NIKON 16-85mm VR VS. NIKON 18-200mm VRJune 19, 2008 By Ken Rockwell
As of March 2008, the Nikon 16-85mm VR and 18-200mm VR lenses sell for about the same price and, except for the zoom ranges, have almost identical specifications. I borrowed a brand-new 16-85mm and compared it against my personal 18-200mm VR to find out. Most aspects are identical or almost identical, like the price, look and feel, mechanics, switches, VR noises, AF speed, features and controls. The 18-200mm is a little bit bigger and heavier, but only by 1/2" (12mm) and 2.630 oz. (74.55g). The 16-85mm has somewhat better sharpness at the wide end corners; while the 18-200mm is a slightly better at 85mm. It is not that big a deal and will vary from sample-to-sample probably more than from one design to the other. The 16-85mm has a VR system, which, if you're shooting at around 1/8 of a second at 85mm, gives superior results. The 16-85mm has about half the distortion of the 18-200mm at the same zoom settings, but each of them has enough distortion that if you care about it, you'll still need to correct it in Photoshop. There isn't much difference between the widest ends of these two lenses. If I swap one for the other, I really have to be paying attention and looking for specific points on a subject to notice the difference. TELE RANGE: 200mm is obviously longer than 85mm—a huge difference for subjects far away. You may not see a huge difference by simply pointing each lens at objects indoors. And due to the optical tomfoolery used to design modern zoom lenses, there actually is much less difference between these lenses if you're only a few feet away from the subject. This is because these zooms actually shorten their focal lengths as you focus more closely! If you want to compare the two lenses for yourself, be sure to point them at something very far away. Otherwise, you'll see less difference at 20 feet (6m) and very little difference at just five feet (1.5m). MECHANICS:
SHARPNESS: In terms of sharpness, these two lenses are almost identical. The 16-85mm, on a D200 or D300, is superior at the wide end in the corners and my 18-200mm is a little better at 85mm. Zoom lenses like these will vary in sharpness from shot-to-shot, and from corner to corner. If you shoot less than a few hundred identical comparisons, you'll see differences, but you're seeing shot-to-shot variations instead of lens-to-lens differences. These can drive you crazy, since one lens will win one time, the other will win the next under the same conditions! DISTORTION: Both lenses have complex barrel distortion at their wide ends and pincushion distortion throughout most of the rest of their ranges. The 16-85mm has about half the distortion of the 18-200mm, but it still needs correcting in Photoshop CS2's lens distortion filter if you're picky. MACRO: Both lenses give almost identical magnifications however, the 16-85mm gives a tiny bit less magnification, but it's sharper because it focuses more accurately. Marked close focus is different (1.5' (0.38m) on the 16-85mm and 1.6' (0.5m) on the 18-200mm), but the longest zoom settings are different and the adherence to the marked focal length varies at close distances. The close-focus specifications alone are meaningless for comparison. VIBRATION REDUCTION: Vibration reduction is better with the 16-85mm, but only under certain conditions where VR is effective. If you want to see the difference for yourself, make some shots at 85mm at 1/10 of a second. When I do, most come out perfectly sharp with the 16-85mm, while few do with the 18-200mm. Of course most shots aren't made under these conditions. At 1/2 second, neither gives good results, and at 1/30 second, they both give perfect results 100% of the time. MAXIMUM APERTURE: While they are both specified as "f/3.5-5.6," since the 16-85mm only goes to 85mm, at most zoom settings the 16-85mm is about a quarter-stop slower. ZOOMING: The zooms on these two lenses are identical. Both lenses extend as you zoom and the filter rings don't rotate, even when focusing. Both lenses make it easy to set a precise focal length and make it easy to zoom quickly to any focal length. They both have correct logarithmic calibrations, meaning a constant change in percentage of focal length for the same rotation. The zoom ring calibration is about 1.8 cm/octave in both lenses. RECOMMENDATIONS: If you look at every image at 200% for flaws then you want to go with the 16-85mm VR lens. You'll need another tele-zoom lens to make up for the lost zoom range. My favorite is still the 18-200mm for its far greater utility. The 16-85mm only covers less than half of what I need, while the 18-200mm covers almost everything. To see examples of how this lens captures images and to read the article in its entirety go to www.kenrockwell.com 
This review was excerpted from KenRockwell.com, a personal website dedicated to photography including a thorough section on equipment reviews as well as a section on useful tips and advice. Ken Rockwell, the editor-in chief of his website, has been taking pictures since he was five years old and quickly progressed to shooting in medium format and aerial photography by the age of ten. Being the son of an electronic engineer, Rockwell began studying digital imaging in the 1970s and got his formal engineering degree in 1983. Rockwell worked at TRW LSI Products Inc., where he helped design digital imaging systems used in motion picture special effects, television broadcasts, spacecraft and even scanners. Rockwell’s photography has won numerous awards and is featured in both public and private collections worldwide. He teaches at several workshops throughout the year including the Route 66 workshop, a workshop for the Yosemite Association as well as a workshop for the Polytechnic University in Turin, Italy. To get more tips on photography and to read additional reviews by Rockwell visit his site at www.KenRockwell.com |
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