18-70mm vs. 18-135mm

I am going to pick up the D80 soon, but I wanted to get some feedback on two of

the lenses I am considering. I have read the reviews for the 18-70mm and it

looks great. The thing is, I would ideally like to pick that up in a kit with

the D80 but they (i.e. B&H Photo, others) don't seem to pair them up. They are

offering a kit with the 18-135mm, but that lens doesn't seem to be that good.

 

I already have a 70-300mm (non-DX) that I can use for the long range, so my

question is whether it is worth the extra $75 to buy the body ($925) and 18-

70mm lens ($350) separately or simply get the kit with the 18-135mm for $1200?

 

Thoughts?

i will second michael.

Get 18-70mm with no doubt.

I love my 18-70, and if you have a 70-300 there's really no need for an 18-135. That being said I haven't used the 18-135 so I can't tell you how it stacks up.

I updated from D70+18-70, to the D80+18-135. Within a week I sold on the 18-135 on ebay!! The 18-135 was a bit of plastic junk in my humble opinion! As others have said go with the 18-70 which is a far better quality lens, especially if it also fits your lens line-up better. The D80 is freely available in kit form with the 18-70 in the UK at about ?60 ($115) less than the 135 version; can you shop around?

Hi Jeremy, here in the UK the 18-135 is the more difficult to find paired with the D80 and it is more commonly found with the 18-70. Lucky for me as this is the kit I bought last week! Its a great lens and I have heard nothing but praise about it when compared with the 18-135 and standing alone. Go for the 18-70. Gill

Another 18-70 recommendation. A year ago I bought a D50 body only - I didn't want the 18-55 kit lens and made do with an existing 28-70 f3.5-4.5. Nice lens, but needed (ok, wanted) to have a wider walkabout lens, so it was either the 18-70 or 18-135....saw this...http://www.bythom.com/18135lens.htm and bought a used 18-70 last week - and am very pleased. Good luck in your choice Mike

If you already own the 70-200, the 18-70DX won't be disappointed.

GO FOR THE 18-70 I Have it with my D200 it is a great lens

Everything's a trade-off. I have an 18-135 (got it for portrait work) and it can be a bit of a disappointment, depending on how it's used. It's absolutely tack sharp and has great color and contrast, but has far too much distortion over too long a range for shooting anything with straight lines.

 

If you want to travel light, it's a fine lens, just be sure you know the limitations.

Get the 18-70. I use it with my d 200. Great lens especially at its price. Joe Smith

Go with the 18 70 - you'll find US imported lens prices around $290 USD on the web.

The body isn't the important component in capturing an image - the lens is. I have boths lenses, and my 18-70 is unmistakeably a better lens. My 18-135 isn't a bad lens, but it is apparently allowed out of the factory with larger variations in quality than the 18-70. I've seen one 18-135 with barrel distortion and pincushion so bad I cringed when I unwrapped the D80 my wife gave me for Christmas. But the example that came with my camera doesn't have severe distortion. I did some comparison shots out at the western tip of the Grand Canyon NP in January, and the 18-135 isn't as sharp as the 18-70.

 

My advice: invest in lenses, not in camera bodies - your money is better spent on the highest quality lenses you can afford rather than the fanciest body. You'll be happier with your images. I agree with everyone else - the 18-70 is clearly a better lens.

I tried both of those lenses on both the D50 and the D80. I was not satisfied with the sharpness, particularly at the edges. I returned them both.

Haven't used the 135 but the 70 is extremely good for a "kit" lens and my version is extremely sharp,it does have some hefty disortion at the full wide angle, but I either correct it in ps or use it as a "feature".

I have been using 18-135mm for about 12 months with D80. I initially planned to sell it but changed my mind after few months of use.

18-135mm is interesting lens because it seems like Nikon engineers concentrate solely on resolution which can not be enhances by post processing. Color is vivid and contrast is very high.

Vignetting and distortion are typical as found in many other zoom lenses.

I found handling is good. Zooming is not silky smooth but barrel does not creep without locking switch.

Zoom ring is wide enough to use while a hood is attached reversed.

AF is quite and the speed is average. Fast moving object might be challenging though.

AF ring is not so tight and plays a bit. D80 AF is reliable and did not require MF often as I thought.

Plastic mount could be a concern for some users but I am fine with it. I actually appreciate its light weight due to all plastic body and mount.

In conclusion, 18-135mm is a useful lens if you are willing to spend time to correct distortion and CA with available image software.

Good resolution is plus and high contrast depends on your taste. While using it with Nikon speed light for a wedding shot, light weight was a big help.

I know it's a little late, but I figured that I can give a response to keep this fresh for other that do a Google search.

 

The 18-70mm is not only built better, but gives better results. Less distortion, more sharpness, less color fringing, and hand shake isn't an issue like it is on the 18-135. If you want the extra range, go for the 18-135. If you want better build and image quality, go for the 18-70mm.