Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Nikon
97 Overall Score
vs
Tamron Di AFA037N700 17-35mm

Tamron Di AFA037N700 17-35mm

Tamron
66 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

85 out of 100 low confidence 9 reviews

This Nikon 18-55mm lens is widely praised for its sharpness, light weight, and excellent value for money, especially as a kit lens. Users highlight its vivid colors and quiet autofocus, though some note the plastic build feels fragile and the barrel can wobble at extended focal lengths. Overall, it's considered a fantastic starter lens that outperforms its modest price point.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Excellent value for money
  • Vivid color reproduction
  • Quiet autofocus
Cons
  • Plastic build feels fragile
  • Barrel wobbles at extended focal lengths
  • No image stabilization
  • Loose tolerances can affect focus
👍 Image quality 6
🤔 Build quality 4
👍 Value for money 5
👍 Weight and portability 4
👍 Autofocus performance 3
👎 Image stabilization 2

Tamron Di AFA037N700 17-35mm

82 out of 100 medium confidence 12 reviews

The Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 Di OSD lens is highly praised for its sharpness, especially in corners, and excellent value for money. Users love it for landscape and astrophotography, noting good color, contrast, and flare control. Some drawbacks include lack of VR, no distance scale, and plastic build, but these are often overlooked for the image quality. A few users reported firmware issues with certain camera adapters.

Pros
  • Excellent corner sharpness
  • Great value for money
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Good color and contrast
  • Effective flare control
Cons
  • No vibration reduction
  • No distance scale
  • Plastic build quality
  • Firmware issues with adapters
  • Barrel distortion and vignette
👍 Image sharpness 8
👍 Value for money 5
🤔 Build quality 4
👎 Vibration reduction 3
👍 Autofocus performance 3
👎 Firmware compatibility 2

Scores

Street
Nikon
91
Tamron
62
Budget
Nikon
89
Tamron
60
Macro
Nikon
89
Tamron
64
Travel
Nikon
86
Tamron
60
Portrait
Nikon
83
Tamron
72
Video Cinema
Nikon
76
Tamron
58
Wildlife Sports
Nikon
71
Tamron
58
Landscape
Nikon
70
Tamron
55
Professional
Nikon
69
Tamron
60

Specifications

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mmTamron Di AFA037N700 17-35mm
Optics
Typezoomwide-angle
Focal Length Min18 mm17 mm
Focal Length Max55 mm35 mm
Elements7—
Groups5—
Aspherical Elements2★—
ED Elements1★—
CoatingSuper Integrated Coatingprotective fluorine compound
Aperture
Max Aperturef/3.5f/2.8
Min Aperture3.5-5.62.8-4
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades7★—
Build
MountNikon FNikon F
FormatAPS-C★—
Weather Sealed—✓★
Weight0.20 kg★0.46 kg
Filter Thread55 mm—
AF & Stabilization
AF Typepulse stepping motor★OSD
Stabilization✓✓
Stabilization Stops4 stops★—
Focus
Min Focus Distance55 mm★280 mm

Pros & Cons

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

  • Strong macro (95th percentile)95th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong build (84th percentile)84th %ile

Tamron Di AFA037N700 17-35mm

  • Strong aperture (88th percentile)88th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (87th percentile)87th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (79th percentile)
  • Strong versatility (74th percentile)

Verdict

★ Winner: Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Scores 97 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 8 of 21 specs.

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports