Nikon DX Zoom Nikkor 18 mm-55 mm F/3.5-5.6 VR AF-S G Lens

PROS (* indicates the ones that are very important to me)

Image Quality*--I am very pleased with the image quality of this lens. I have not yet had time to conduct tests in a controlled environment but my preliminary field tests indicate that this lens will give me the high quality images in outdoor sunlight, under studio lighting conditions, with the built-in flash unit, and with external flash units.
Focal Length*--18-55mm is a very usable focal length range. This range is good for the times when I only want to carry one DX digital SLR body and one lens.
Vibration Reduction*--This is my first lens for my Nikon with this feature.
Filter Size--The 52mm filter size is perfect for my filter inventory.
Close-Ups--Even though I did not buy this lens with close-ups in mind, it is comforting to know that at the 55mm focal length, this lens can fill the view frame with an object as small as 6cm.
Price*--Less than $100 for an auto focus zoom lens with vibration reduction was too good a deal to ignore. Plus, the low price makes this lens the one to use in a situation where a more expensive lens may be damaged, lost, or stolen.

CONS (* indicates the ones that are very important to me)

DX lens--This is the first DX lens that I have ever purchased and will probably be the only DX lens that I will ever own because I prefer FX lenses. I prefer FX lenses because I want all my lenses to work not only on my DX cameras but also on my Nikon film cameras and my future FX digital camera.
G Lens--I avoid buying G lenses because I cannot use them on my older Nikon film cameras that need the aperture ring to set the f/stop. This is only my second G lens. The 14-24mm f/2.8 was my first.
Bayonet Mount--Plastic! Now I have nothing against plastic. In fact, I would rather have a thick tough plastic than a thin weak metal. However, I have heard too many horror stories about plastic lens mounts breaking.
Aperture--f/3.5 to f/5.6 is too slow for a maximum aperture. Also, I prefer a zoom lens with a constant f/stop rather than a variable one.
Lens Barrel--The lens barrel does not rotate during zooming but it does during focusing. However, the barrel rotates so little that you can still screw a flower petal type lens hood into the 52mm thread.
Manual Focus--The small focus ring makes it very difficult to focus manually. I found it easier to focus if I tightly screwed in a lens hood and twisted the lens hood instead of the small ring.
Lens Distance Scale--None
Lens Depth-of-Field Scale--None
Vibration Reduction--I hate that little thump that happens when you press the shutter button half way to focus and then remove your finger because you decide not to take the photo.
Durability/Reliability*--​This lens does not feel like it was built to withstand the wear and tear of everyday use. Plus, the vibration control and the built-in auto focus motor are two additional moving parts that can break. However, the price of this lens is so low that if anything breaks, it is just as easy to replace the lens as it is to repair it.

Comments:

Many of the Cons I listed would have been major issues if this had been a high-dollar lens. Since the price of this lens is so low, and the performance of this lens is so high, these Cons can easily be overlooked. In fact, I thought this lens performed so well for the low price that I bought a second one so I would have a back-up to my back-up lens.

I highly recommend this undervalued, future cult classic lens.

Here I am talking about Nikon Nikkor 50 mm f1.4 G
(I don't have any 18-55 mm)

Excellent compromise if you don't want to pay an expensive 60 mm or 85 mm with similar f-number. Fixed focal length is compensated by amazing luminosity: you can take really good pictures with very low amount of light.
Be careful: sometimes f1.4 has a VERY SHORT depth of field.

I think this is one of those technological flukes in Nikon product history.
It's a very limited range lens by today's standards for all in one zoom, but because of the limitation, there are no sacrifices in the image quality. With an effective VR system on board, its one of the BEST all around lenses and if you consider that it's barely over $100 used, it IS the best lens Nikon has for the money, if sharp photos are what one desires.
It really shoots as sharp as the $1500 80-200 f2.8 I have but only at closer range.

I bought the Nikon package with the 18-55mm VR AF lens. Great quality products and can't beat the price. Everything was in perfect condition as described and works wonderfully. The extras in this package included a 1-year magazine description to Digital Photography Magazine, a 52mm Nikon UV-filter, free prints, and even a lasso for the lens cap. The best part was a great value lens cleaning kit, which worked very well for cleaning up my old lens. Very recommeneded!!

I purchased this lens along with a 55 to 200mm lens as a standin until I can afford a 18 to 200 lens. I have to say I agree with Ken Rockwells review, in that even though this lens is very affordable, it is a great lens. I shoot event photography and school athletic pictures and this lens works perfect for it. The lens is light weight which after taking a 1000 pictures becomes important.
If you push this lens to its max, sure you will find distortion but for most people this lens is fine. If I was going to buy this again I think I would try to find the 18 to 75 or 105, just to save some lens changing.
Bottom line is this lens is a tremedous value and is better than most photographers using it, including me.