In brief my experiences:
NEGATIVE:
- Plastic fantastik: It weighs nothing, the bayonet is made of plastic.
- The focus ring turns with - but as I said: A Poli filter is probably anyway not necessarily placed here.
- Unwieldy with manual focus: The ring is so narrow and makes a fragile impression.
NEUTRAL:
- The lens is located very far forward - is therefore in accordance with "vulnerable". I take as "insurance" a Hoya UV filter.
- The lens hood HB-45 is not included (in the kit, at least) and must be bought expensively.
POSITIVE:
- Sharp! Well, I have not had too many comparative lenses in hand / on the camera. But at the same aperture setting, it can keep up with a 35mm f1.8 at sufficiently light well.
- On Crop useful portrait lens with 50mm. While one makes compromises in bokeh (clear at f5 upward ...), but it is quite usable.
- Small and light: The camera is small! Who ever had a 55-200mm lens in hand, know what I mean ...
- 3x Zoom is suitable for everyday use, even if not the world ...
- The wide-angle. Believe it or not: For party photos is good this lens! For my 50mm f1.4 Focal length is indeed just perfect for low-light portraits, but also quite long: that is, not every party makes it a 2-3m withdraw. In conjunction with an external flash (but only then) such as the SB600 from the same manufacturer, as well as group shots in cramped conditions are possible and surprisingly good!
CONCLUSION:
Super standard lens for beginners like me. Compared to my fixed focal length, this lens includes mainly the gap down so at wide angle. However, sometimes you wish for the more zoom, the 18-105mm VR such as what comes off consistently well in tests. If I had the choice again, I would rather shell out the same kit more and get the larger focal range. Or with the 35mm f1.8 buy an all-round fixed focal length equal - price, these 3 lenses do not take much.
UPDATE: (January 2012)
I had in the meantime even the old kit lens Nikon 18-70mm 1: 3.5-4.5 for comparison for a few months. I could not detect any differences in terms of sharpness and contrast. Rather, what the equipment concerns: permanent manual focus operation, internal focusing, supplied lens hood, metal bayonet and significantly faster autofocus. BUT: no VR (indispensable for images of interior design without a tripod!) And not for nothing the nickname "Air Pump" - within küzester time I had extremely much dust on the sensor. Therefore, the lens had to go again.
