Serious problems with Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm f 3,5-5.6 G ED lens for Nikon digital SLR

This lens has two major problems:

The lens shade is too stiff and when you put it onto the lens it ends up turning the entire lens in its camera socket, which puts pressure on the attachment mechanisms of the lens.

So the tolerances of design and manufacturing of the sunshade and its attachment flanges are off by about a half millimeter. But this is enough to cause a buyer warning/buyer advisory (FLAAR evaluations are read by over a quarter million photographers a year).

Second problem is that the lens does not activate the f-stop; in other words, the DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm f 3,5-5.6 G ED lens does not sit well in the camera body. Probably off a micron.

This is unacceptable on a camera attempting to reach the professional market.

As an aside, a new Nikon D200 problem is that the first few shots are blank, totally blank. This may be a result of the lens not seating properly, but at least one other user of the Nikon D200 reported the same issue.

These problems are enough to send photographers off to buy Canon, which would be an shame (both for Nikon and for the photographer, see below).

As soon as I have a spare minute in trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic travel (I am writing this en route to Novosibirsk, Russia, from there to Israel…), I will return the lens and ask for my money back in full.

But it would be difficult for a camera manufacturer to replace my broken trust. This is simply a cheap lens shade, and a cheap manufacturing option. It may have increased Nikon profit a bit, but loss of sales due to mention of these defects is unfortunately more costly than having made the lens correctly to begin with.

Normally I expect quality of Nikon to be better than a Canon

Canon is successful because of spending a billion dollars in advertising from their profits in copiers and now their profits in digital cameras. It is not their cameras that are professional quality, it’s their slick advertising. It’s an okay camera, better than Olympus’s puny sensor; better than most other brands. But if I want better quality in 35mm digital, I expect to get this in a Nikon.

The Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm f 3,5-5.6 G ED lens is a cheap product. At first I thought it was made in China; no, it’s made in Thailand. And even if made in Germany, if the design specs are off a micron it will have a flaw. The Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm f 3,5-5.6 G ED lens has been a flawed lens from Day 1.

I bought a Nikon D200 and this lens because I found the Canon EOS 5D unsatisfactory in every aspect. The Canon EOS 5D is not a professional quality camera, neither in results nor in features. I speak from 40 years experience, having my photos published in National Geographic etc. I am sure many National Geographic photographers use Canon products, but once you have used medium format digital, no Canon is impressive enough. I will need to test the new Canon 21.1 megapixel model, EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR, but anyone who can afford medium format quality will be tough to convince.

First posted Aug. 24, 2007.

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Medium Format Digital Camera Initiative For over 30 years Nicholas Hellmuth has used Rolleiflex and Hasselblad cameras to record the flora, fauna, and Maya archaeology of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Now, for the last six years, he is extending his medium format experience to digital photography. Since FLAAR works both in a studio as well as out on location, we are an ideal focus for judging portability. We have experience with large format digital scan backs (the excellent BetterLight) and we also use Nikon (D300) and Canon (EOS 5D) digital cameras. A full-service digital pro should have at least one medium format digital system and should consider large format digital options as well. FLAAR also has an 80-megapixel large format camera (yes, they do exist, we have a Cruse). Although we started with a Leaf Valeo 22 coupled with a Mamiya 645 AFD body and lenses, we are open to showcasing all bodies as well as other digital backs. Indeed we tested an Imacon 4-shot back on a Hasselblad H1 body. For a month (February 2006) it was possible to evaluate a MegaVision black-and-white dedicated back for fine art photography. We are also considering the Rolleiflex 6008 AF, one of the outstanding medium format cameras that still offers European precision. However in the last 40 years we have not received any Rollei (or Franke & Heidecke) equipment for evaluation, so we can comment only on the Hasselblad and Mamiya (loaned briefly two years ago by Mamiya America). Camera resellers or manufacturers who wish to have their cameras, lenses, and backs included in the digital photography evaluation initiative are welcome to send their equipment for evaluation. Curently all the medium format backs are coming from Global Imaging Inc, Greg Lamb, CEO (contact 800 787-9802, press 4, fax 212 722-0988). This is one of the few camera stores in the entire US or Canada that offers ALL major brands of medium format (so they have no incentive to push one brand over the other). However we are also open to receiving medium format backs directly from the manufacturer. Over 381,154 visitors came to this www.digital-photography.org web site to learn which cameras, lighting, tripods, and accessories have proven themselves during evaluation by FLAAR. Since we deliberately do not review low-end cameras, our reviews attract a sophisticated audience. The total "visit" count is 791.562 during 2007, but we prefer to use the visitor count, 381.154 as being more realistic. FLAAR is the de facto source of information on medium format digital cameras because we are university based, independent, blunt, and we are one of the few review sources that dares to review advertising specs, advertising claims, and advertising hype. We can afford to reveal all the pros and cons because FLAAR is a research institute. Photographers feel they can trust a university research professor who has devoted years to understanding the pros and cons of each aspect of a digital camera system and workflow. You can download our colorful FLAAR Reports on our medium format digital camera initiative.