Photography Life

PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels

  • Lens Reviews
  • Camera Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • Compare Cameras
  • Forum
    • Sign Up
    • Login
  • About
  • Search
Home → Reviews → Cameras and Lenses → Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR Review

Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR Review

By John Sherman 71 Comments
Last Updated On July 3, 2020

«»

Lens Comparisons

In its price range, the obvious comparable lens is with the Nikkor 24-120mm. This, however, is comparing an FX offering with a DX offering. The following uncropped shots are done on the 20.9 MP D500 (with 16-80mm) and the 24mp D750 (with the 24-120mm). All have my identical default sharpening applied.

Verm-16-80-80-Petrified-Forest-7403
NIKON D500 + 16-80mm f/2.8-4 @ 80mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-24-120-120-Petrified-Forest-19318
NIKON D750 + 24-120mm f/4 @ 120mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-16-18-55-Petrified-Forest-7402
NIKON D500 + 16-80mm f/2.8-4 @ 55mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-24-120-85-Petrified-Forest-19319
NIKON D750 + 24-120mm f/4 @ 85mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-16-80-31-Petrified-Forest-7401
NIKON D500 + 16-80mm f/2.8-4 @ 31mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-24-120-50-Petrified-Forest-19320
NIKON D750 + 24-120mm f/4 @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-16-80-16-Petrified-Forest-7400
NIKON D500 + 16-80mm f/2.8-4 @ 16mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Verm-24-120-24-Petrified-Forest-19321
NIKON D750 + 24-120mm f/4 @ 24mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0

Despite the D750’s higher resolution, the D500 with 16-80mm looks sharper at all these focal lengths.

Table of Contents

  • Overview and Specifications
  • Optical Features
  • Comparisons
  • Summary
  • More Image Samples
  • Reader Comments
«»
Looking for even more exclusive content?

On Photography Life, you already get world-class articles with no advertising every day for free. As a Member, you'll get even more:

Silver ($5/mo)
  • Exclusive articles
  • Monthly Q&A chat
  • Early lens test results
  • "Creative Landscape Photography" eBook
Gold ($12/mo)
  • All that, PLUS:
  • Online workshops
  • Monthly photo critiques
  • Vote on our next lens reviews
 
Click Here to Join Today
 
Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options

Learn

  • Beginner Photography
  • Landscape Photography
  • Wildlife Photography
  • Portraiture
  • Post-Processing
  • Advanced Tutorials
Photography Life on Patreon

Reviews

  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews
  • Best Cameras and Lenses

Photography Tutorials

Photography Basics
Landscape Photography
Wildlife Photography
Macro Photography
Composition & Creativity
Black & White Photography
Night Sky Photography
Portrait Photography
Street Photography
Photography Videos

Unique Gift Ideas

Best Gifts for Photographers

Subscribe via Email

If you like our content, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly email updates using the link below:

Subscribe to our newsletter

Site Menu

  • About Us
  • Beginner Photography
  • Lens Database
  • Lens Index
  • Photo Spots
  • Search
  • Forum

Reviews

  • Reviews Archive
  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews

More

  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Workshops
  • Support Us
  • Submit Content

Copyright © 2025 · Photography Life

You are going to send email to

Move Comment