Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Nikon
97 Overall Score
vs
Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Rokinon
65 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

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

84 out of 100 medium confidence 15 reviews

The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 manual lens offers exceptional value for astrophotography and portrait work, delivering sharp images and smooth bokeh at a fraction of the cost of autofocus equivalents. Users praise its center sharpness wide open and excellent performance when stopped down to f/2.8, especially for capturing stars. However, the purely manual focus and aperture can be fiddly, and build quality inconsistencies like a missing hood or accidental aperture ring bumps are noted. Overall, it's a highly recommended budget lens for those comfortable with manual operation.

Pros
  • Sharp center wide open
  • Smooth bokeh
  • Excellent for astrophotography
  • Great value for money
  • Solid build quality
Cons
  • Fiddly manual aperture ring
  • Missing lens hood in some packages
  • No autofocus
  • Front-heavy with adapter on some cameras
  • Accidental aperture ring bumps
👍 Sharpness 5
👍 Bokeh 2
🤔 Build quality 4
👍 Value for money 6
🤔 Manual operation 5
👍 Astrophotography performance 3

Scores

Street
Nikon
91
Rokinon
59
Budget
Nikon
90
Rokinon
60
Macro
Nikon
89
Rokinon
51
Travel
Nikon
86
Rokinon
45
Portrait
Nikon
83
Rokinon
79
Video Cinema
Nikon
77
Rokinon
68
Wildlife Sports
Nikon
71
Rokinon
48
Landscape
Nikon
70
Rokinon
48
Professional
Nikon
70
Rokinon
65

Specifications

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mmRokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm
Optics
Typezoomprime
Focal Length Min18 mm85 mm
Focal Length Max55 mm85 mm
Elements79
Groups57
Aspherical Elements2★1
ED Elements11
CoatingSuper Integrated CoatingUltra Multi-Coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/3.5f/1.4
Min Aperture3.5-5.6f/1.4
Constant✗✓★
Diaphragm Blades79★
Build
MountNikon FCanon EF
FormatAPS-Cfull-frame★
Weather Sealed—✓★
Weight0.20 kg★0.54 kg
Filter Thread55 mm72 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF Typepulse stepping motor★manual focus only
Stabilization✓★✗
Stabilization Stops4 stops★—
Focus
Min Focus Distance55 mm★1.00 m
Max Magnification—1:9★

Pros & Cons

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

  • Strong macro (95th percentile)95th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
  • Strong social proof (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

  • Strong aperture (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong social proof (77th percentile)
  • Strong build (67th percentile)
  • Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)
  • Below average stabilization (34th percentile)

Pricing

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm is €206 cheaper (2.3x less).

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm0.631score per dollar
vs
Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm0.180score per dollar

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm offers 3.5x better value for money

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm

Scores 97 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 6 of 22 specs.

Nikon NIKKOR 20059 18-55mm Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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