With the new Nikon D90 (reviewed on page 90 of this issue) dominating the headlines, many photographers may not have noticed that a new kit lens was launched at the same time. Nikon now has quite a few standard zooms to go with its DX-format DSLRs, which include the D60, the D90 and D300. It could all get a little confusing, so here’s a quick update on what’s available.

First, there’s the basic 18-55mm kit lens sold with the Nikon D60 and, before that, the D40 and D40x. The latest version now has VR (Vibration Reduction). Next up is the oldest lens in the group, the 18-70mm. This appeared with Nikon’s first consumer DSLR, the D70. It’s a bit long in the tooth now, and doesn’t have VR, but it may still turn up as a kit lens with some retailers and, in particular, the old D80. The D80 was also sold with a longer-range zoom, the 18-135mm, though this too doesn’t have VR. The 18-105mm VR reviewed here is a worthwhile step up from all of them.

Still with us? Well, there are three more lenses to go! The 16-85mm VR (which we reviewed in issue 69) is a slightly wider-angle kit lens aimed more at enthusiasts and pros. It’s not cheap, but its optical quality and build quality are first rate. The 18-200mm VR is an early

image-stabilised kit zoom which was hard to get hold of at first and has been criticised for its ‘zoom creep’, but it’s still tempting, especially at today’s prices.

Finally, the 17-55mm f2.8 is a weighty and expensive non-VR lens with a constant maximum aperture, aimed squarely at professionals and which, to be fair, only balances well on the equally massive D300.

So where does that leave the 18-105mm VR? It’s an excellent mid-range zoom, which complements Nikon’s lighter bodies perfectly. You can pay more and gain marginal improvements in certain directions (zoom range, maximum aperture), but the benefit of these more expensive lenses is most likely to be felt only on Nikon’s pro-spec DX models. So what makes the new 18-105mm so good?

First, there’s the handling. It’s pretty compact, and light, too. The barrel is neatly cylindrical, so it’s easy to slide into and out of a camera bag. The Zoom ring has a perfectly weighted action - not too light, not too stiff - and yet there’s no zoom creep if the camera is held pointing downwards (this is where the weight of the optical elements inside the lens cause it to extend).

The autofocus is excellent. Like Canon, Nikon routinely builds autofocus motors into the lens itself (other makers often rely on AF motors in the camera body). And, like Canon’s USM system, Nikon’s Silent Wave Motors are whisper-quiet and super-fast. This is where Canon and Nikon (and Olympus, for that matter) still have an advantage over manufacturers like Pentax, Sony or Samsung.

There’s a manual Focus ring too, of course, and this does produce one of the few disappointments with this lens. The focusing ‘feel’ isn’t the best and there’s no focusing scale, either. This means you can’t ‘zone focus’, for example, when juggling with depth of field.

If you’re in a picky mood, you might also point out that the lens mount is plastic (the more expensive lenses use metal). Having said that, though, how many of us have ever had a plastic lens mount wear out? And the lack of metal on the mount helps keep costs down - meaning you save money in the long run. How many of us would really argue with that?

For an inexpensive kit lens, the 18-105mm VR looks good, feels good and, perhaps most important of all, delivers excellent results. We performed Imatest tests using both a Nikon D90 and a D50 (for the sake of comparison with earlier lens tests). As you can see in the chart printed below, the results show that other kit lenses can match this one for peak sharpness, but not for outright consistency. With most lenses we might expect to see a drop-off in definition at the edges of the frame, a loss of sharpness at maximum focal length or some other kind of optical weakness, but this lens hardly appears to have any weaknesses at all.

At Digital Camera Essential we test all new lenses, including kit optics, to ensure that standards are improving for the consumer, and in the case of this lens, it certainly looks like Nikon is offering a better quality piece of glass to accompany its newest DSLRs.

Load up the disc to get a look at the high res test shots taken with this lens and judge the optical quality for yourself.

Final Verdict One reason for testing kit lenses is to check that standards are improving. This lens is certainly encouraging, as it proves to be a real step forward in both consistency and quality OVERALL

Our lens reviewer, and technical expert, Rod is a veritable photographic encyclopaedia. His illustrious CV has seen him write for many mags, websites and journals.