, Thursday, 27 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I use the 16-85 as a companion to the 70-300. The 16mm wide end is very nice for general shooting. The quality of build and optics is typical Nikon. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5, the hood will cast a very strong shadow in your photo if you do not take it off before using the built in flash. At least this is true when used with the D60. I am surprised that this got past the good folks at Nikon. Otherwise it's a great product.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A great general purpose lens. , Sunday, 09 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens is just right for me. Ideal for indoors, at museums, at the zoo, in the garden. I'm getting wonderful pictures with it. I don't know how they could make it any lighter and the way I use it I don't notice any unusual distortion. Great for most macro shots.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
A great general purpose lens. , Sunday, 09 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens is just right for me. Ideal for indoors, at museums, at the zoo, in the garden. It is a very good macro lens for casual use without special accessories... great for small flowers, bugs, coins, jewelry. None of the problems that come up when using long telephoto lenses. No creep when pointing down. Very light. Works great on my Nikon D80.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Excellent lens, Friday, 31 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
After being an avid Nikon products user for well over 30 years, I must admit that this lens holds no disappointments for me. The extra 2mm from the 18mm to the 16mm is considerable. It's worth the extra money for the extra consideration. I don't think anyone would regret buying and using this lens.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Excellet lens - great compliment to the 70-300 VR, Sunday, 26 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Bought this lens after one too many times being dissapointed in the 18-55 kit lens that came with my D50. There were two factors important to me - 1) VR being included and 2) improved sharpness, another, yet less important factor was the zoom range which fits perfectly with my other lenses. I currently shoot the 70-300VR, 50mm 1.8, Tamron 90mm macro and now the 16-85 VR. It was a bonus that this lens fit perfectly with my other gear, the real reason I picked it up was revealed the first time I used it. Love the VR, really helps on a majority of my shots which are done hand held. Second is the IQ - sharpness and colors are much improved over the 18-55 kit lens. There is a slight bit of Vignetting, however, that's easily fixed in post processing. The build quailty is excellent on this lens and while it may be a bit on the pricey side I'm very happy with it and highly recommend it. I've since "upgraded" to the D300 body and it shines with that as well. If you've currently got the 70-300VR this lens is the perfect compliment.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
I hate zooms, but..., Thursday, 16 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I am a snob of sorts. I use prime Nikkors, mostly manual focus, and mostly fast apertures. In thirty years of Nikon use, I use manual focus Nikkors even on my auto-focus film cameras.
I tested the waters of digital with a D40 and D60 (the D40 was stolen), and the kit lens that came with each was everything that made me stay with my metal and glass Nikkors when auto-focus ruled the film world, too light, too flimsy, and lacking of a feel of precision. I used my manual focus Nikkors on the D60 with good effect, giving up metering, and a less than exact focusing ability, especially at f/one-point-something.
After reading a review for the 16-85mm Nikkor zoom, I decided to get one so that I could at least have one auto-everything lens for when I wanted to be lazy, or hand the camera to someone else to use. When the lens arrived, it looked much better than the kit lens that sat unused after a brief test period. The lens was first rate in terms of fit and finish. The impression of a fine lens continued when I mounted it and shot images in my low-lit living room. A sharp shot taken at 1/3rd of a second at the 85mm setting was enough to let me know that the new VR label was a true tool, and not just a selling point.
I now have several hundred photos made with this lens, and not a bad one from the lens' fault. The prints I had made from my lab had the tech asking me what I was shooting with... the files were so good.
FWIW... my normal working wide-angle in the film days was 24mm, and this lens has that Angle of view when set at 16mm. I was at home with this lens on the first outing, and I stopped thinking about film-versus-digital...I was shooting with a 24mm lens. I never liked the 28mm focal length, so this lens was the one I was waiting for, and I'm glad it came along. There is a difference between a 24mm and 28mm (on film), and it shows up here in the digital world too.
I can recommend this as a quality optic for the digital shooter.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
NIKON LENS, Saturday, 13 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I AM A PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT AND BOUGHT THIS LENS FOR MY D-80. IT IS JUST WHAT I NEED TO COMPLETE ALL OF MY ASSIGNMENTS AS IT HAS A VERY GOOD RANGE AND IS NOT CUMBERSOME OR TOO HEAVY. I WILL CONTINUE TO USE THIS LENS FOR YEARS TO COME ON A DAILY BASIS.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
awesome awesome awesome lens, Sunday, 24 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
this is the perfect addition to my 55-200 vr. i bought the d70s body with no kit lens so i could put the money towards a nice lens. this really worked out how i wanted! i hear people claiming it doesn't focus fast, but i handed it to a 30 year pro photographer buddy and he is looking into buying one now too, so it can't be too bad. i took it to a club to shoot a friends birthday party. my worries about focusing in the dark went away as i came away with 98% of sharp photos of people dancing in the club. i used a sb800 to light it with 1.6 sec shutterspeed both front and rear curtain, iso 200, and the lens did awesome! it found people even when i sometimes couldn't. the vr even has a second stage for while shooting from a moving car called active vr. i would definitely recommend this to a pro photographer! may not be as fast as the big guns, but it's not kicking rocks either.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
FINALLY!, Friday, 22 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I'd been a fan of the old, ultra-versatile, 24-120mm Nikkor for years, and I couldn't imagine buying a new D-SLR without a lens of similar performance. When I saw this lens hit the market at its price, I knew the digital format had arrived. I'm a huge fan of wide-angle, and this lens delivers a 24-127mm (film-equivalent) zoom range. Awesome. I've only taken a handful of shots with this lens, but it performs at least as good, if not better than the old beast attached to my Nikon N90s. The smaller relative aperture of all small-sensor lenses don't quite give the the narrow Depth of field of comparable lenses attached to film cameras, but overall I'm very pleased with the purchase. Not a professional lens by any means, but it's priced just right to reflects it capabilities.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Very versatile, Monday, 18 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
5.0
This a very sharp lens. You might be looking at this review, having a 18-55 kit lens, or a 18-200. This is as sharp as either, if not sharper, and it has some improvements. There's a nice firm focusing ring on this one, not like the 18-55, where you have to twist the barrel. The focusing is internal, so if you have a filter on this, like a circular polarizer, you don't need to readjust every time you focus. The VR is great.
If you really want to nitpick, there is minor, MINOR Barrel Distortion on the wide end, and a little vignetting.
I will say this: the lens is long, and big. Please take note when using this lens. I use this on a D40, and the AF Lamp is slightly obstructed. I also recommend using a speedlight instead of the on board flash. If you try taking a flash shot at the wide end, expect a nice shadow on the bottom of your picture, cast from the end of the barrel. At tighter zoom levels, this isn't apparent, but still.
It's a quality lens. Not too heavy, very good all-around performer
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Great all-around lens, Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
So far this lens has proven extraordinary and much more than what I expected. Images are sharp, color is excellent and I find I do not need to change lenses as this one has such a wide range. The VRII has proven very good, even when I or the subject are in motion.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Nikon 16-85 AF VR, Saturday, 26 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I purchased this lens to replace an 18-70 AF "kit" Nikkor I was using on my D200.
I take a lot of low light photos and usually cannot use flash for various reasons. I was having trouble with images being blurred even when I braced the camera against objects such as door jambs or used a monopod.
Manually focussed test shots taken with the old lens and the new lens using the same aperture setting, focal length, ISO100 and at around 1/10 second exposure, were noticeably sharper on the images taken with the new lens. Test shots using autofocus appear sharper as well.
The extra range at the 16 and 85 mm settings are a bonus and make the lens just that much more flexible.
This lens was recommended to me by a semi-pro photographer I work with and I would recommend this lens to a friend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
great lens for walkabouts, Monday, 21 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
A great lens for a day walking around your favorite city (a walkabout)..at 16mm great for wide shots..getting in an entire doorway or unusual window. At 85..not a lot of telephoto but enough to get you by. I bought this lens to replace a wonderful 18-55 I had..this gives me just a bit more width and 50% more telephoto. VR works great in low light situtations to let you drop your sutter speed and still handhold at dusk, or a back dark alleyway in London or Venice.
Becareful reading reviews--there is a Negative review floating about in which the buyer states he got this lens with his D80 and complains the lens mount is plastic and broke...Sorry but this lens has a METAL lens mount and is NOT available as a "kit' lens with the D80. I feel sorry for the guy-broke a 'kit' lens but he is reporting and complaining about the wrong lens (I suspect he broke the $199 18-55 kit lens which has the plastic lens mount --part of why it only costs $199)...again, this lens has a metal mounting plate.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
1 of 26 people found the following review helpful
short lifespan, Sunday, 20 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
1.3
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
Bought this with a D80. I didn't realize it had a plastic lensmount, instead of steel. It lasted two weeks before the lensmount broke (camera, inside padded camera bag, was dropped from knee-level onto carpet). You can't fix it--costs more than a new one of these. Save your money and get a higher quality lens.
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
just what I wanted., Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I am happy to have purchased this lens and would do so again. I wanted to add a lens to my bag that took me through the wide-angle range without losing the image quality I was used to from my prime lenses. Reviews of this lens that I read before purchasing set my expectations very high. I am happy to report I have not been disappointed. Sharpness is excellent. Color fidelity is excellent. Exposure is excellent. I was worried about distortion and lens flare and neither have been an issue. VR helps out as expected. Build quality of the lens is good. The rings for focus and zoom are tight and responsive without being sticky.The buttons for manual/auto focus, VR on/off, and VR active/normal are all nicely placed. The barrell extends pretty far at 85mm and I havent had any creep or wobbling at all.
I am very happy with this purchase and I think you will be too.
