The 18-300mm G ED VR (not to be confused with its less-expensive alternative, the 18-300mm G ED VR) is a telephoto superzoom lens manufactured by Nikon for its line of DX DSLR cameras.

Like all DX format lenses, the smaller image circle makes it usable on APS-C-sized image sensors only. If used on a 35mm film SLR or older FX DSLRs, vignetting will occur;"In the Nikon system, both crop sensor DX lenses and full frame FX lenses will function on crop or full frame bodies; HOWEVER (and it’s a big however), if you put a DX lens on a full frame body, you’ll see that a significant portion of the edge of the frame is black. This is caused by the smaller DX lens not reflecting the image onto the full area of the full frame sensor". however, the lens can be used on a modern FX DSLR because the camera can be automatically or manually set to "DX Crop Mode", eliminating vignette, but also reducing the image area from an FX-size sensor to a DX-size sensor."Essentially, DX Crop Mode avoids the heavy vignetting that we would otherwise experience when using a DX lens on an FX camera by only recording the image using a smaller section in the center of the sensor. Of course, this results in an image with a reduced resolution".

Much like its counterpart, the lens is designed to be an all-in-one solution to eliminate a photographer's need to change lenses in different scenarios and reduce the amount of gear the photographer needs to carry."Lenses with long zoom ratios are popular with travelers who don't want to carry a lot of gear, and photographers who simply want to enjoy the benefits of an SLR without having to make frequent lens changes". The main differences from the G are its heavier (830 g/29.3 oz. vs. 550 g/19.4 oz.), larger (length 120 mm/4.7 in. vs. 99 mm/3.8 in.) (diameter 83 mm/3.3 in. vs. 78.5 mm/3.0 in.), it takes larger filters (77 mm vs. 67 mm), and its aperture is slightly faster (5.6 vs. 6.3)."Filter-attachment size - 77 mm, Dimensions Approx. 83 mm diameter x 120 mm (distance from camera lens mount flange), Weight Approx. 830 g (29.3 oz)"."Filter attachment size 67mm, Diameter x length (extension from lens mount) Approx. 78.5 mm x 99 mm, Weight Approx. 550g (19.4 oz.)".

The lens (and the G, since it has the same focal length) has the largest zoom range of any other lens (interchangeable camera lenses only) currently manufactured.

Features

The lens is equipped with the following features:"Vibration Reduction", "Silent Wave Motor", "AS" (Aspherical lens), "Super Integrated Coating", "ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) Glass", and "IF" (Internal Focusing).

Nikon's Silent Wave Motor for quick and almost completely silent autofocus operation (denotes the "AF-S" on the lens body)."The AF-S motor is driven by the electronics of your camera".

VR II"Based on this procedure, vibration reduction effects providing the equivalent of a shutter speed of approx. three (with VR) or four (with VRII) stops faster are confirmed". for image stabilization and has two stabilization modes for different conditions (denotes the "VR" on the lens body).

Nikon's Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass to remove chromatic aberrations (denotes the "ED" on the lens body)."ED glass helps eliminate secondary chromatic aberration (green-magenta color fringes) which is what previously prevented the design of practical super speed, super sharp super teles".

Aspherical elements to remove other kinds of aberrations that may occur."Spherical surfaces are not the optimum shape for lenses. In fact, "spherical aberration" is the phrase used to describe a lens defect that results when one only uses a single spherical element".

Lens elements are made with Nikon's multiple layer Super Integrated Coating (SIC) for improved color in photographs as well as reducing ghosting and flaring."Multicoating not only allows a reduction of lens flare and ghosting, but also increases light transmission".

Nikon's Internal Focusing (IF) to prevent the lens from changing size during focusing operation."Nikon discovered that one could focus the lens by just moving some elements around inside the lens barrel".

Specifications

Reproduction ratio 0.32x Rangefinder Yes (built-in focus distance scale and shown in camera viewfinder and display) Formats DXFX in "DX Crop Mode" Lens type G Focus AutomaticManualAutomatic with manual override

References