Customer Reviews for Nikon Inc. AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
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Nikon Inc. AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
This compact and highly versatile 5.3x zoom includes Nikon's VR image stabilzation technology and delivers incredible optical performance.
Average Customer Rating:
(71 Reviews) 71
Rating Snapshot 71 reviews
5 stars
56
4 stars
13
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
1
68 out of 71(96%)customers recommend this product.
Customer Reviews for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Review 1 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Very sharp lens
PostedMarch 29, 2013
Hoosierdaddy
Location Indianapolis, IN, USA
Age 45-54
Favorite Subject Family & Friends
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience Less than a month
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
Produces very sharp images on a D7000. However I would have traded some focal length on the long end for another f-stop; a sharp 16-60 f/2.8-4 would have been preferable but none exists. (VR not helpful for moving subjects.)
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+1point
Review 2 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
My "go-to" lens with my D7000
PostedNovember 16, 2012
Grimbot
Location Grimsby, ON, Canada
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Semi-professional photographer
The Nikkor 16-85 VR is Nikkor's best zoom lens in a DX format in terms of image quality. Great colour rendition and clarity. Having the extra wide field of view does make a big difference shooting at 16 mm rather than 18 mm. I have taken more photos on my D7000 with this lens than any of the other 6 Nikkor lenses I own. It is a real workhorse.
I've also used this lens on my D600 when shooting corporate video and have found it to be excellent for that purpose as well.
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+15points
Review 3 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
This has become my "go-to" lens
PostedJune 1, 2012
CoastalRick
Location San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Semi-professional photographer
Purchased this lens when I bought my D300S body. While I have five other lenses, this one has become my "standard" lens that I shoot 75% of the time. If I don't want to carry "everything," I rely on this lens as my "walk around" lens. Not as sharp as my 70-200 2.8, but a easier to carry around on a long day.
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+11points
Review 4 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
good lens at great price
PostedFebruary 9, 2012
BlueHeart
Age 18-24
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 11-20 years
Experience 3-6 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
This lens is well-built, good images at all range.
I personally find it a bit soft at the 85mm end, but it is sharp at 20~50mm length.
A great lens to have, and if you are looking for a travel lens, choose this one over 18-200mm!
I personally find it a bit soft at the 85mm end, but it is sharp at 20~50mm length.
A great lens to have, and if you are looking for a travel lens, choose this one over 18-200mm!
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+23points
Review 5 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Great kit lens for D300 series
PostedJanuary 27, 2012
Geoff
Location Boulder, CO, USA
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I have had this lens for several years, having decided to get this one and the AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens combination rather than the AF-S VR 18-200 lens. Probably 95% of my shots (mostly outdoors/landscapes) make use of this lens. It is obviously not that fast, but I find that the VR works well and that the images produced seem very sharp to me. And, since both lenses listed here and the older AF-S 18-70 kit lens use 67mm filters, I have found some efficiencies. I really like this lens and its balance/feel on the D300.
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+15points
Review 6 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Excellent
PostedJanuary 21, 2012
2011Nikon
I've owned this lens since Feb of 2011 and use it as my main lens on my D7000. It consistently delivers sharp images and rich colours. The range is perfect for me and construction of this lens is robust,
My product recommendations
D7000
(1,419)Share:
+24points
Review 7 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Excellent Optical Performance - Great VR
PostedNovember 8, 2011
Photo-Guy
Location Colorado Rocky Mountains
Age Over 65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience Less than a month
Role Professional photographer
I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses for over 50 years, since I was a teenager using an S2 rangefinder. My new 16-85mm VR has really impressed me with both its excellent optical performance and the ability of the latest VR technology.
I always test a new lens in my studio with an optical test chart and camera (in this case, a D300) mounted on tripod. The 16-85mm VR performed superbly, even wide open, with only the very corners at 85mm showing the slightest softening, visible only with "pixel-peeking" at 1:1, which is an image scale that would yield a 28"x42" print size. In terms of practical photography,even when I make 24"x36" prints, this lens is very sharp.
I've included some sample shots from my first field use of the lens (the optical test patterns would be boring) -- two images are of ice crystals on a fence shot at 85mm near the closest focusing distance. This yields about a 1:4 scale on the sensor, so that even the small full frame image here is effectively larger than life-sized. The cropped image is an enlarged crop of the full image that would yield a print scale of about 12"x18". A tripod was used for this shot. Most of my work is scenic and wildlife, and I use a tripod for about 80% of my shots.
However, when needed, the performance of VRII is amazing -- see two VR test images. This is again a full frame image, and a 1:1 scaled crop of that image. The shot was made at 1/15 sec hand held in my music studio at a focal length of 48mm. The 1:1 crop again would be yield a 28"x42" image size if the entire image were shown at this scale. As you can see, the text is fully readable in spite of the long exposure. I shot a number of images in the same area, both with and without VR, and all shot with VR were as sharp as this example, and none shot without VR at this shutter speed were the least bit clear due to camera shake.
Great little lens -- compact and reasonably light to carry on all-day shoots. It will no doubt be my main Go-To lens for years to come.
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+60points
Review 8 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Amazing overall lens: Shines for Travel
PostedSeptember 25, 2011
Gatorpan
Location Tel Aviv, Israel
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Professional photographer
Amazing overall lens: Shines for Travel
I just returned from a 16 day vacation in Italy. As an amateur archeologist spend a day at Ostia Antica, Herculaneum and Pompeii. Every corner you turn was a different photo op. I carried my prime lenses in my camera bag if needed. But I rarely did. Took great shots of Vesuvius from the train using active VR …
Sure there are better lens at every focal length. But how can you capture everything from wide to medium tele w/o changing lens? I was concerned about not having a telephoto but from the point of view of photo journalism, serious telephoto shots are not needed. (At least for 99% of the photo travel work.) As I said, when I needed F1.4 I had my prime lens.
Bottom line, great overall lens for the purpose it’s made. About 40 years ago, in the bad old days, we used to carry 2 lenses for travel photography: 35 and 105. This 16-85 lens, in DX format, covers both those focal lengths. Oh … BTW: for wedding and events, I have a 17-50 F2.8 Lens. You will never find one lens to do it all.
I just returned from a 16 day vacation in Italy. As an amateur archeologist spend a day at Ostia Antica, Herculaneum and Pompeii. Every corner you turn was a different photo op. I carried my prime lenses in my camera bag if needed. But I rarely did. Took great shots of Vesuvius from the train using active VR …
Sure there are better lens at every focal length. But how can you capture everything from wide to medium tele w/o changing lens? I was concerned about not having a telephoto but from the point of view of photo journalism, serious telephoto shots are not needed. (At least for 99% of the photo travel work.) As I said, when I needed F1.4 I had my prime lens.
Bottom line, great overall lens for the purpose it’s made. About 40 years ago, in the bad old days, we used to carry 2 lenses for travel photography: 35 and 105. This 16-85 lens, in DX format, covers both those focal lengths. Oh … BTW: for wedding and events, I have a 17-50 F2.8 Lens. You will never find one lens to do it all.
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+13points
Review 9 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
All-around performer
PostedSeptember 20, 2011
NikonneCT
Location Connecticut
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 1-3 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
Another reviewer said this was the lens that stayed on his camera: same here. The 16-85 mm Nikon lens delivers great results throughout its range -- even at 16 mm I get consistently excellent images with no distortion or softness on the edges of the frame. Stopped down to f5.6 or f8 at 80-85 mm, it's a fine portrait lens. Between this and my 70-300 ED-IF Nikon, I have 95% of my shooting needs covered.
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+20points
Review 10 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Great all around lense
PostedSeptember 10, 2011
Idiophonics
Location Mount Vernon, WA
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 3-6 months
Role Semi-professional photographer
This is the lens that stays on my camera. All other lens are for some special setup usually involving a tripod. But this one is great for hand held all around shooting. I read many reviews before buying this one and I am glad I did. The photos are sharp, the colors great, very little distortion in the corners. Aside from my macro shots taken with my 105mm I had to change the rating on all my previous photos because I did not have a sixth star for the photos taken with this lens. I use it with my d90. If I had an FX camera I may have considered another lens. It seem the d90 and the 16-85 were made for each other. The image I uploaded is the very first one I took with this lens and it blew me away how straight and sharp it turned out.
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+16points
Review 11 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Great lens.
PostedAugust 19, 2011
doradus
Location tucson, az
Age Over 65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience Less than a month
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I am a landscape photographer and use this lens 90-95% of the time for landscapes. Very fast focusing and sharp. Than you for creating this product for the DX cameras.
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+5points
Review 12 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Great all around lens
PostedJuly 13, 2011
the old one
Location Sacramento,California
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience Less than a month
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I just got a D5000 as a Xmas present. The 18-55 lens that came with it was surprisingly good but I wanted another lens to take on our vacation to Paris. I read all of the reviews regarding this lens and took a chance. In general, I always liked the 28-80 as a tele lens. The 16-85 took all the pictures that one could ask beautifully and especially in low light - inside as well as outside. I never used my flash.Great subtlety of color inside without flash. It is a little heavy but the glass is worth it and the City of Light never looked better.
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+5points
Review 13 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Amazing Do-It-All Lens!
PostedJuly 2, 2011
Nikon-AJ-USA
Location Naperville, IL
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Family & Friends
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience Less than a month
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I've been using a Nikon 18-55mm VR lens with the D7000 and D5100 and although I am always happy with the quality of this very affordable lens I wanted both a bit range at the wide end and some more on the tele end - enter the Nikon 16-85mm.
The lens has a 24mm equivalent field of view at the wide end and 130mm equivalent field of view at full zoom. But that isn't all, the lens bring fast & silent SWM autofocus with real-time override (what I want for video) and the VR used in this lens is very powerful. As if all those features weren't enough, the images from this lens are extremely sharp with high micro-contrast more so than either the 18-55 VR or the popular 18-200. The only downside to this lens that I have found is that the bokeh can be nervous - but for me its a small price I'm willing to pay for everything else it brings to the table.
I considered this lens against the 18-200 VRII as well, and while I think the 18-200 is a great lens in its own right, I feel the value of 16mm is not often appreciated, and to be honest its not much to crop my photo to get a shot from 85mm to have a similar field of view as the 200mm from the 18-200. Factor in that on a smaller body like the D3100 or D5100 the 18-200 is noticeably heavier and longer than the 16-85mm, and if you shoot on a tripod and don't shoot level the zoom 'creep' or movement on the 18-200 can be a problem whereas the 16-85mm doesn't have any.
I'm extremely happy with my final decision and I'm out enjoying right after writing this!
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+23points
Review 14 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Amazingly sharp and versatile without compromise.
PostedJune 9, 2011
mebrev01
Location Delaware, OH
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience More than a year
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I use this lens with the D-90. The lens is fantastic and my absolute favorite. It is astonishingly sharp throughout its range with excellent contrast. Keep in mind that when analyzing optical output from any lens, one must consider the in-camera processing parameters that are set. From a practical real-world standpoint, I haven't noticed any distortions, flare, aberration, etc. Together with the D-90, this setup is my all-around 95% of the time used camera for landscapes and macro floral photography. When I'm enjoying such activity, I opt more for freedom and spontaneity than equipment. With the still unrivaled wide to tele range (16mm instead of the typical at the wide end) of this lens within its comparable class of lenses, this lens provides a wonderful sense of freedom from having to often change lenses. The auto-focus is extremely efficient, fast and relatively very quiet and can be counted on overall, yet it even affords the ability to tweak manually while set on auto. For example, this could be useful when doing very close macro shooting of flowers, when you would want to further tweak the focus plane precisely to a particular point within a selected shallow depth of field when using wider apertures in closeup macro shooting. The sharp subject background blur that can be produced using this lens in this manner is extremely pleasing and dreamy. Last but certainly not least, the VR (vibration reduction) feature of this lens works amazingly well and is the concluding component (in addition to the wide-tele range) that gives me an unrivaled sense of photographic ease and freedom. I rarely need a tripod anymore, even shooting as slow as 1/30 (even slower will get very acceptable results) (of course, noting that holding and shooting technique and subject movement factors apply). Concerning build quality, this lens feels solid and very well made. It's also a breeze to handle and use. I never experienced any barrel creep that had occurred in proper use. Finally, the cost of this lens is relatively reasonable for what you get in a good Nikon lens. Beyond all that this wonder-lens provides and how it performs, I can only say that even a longer tele range would be welcomed, but only to the extent that the existing optical output of this lens could be maintained.
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+22points
Review 15 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
This is my new every day lens
PostedApril 19, 2011
duvtony
Location San Mateo, California
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 11-20 years
Experience 1-3 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
First time out using this lens on my recent vacation using D50 body. Wanted only one lens to carry going up and down mountain trails and backpacking. Lens felt very solid and stable, easy to handle and control. Framing a shot was very easy and the zoom feature made it a snap. Once set, the lens did not move while dangling on my neck although did find it helpful to retract the lens when walking and hiking and for storage in my camera case. Still new to and learning to use imaging software on computer so images here are probably not optimal yet.
So far I am very happy with the results and the experience using this lens and feel very good about the decision. Of course I read all the reviews and great things others had to say about this lens before purchasing, and having used Nikon products in the past, this was an easy pick to make. Thanks for a great product. I would recommend this lens to all my friends.
So far I am very happy with the results and the experience using this lens and feel very good about the decision. Of course I read all the reviews and great things others had to say about this lens before purchasing, and having used Nikon products in the past, this was an easy pick to make. Thanks for a great product. I would recommend this lens to all my friends.
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+2points
Review 16 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Ideal general purpose lens.
PostedApril 18, 2011
Hiker
Location Hudson Highlands, NY
Age Over 65
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
This lens is on my camera 80-90 percent of the time. It has replaced my 18-200 mm lens for travel and general use. There is no focal length creep as there is with the 18-200 and the extra 2 mm at the short end is great to have. The best of the half-dozen Nikkors I've owned.
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+14points
Review 17 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
great lens
PostedApril 16, 2011
razmataz
Location Rohnert Park, Ca
Age Over 65
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience Less than a month
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
Only had the lens a couple weeks and have been playing with it and so far it is all I expected.
Share:
-5points
Review 18 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
PostedApril 16, 2011
standby lens
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Landscape
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Occasional user, memory keeper
This lens is on my D80 90% of the time. It is by far the best lens I own. I would highly recommend it!
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-4points
Review 19 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
This lens covers the basics with excellence
PostedApril 15, 2011
TEHPhotography
Location West of Chicago, IL
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 3-6 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
Prior to my purchase of the Nikon D7000 with a AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm
f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED lense October 2010, I had used a Nikon D70 with a AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED. I often was frustrated because I needed one more step back to get the picture I wanted. After taking 1,300 pictures this year, I have seldom had that happen. Additionally, I am printing 12X16 prints with no loss of quality from the 4X6 proofs. If I could change anything, I would make it an f/2.8 like my AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED
f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED lense October 2010, I had used a Nikon D70 with a AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED. I often was frustrated because I needed one more step back to get the picture I wanted. After taking 1,300 pictures this year, I have seldom had that happen. Additionally, I am printing 12X16 prints with no loss of quality from the 4X6 proofs. If I could change anything, I would make it an f/2.8 like my AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Share:
-2points
Review 20 for AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Overall rating
Great all-around working lens!
PostedApril 15, 2011
MandyTee
Age 35-44
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience More than a year
Role Professional photographer
This is a great lens for general photography and wedding work - the 16-85mm range is perfect to be able to go from a portrait at 70mm to a creative wide-angle shot at 16mm. It's always crisp and focuses well in most situations.
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+2points