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 โ†’ Reviews โ†’ Cameras and Lenses โ†’ Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR Review

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR Review

By Spencer Cox 31 Comments
Published On April 24, 2024

«»

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 vs Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3

This is probably the most obvious comparison to make, since these are the two main kit lenses currently available for Nikon Z DX cameras. How do they compare? We’ll start with the widest focal lengths, which are 18mm and 16mm respectively:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-18mm

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 16mm

Both lenses do a great job here! The Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 is sharper in the corners, while the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 is sharper in the center and (to a lesser extent) the midframes. As you stop down, any differences start to become harder to notice, as expected.

Next, let’s look at 24mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-24mm

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 24mm

Keep in mind that the aperture values are different in the charts above this time, since the 16-50mm can only reach f/4.2, while the 18-140mm can reach f/3.8 at 24mm.

Looking at the same apertures, we see that the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 is a little sharper throughout the frame this time. The difference is never huge – it teeters on the edge of what is visible or not (AKA about a 10% difference in the numbers above). Both lenses remain nice and sharp.

Here’s 35mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-35mm

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 35mm

The story is pretty much the same at 35mm. While the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 is a little sharper at shared apertures, it is never by too much.

And finally, 50mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-50mm

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 50mm

As before, make sure that you’re comparing the same apertures against one another! Things can get a little confusing otherwise, since the lenses have very different maximum apertures at 50mm (f/4.8 and f/6.3 respectively).

Just like at 24mm and 35mm, the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 is a little sharper here at 50mm. The differences aren’t significant enough that I would worry about them, but they do exist.

All in all, I would rate the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 as being the slightly sharper of the two lenses. However, the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 has the advantage at 18mm in the corners, which could be significant to landscape photographers. Either way, the two lenses are not far apart in sharpness overall.

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f3.5-6.3 VR Sample Image 5
NIKON Z fc + NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR @ 21.5mm, ISO 100, 1/30, f/8.0

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 vs Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3

I already said on the previous page of this review that the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 is strongest from 18mm to 50mm. At 70mm onward, it gets a little less sharp. Where does this place it relative to Nikon’s Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3? Here’s how they measure up, starting at 50mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-50mm

Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 50mm

Here, the sharper lens corner-to-corner is the Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3. It really is an impressive telephoto lens! It’s not that the 18-140mm is bad at 50mm by any stretch, however. The two lenses aren’t terribly far apart (at least, not yet).

Next is 70mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-70mm

Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 70mm

This time, the difference is starting to look pretty pronounced. The Nikon Z DX 18-140mm definitely loses some sharpness at 70mm, while the Nikon Z DX 50-250mm is even stronger than it was at 50mm (especially in the midframes and corners). It’s a really impressive performance by the telephoto zoom.

And finally, 140mm and 135mm:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-140mm

Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR MTF Performance 135mm

The difference this time is the most significant yet. While the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm is still totally usable, the Nikon Z 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 is seriously sharp. I definitely would rather have the 50-250mm lens in my bag if I often used such long focal lengths.

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f3.5-6.3 VR Sample Image 8
NIKON Z fc + NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/15, f/8.0

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 vs Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7

How does the 18-140mm perform compared to a prime lens (albeit a tiny one, which usually implies worse performance) – the Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7? Here’s how we measured both lenses in the lab:

Nikon-Z-DX-18-140mm-f3.5-6.3-MTF-Performance-24mm

Nikon-Z-DX-24mm-f1.7-MTF-Performance

As before, please make sure that you compare the same aperture values against one another!

When you do that, I’m personally surprised at how well the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 holds up by comparison. The two lenses are at an extremely similar level. While I do think the 24mm f/1.7 holds a small advantage overall (especially in the corners and midframes at the narrower apertures), the two lenses are close to being interchangeable, at least where sharpness is concerned.

The Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 has the advantage of being smaller, as well as offering a brighter maximum aperture of f/1.7. However, the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 has the obvious advantage of being able to zoom, and it also has vibration reduction while the 24mm f/1.7 does not. So, the real winner of this comparison is not based on sharpness, but which other characteristics you prefer in a lens.

Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f3.5-6.3 VR Sample Image 15
NIKON Z fc + NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR @ 23.5mm, ISO 100, 1/3, f/16.0

The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR. So, click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:

Table of Contents

  • Introduction & Build Quality
  • Optical Performance
  • Lens Comparisons
  • Verdict
  • 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 ยท Photography Life

You are going to send email to

Move Comment