where there’s smoke there’s fire

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED DX VR lens leaked on Nikon Europe website today. This lens has been on my list of upcoming announcements for few months now. The related patent can be found here. I have no exact announcement date, but I believe it should be in the next few weeks. I also think that there will be a new DX body to go along with that lens.

Main features:

• DX format 16.7x zoom lens with versatile 18-300mm focal range (FX/35mm equivalent:27 to 450mm)
• Vibration Reduction II (VR II) stabilization system enables more flexible hand-held shooting and lets you use shutter speeds that are up to 4 stops slower.
• Maximum aperture of f/5.6 at the telephoto end of the range.
• Zoom-lock switch keeps the lens secure when not in use.
• 9-blade rounded diaphragm opening makes out-of-focus elements blend together smoothly.
• Three ED glass and three aspherical lens elements ensure high resolution and superior contrast.
• SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for fast, whisper-quiet autofocus.
• Compact and lightweight design for a lens with this range.

Specifications:

• Focal length 18-300 mm
• Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.6
• Minimum aperture f/22-32
• Lens construction 19 elements in 14 groups (including 3 aspherical lens elements and 3 ED lens elements)
• Angle of view 76 °-5 °20 ‘
• Focusing Nikon Internal Focusing (IF) System with autofocus controlled by Silent Wave Motor and separate focus ring for manual focus
• Minimum focus distance 300 mm focal length: 0.45 m (1.48 ft) from focal plane
• Maximum reproduction ratio 1/3.2x
• No. of diaphragm blades 9 (rounded diaphragm opening)
• Filter-attachment size 77 mm (P=0.75 mm)
• Dimensions Approx. 83 mm diameter x 120 mm (distance from camera lens mount flange)
• Weight Approx. 830 g (29.3 oz)

MTF charts:

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