Summary: Excellent lens for the money but fragile

Comment: It's a good thing that this great walking around lens is inexpensive because unlike Nikkor lenses of yore, it is very fragile. That said, this is my second purchase of this lens. I was disappointed that the first one only lasted six months, but I am hard on equipment because I am never in the studio if I can be outside shooting. Why did I buy another? Simple. I haven't found a better lens for everyday shooting (and I shoot every day) that combines a wide angle that also gives me good quality closeups. It's not a micro lens (macro lens to non-Nikon users), but not every shot needs to show every eye on the spider in front of you in hyperfocus detail.

The ability to chose to focus manually is a real plus in closeup mode when the depth of field is relatively shallow and you don't want the camera to choose where the focal plane falls. The focus ring became a tad loose with continual use, but worth putting up with for the price.

Prime lens in the same category as "I wish I would win the lottery"? or just looking for a lightweight all around lens so you don't constantly risk dirt intrusion with every lens change? Give this little lens a try.

Summary: Great lens - Great macro

Comment: I am very pleased with this lens. I mostly bought it for macro photos, but is gave me a whole new perspective for a "normal" lens for digital 35 mm SLR. Very pleased indeed.

Summary: Great value lens!!

Comment: For experienced shooters, don't expect much. For those just starting out with digital SLR photography, it's the best kit lens to use. This lens can really deliver great pictures. Provided you know what you're doing. That simply means understanding how to use aperture, shutter speed, white balance, ISO, and lighting among other things to achieve the best results. That also means you have to minimize using "toink" (auto) mode to learn. Not that the different auto modes don't take great shots. They actually do, except, they don't always come out the way you want them to. I use this along with a D40x body. And most of the time it has helped me take great pictures. I say most of the time only because this lens does have its limits. When you understand this, you should be just fine. For shooting distant objects try the 55-200mm VR lens. For shooting objects in low light conditions try the 50mm f/1.8D lens. In any case, hope this helps.

Summary: You get what you pay for!

Comment: I got this lens as well as the 55-200mm VR lens as a kit for my D80. For the price you can't beat what the lens does, but you will not be getting a lens that performs well. It is slow to focus at times, and pictures are not as sharp as I would like them to be. I use the 55-200mm VR lens and it is outstanding. If you are on a budget then it will get the job done, but don't expect superior quality from a budget lens. The saying goes.....you get what you pay for.

Summary: Excellent Short Zoom Lens

Comment: I got this lens as part of a package with a Nikon D40x camera. While the 18-55mm range is a bit short for my taste, I do like using this lens.

Pros:
-very light weight
-reasonably fast auto-focus
-high quality image resolution

Cons:
none

There is a vibration reduction ("VR") version of this lens, but at this focal length I don't miss it.