Is the 18-70 Nikon lens really that much better than the 18-135?

[Mark A]

Hi,

I bought a Nikon D80 with a 18-135 lens at Christmas and i wish i had opted for the cheaper 18-70 kit now. I keep reading that it is a much better lens and takes better photos.

Ive not really been out with the camera much but from the pictures i have taken they seem a bit soft and not focused as sharp as I'd have liked. Would the 18-70 improve on this at all?

The other reason I'd have liked the 18-70 is because this 18-135 is so big. I think a smaller lens would suit me better as a general purpose lens.

So would it be worth me selling my 18-135 and buying an 18-70?

 

[GTRacer]

Hi,

I bought a Nikon D80 with a 18-135 lens at Christmas and i wish i had opted for the cheaper 18-70 kit now. I keep reading that it is a much better lens and takes better photos.

Ive not really been out with the camera much but from the pictures i have taken they seem a bit soft and not focused as sharp as I'd have liked. Would the 18-70 improve on this at all?

The other reason I'd have liked the 18-70 is because this 18-135 is so big. I think a smaller lens would suit me better as a general purpose lens.

So would it be worth me selling my 18-135 and buying an 18-70?

They're both about the same size physically. I have a 18-135 myself and I never wished for a 18-70, mine is sharp wide open at all focal lengths, it's just a little slow, distorted and CA prone, but that's never bothered me. If you do want a new lens I'd suggest the Tamron 17-50 2.8 as it's excellent and pretty good for dimly lit areas. It isn't any smaller though.

 

[Mark A]

Hmm..maybe its because Ive only ever had compacts before this. I suppose the size/weight of it isn't really an issue but if it would have been smaller that would have been a bonus.

What is distorted and CA prone?

I think I'll go and take loads of pictures and see what i think then. It might be as I'm using the wrong settings as I'm still learning the basics really.

I think i took this on Auto, I'm now using manual mode but this was taken just after i got the camera. All the pics i take seem to look slightly blurry in places no matter what f number i use. Is this down to the lens or am i doing something wrong?.

 

[Irish_Tom]

Well it really depends on the light you're shooting at. If you're shooting in good light with a wide aperture then you might be suffering from a shallow DOF in which case the image will look soft. If you're shooting a narrow aperture in low light then a long shutter speed might be causing the softness due to camera shake.

Are you shooting in RAW or JPG? Remember that RAW images don't have any processing done to them by the camera so they might look soft comparied to what you're used to if you've only ever had JPG images from a compact which has things like sharpening done to them by the camera.

I've got the 18-200 and while it's not supposed to be the sharpest knife in the camera bag I've never had any trouble adding a bit of sharpening with Photoshop.

*quick edit now that I've got Firefox's EXIF plug-in installed*

The image above was shot at f/5.3 which will give you a fairly shallow DOF.

Panzer

 

[robertgilbert86]

I have the 18-135 and have found it to be fine. Not super sharp or anything, but a decent all-rounder. I think the size is a good thing as it commands a bit more respect on the street.

What is distorted and CA prone?

Distortion: At a wide angle (18mm) straight lines at the edges of the frame will appear curved.
CA: Chromatic abrasion is the pink/blue/yellow fringing you get on edges in front of a bright light.

 

[-RV-]

That image was shot at 1/60th and at a zoom of 58mm - with a flash.

I suspect its more to do with camera shake than anything else. If using the flash why not shoot at a higher shutter speed - then you can be sure of no shake.

 

[Shoei]

Love my 18-70. used for shooting everything from landscape to rally cars and time trialers. Very quick with the AF-S and nice and compact size wise.

Taken with the 18-70.

 

[D.P.]

I have a 18-70mm and desperately want to upgrade but I'm pretty sure I will be disappointed by every lens apart form the 24-70,but thats not wide enough so I would want to add the 14-24mm. On a D3...
Oh well..


The 17-55 f2.8 is an option but I don't think its value for money.

 

[chino]

I have the 18-135 and have found it to be fine. Not super sharp or anything, but a decent all-rounder. I think the size is a good thing as it commands a bit more respect on the street.

Distortion: At a wide angle (18mm) straight lines at the edges of the frame will appear curved.
CA: Chromatic abrasion is the pink/blue/yellow fringing you get on edges in front of a bright light.

CA = Chromatic Aberration.

I don't think the 18-70 would improve the sharpness much, if at all, over the 18-135. I know someone with the 18-70 on a D80, I have the 18-135 on a D80 and I can't tell the difference in the photos we get.

 

[Mark A]

Thanks for the input guys, looks like the lens isn't to blame its me. I'm going to do a bit of reading up on the subject to get to grips with the basics.

That image was shot at 1/60th and at a zoom of 58mm - with a flash.

I suspect its more to do with camera shake than anything else. If using the flash why not shoot at a higher shutter speed - then you can be sure of no shake.

IIRC i took that pic on auto mode as i had just got the camera a few days before so didn't have a clue how to use manual mode. I'm now using manual mode so will take your comment on board thanks .