Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR
f/3.5~6.3
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Z9 Z8 Z7 II Z6 II Zf Z7 Z6 Z5 Z fc Z50 Z30
Z System Z Lenses All Nikon Lenses Flash
Nikon Z 18-140mm VR DX (62mm filters, 11.0 oz./312 g, 0.5' ~ 1.2'/0.16 ~ 0.37m close focus, 0.33 × macro ratio, $597). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
March 2022 Better Pictures Nikon Mirrorless Mirrorless Lenses All Nikon Lenses Nikon Flash All Reviews
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
More samples throughout this review at Bokeh, Macro, Spherochromatism and Sunstars.
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are shot hand-held as BASIC ★ JPGs; no tripods, NORMAL or FINE JPG or RAW files were used or needed.
Canary Palm, 8:29 AM, Tuesday, 08 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode, Z 18-140mm VR DX at 18mm almost wide-open at f/4 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 11.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 19 MP © 4 MB JPG file.
Lunch, Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, México, 12:02 PM, Tuesday, 08 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode, Z 18-140mm VR DX at 18mm wide-open at f/3.5 hand-held at 1/15 of a second at Auto ISO 72, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 4⅔), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or camera-original 19 MP © 4 MB JPG file.
Bokeh and Macro are both great for shots like this:
1935 Plymouth Clipper, 9:47 AM, Saturday, 12 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode, Z 18-140mm VR DX at 140mm at f/10 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 72 (LV 14.1), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 19 MP © 4 MB JPG file.
Like most Aspherical lenses other than Sony's unique Extreme Aspherical optics, out-of-focus points of light can take on onion-like annuli as you see above, and in this sample you even can see Airy diffraction patterns around the edges of these large disks, signs that this lens' optics are performing at the edge of the laws of physics.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
This plasticy lens makes ultra-sharp images at every setting from corner-to-corner and it focuses ultra-close. It's small, lightweight and very precisely made. Treat it carefully and it will provide years of great images.
Just turn the focus ring at any time for instant manual-focus override.
It's a brilliant little lens. Try it and you'll like it.
I got my 18-140mm at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New intro top
Nikon's first wide-range zoom for DX mirrorless.
Good intro top
Ultrasharp at every setting everywhere in the image. Bravo!
Small.
Light.
Very broad and useful zoom range.
Programmable control ring is a manual focus ring by default.
Optical stabilizer rated 5 stops improvement and measures 4-stops real-world improvement.
Bad intro top
Crappy plastic mount — on a $600 lens?
Production dumped to Thailand, not made domestically in Japan.
Plastic filter threads
Plastic exterior.
Plastic interior.
Missing intro top
No stabilizer switch.
No AF/MF switch.
No focus scale.
No depth-of-field scale.
No infra-red focus indices.
No focus lock buttons.
No case included — so?
No hood included — so?
No colored markings; a boring lens to look at because everything is either black or white.
No pride of ownership, just a lens you can use to create unforgettable images and toss if it breaks out of warranty. I'm exaggerating and sure you can get it serviced, just that it isn't heirloom-quality as Nikon's $600 lenses used to be.
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
Compatibility top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I got my 18-140mm at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This lens works only on Nikon's Z-series mirrorless cameras.
It does not so much as even mount on any other camera.
This is a DX (APS-C crop-sensor) lens. It works fine on full-frame cameras, but they throw away more than half of their sensor area and resolution when used with this lens.
While it works great on my Z9, I don't recommend buying this for use on full-frame because the DX Z50 and Z fc cost less and have more pixels in DX mode than any full-frame camera. Even if it doesn't take advantage of the Z9's full frame sensor, if you have a Z9, it's a fun lens and makes great pictures.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I got my 18-140mm at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Nikon calls this the NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR:
NIKKOR: Nikon's brand name for all their lenses.
Z: For Nikon's mirrorless cameras only.
DX: Won't work well on full-frame cameras (you get a picture, but most of the camera's pixels are thrown away if you're picky about it).
VR: Vibration Reduction.
It also has:
AF-P: Stepper (Pulse) STM autofocus motor: silent and fast.
Aspherical: Specially curved glass elements for sharper pictures.
D: Couples distance information to the 3D Matrix Meter.
ED: Magic Extra-low Dispersion glass for reduced secondary chromatic aberration.
IF: Internal focusing; nothing moves externally as focused.
∅62: 62mm filter thread.
Optics specifications top
Nikon internal optical construction. Aspherical and ED elements. bigger
17 elements in 13 groups.
2 ED extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
2 aspherical elements.
Nikon Super Integrated multiCoating (SIC).
Diaphragm specifications top
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
7 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/22 ~ f/40.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 62mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications top
DX only.
Used on an FX body, the sensor will be cropped (most of the pixels are thrown away). It will look OK when shooting, but you'll notice the image sizes are much smaller than when shot with full-frame lenses on the same camera.
Focal Length specifications top
18-140mm.
When used on DX cameras, it sees the same angle of view as a 28-210 mm lens sees when used on an FX or 35mm camera.
When used in the 1:1 square crop mode on DX it sees the same angle of view as a 60 ~ 500 mm lens sees when used on 6×6 cm Hasselblad.
See also Crop Factor.
Angle of View (on DX) specifications top
76º ～ 11½º diagonal.
Autofocus specifications top
No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.
Focus Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
You have to focus somehow to get precise focus at infinity, just like at every other distance.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus (distance from subject to image plane) specifications top
Rated 0.65 feet (7.8" or 0.2 meters).
Actual measured close-focus measures closer at shorter focal lengths and longer at telephoto settings:
0.52' (6.25" or 16cm) at 18mm.
0.75' (9" or 23cm) at 35mm.
1.04' (12.5" or 32cm) at 70mm.
1.22' (14.6" or 37cm) at 140mm.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:3.0 (0.33 ×).
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No
Image Stabilizer specifications top
Rated 5 stops improvement.
Caps specifications top
LC-62B 62 mm snap-on front cap, included.
LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap, included.
Hood specifications top
Optional HB-101 hood.
I wouldn't bother with it.
Size specifications top
2.87" ø maximum diameter × 3.54" extension from flange.
73 mm ø maximum diameter × 90 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
11.023 oz. (312.45 g) actual measured weight.
Rated 11.1 oz. (315 g).
Quality specifications top
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
Made in Thailand.
Announced specifications top
13 October 2021.
Nikon hinted with a "development announcement" on 29 June 2021.
Included specifications top
Lens.LC-62B 62 mm snap-on front cap.
LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap.
That's it!
Packaging specifications top
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
Corrugated cardboard box with corrugami internals.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
March 2022
$597 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing
Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters
Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes
Lens Corrections Macro Min & Max Apertures
Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism
I got my 18-140mm at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
This lens works unusually well, but feels like a crappy plastic lens.
It's small and light, covers an ideal zoom range and focuses ultra-close so it always gets a great picture. Just don't abuse it physically.
The front section of the lens is tight and has no play, while many more expensive zooms have front sections that wobble if you try to move them side to side. So there!
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is fast, but not instantaneous, on my Z9.
It makes only the slightest hum as it focuses, You won't hear it unless you hold the camera closely and listen for it.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focus is wonderful. Nikon is the world leader in electronic manual focus.
Just grab the electronic focus ring at any time for instant manual-focus override anytime the camera is awake. It moves with just fingertip.
Better than any other brand, even if you're in AF-C and move the manual-focus ring, it just swaps to manual focus instantly and stays where you set it. Other brands will try to fight you for focus if you're in continuous AF, while this lens just does what you tell it to do. Bravo!
There is no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu or assign control to function button.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
The image gets a little smaller as focused more closely. I doubt it would be annoying or noticeable in actual use.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is excellent. If a background is out of focus, it goes away without distraction.
Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. I'm focused on the DAVIS logo. Click any for the © camera-original file:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 08-09 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode at 1/1,250 ,1/800 and 1/400, at Auto ISO 64, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.6, 14.8 and 14.6), Perfectly Clear. Click any for the 19 MP, 2.5 MB camera-original © files.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 140mm and f/6.3 and get as close as possible. As you see above, out-of-focusness depends far more on focal length than on f/stop.
Distortion performance top
The Nikon Z 18-140mm VR DX has almost no distortion shot as JPG on my Z9, which always corrects for it. Distortion correction is always ON; it cannot be turned off.
Shot with correction, the distortion is completely invisible except at 24mm, where there is a slight amount of residual barrel distortion, which probably won't be visible, either.
If you shoot raw data rather than JPG images, whatever software you use to create visible images from raw data may or may not correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs. You're on your own there; I don't bother with raw data.
For more critical scientific use, use these corrections in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images. No, I have no idea why my Z9 doesn't correct these fully on its own.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
On DX at 30' (10m) |
Correction factor to use with images made with correction ON in Z9 |
18mm |
+0.50* |
24mm |
+1.10 |
35mm |
+0.30 |
50mm |
+0.45 |
70mm |
+0.10 |
100mm |
+0.20 |
140mm |
±0.00 |
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
* Slight waviness remains after this correction.
Ergonomics performance top
|
|
At 18mm. bigger. |
At 140mm. bigger. |
|
|
At 18mm. bigger. |
At 140mm. bigger. |
Ergonomics are superb. Most of the lens is the big, grippy zoom ring, or the small programmable manual focus ring.
There's no stabilizer switch; you have to set this in a menu.
There's no AF/MF switch; you have to set this in a menu.
Other than a lack of those controls, focus and zoom work great.
Falloff performance top
Falloff is negligible. There's a little wide-open at 18mm, and otherwise it's invisible in actual photos.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Nikon Z 18-140mm VR DX, Vignette Correction Normal (default).
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Even with Vignette Correction deliberately turned OFF, its not any worse. This is excellent performance:
Nikon Z 18-140mm VR DX, Vignette Correction OFF.
© 2022 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. I can stack a couple of standard screw-in 62mm filters with no vignetting at 18mm, and as I zoom to longer focal lengths I can use a laughably large stack of filters with no vignetting.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
There's no problem with flare or ghosts.
See examples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
Nikon cameras correct for any lateral fringes automatically; there's no way to turn this correction on or off.
I don't see any significant color fringes
if you shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images then there is the possibility that there might be some, but I doubt it.
Lens Corrections performance top
Nikon's Z cameras correct for any or all of distortion, diffraction and falloff (vignette control). Distortion control cannot be turned off, while diffraction and falloff (vignette control) correction can be changed.
Nikon's Z cameras always correct for lateral color fringes (lateral chromatic aberration). This is part of Nikon's secret sauce and never appears in any menu.
Macro Performance performance top
This lens has outstanding macro performance; it gets super-close and there is no need to fiddle with macro settings; it just focuses from infinity all the way up to super-close.
At 140mm wide-open at f/6.3
It's a little bit soft wide-open at these crazy-close distances, but so what; depth of field is nonexistent this close so it's not that important:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at 140mm at close-focus distance wide-open at f/6.3, 08 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode at Auto ISO 64. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (4.51× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9 × 13½" (23 × 34 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18 × 27" (46 × 768 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 36 × 54" (0.9 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
At 140mm at f/11
It's much sharper at f/11. For real-world macro shooting, shoot at f/22 to f/32 to try to get enough depth of field:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at 140mm at close-focus distance at f/11, 08 March 2022. Nikon Z9 in DX crop mode at Auto ISO 64. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (4.51× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9 × 13½" (23 × 34 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18 × 27" (46 × 768 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 36 × 54" (0.9 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
Maximum & Minimum Apertures performance top
Maximum Aperture |
Minimum Aperture |
|
| 18mm | f/3.5 |
f/22 |
| 24mm | f/3.8 |
f/25 |
| 35mm | f/4.2 |
f/29 |
| 50mm | f/4.8 |
f/32 |
| 70mm | f/4.8 |
f/36 |
| 100mm | f/5.3 |
f/36 |
| 140mm | f/6.3 |
f/40 |
Mechanical Quality performance top
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
Except for the lens elements and electrical contacts, this is an all-plastic lens, and feels like it. It feels like a toy, however it is very precisely made.
Don't pick up or carry your camera by this lens because the plastic lens mount could break, resulting in your camera dropping to the ground.
The zoom grip is rubber.
The plastic focus ring is just plastic.
One curiously good thing is that the telescoping front part of the lens has no play. Try to wiggle the front of the lens, and it doesn't move. This is much better than many much more expensive lenses, whose front sections often have a lot of play if you try to wiggle them.
Serial Number
Nikon Z 18-140mm DX VR. bigger.
Laser engraved on bottom of plastic barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Moderate clattering.
That's the unlocked VR system rattling around.
Made in
Made in Thailand.
Sharpness performance top
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 or smaller at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
People worry waaaaay too much about lens sharpness. It's not 1968 anymore when lenses often weren't that sharp and there could be significant differences among them; ever since about 2010 all new lenses are all pretty much equally fantastic.
This lens is very sharp corner-to corner at every aperture, limited of course by diffraction at the very smallest apertures.
 |
 |
MTF at 18mm at f/3.5. |
MTF at 140mm at f/6.3. |
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
It has only the mildest spherochromatism, as expected for such a slow lens:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at , March 2022. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (4.51× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9 × 13½" (23 × 34 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18 × 27" (46 × 768 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 36 × 54" (0.9 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
Image Stabilization (VR) performance top
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) is great. I see a four-stop real-world improvement on my internally stabilized Z9.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
At 18mm on Stabilized Z9
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
5 |
17 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
43 |
50 |
100 |
100 |
I see a 3¾ stop real-world improvement.
At 50mm on Stabilized Z9
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
0 |
17 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
17 |
67 |
100 |
I see a 4 stop real-world improvement.
At 140mm on Stabilized Z9
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
1/500 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
25 |
50 |
75 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
67 |
67 |
100 |
I see a 4 stop real-world improvement.
Sunstars performance top
With a 7-blade rounded diaphragm, I almost only get 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the crazy rainbow dots at small apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by taking a picture directly of the sun and exposing for the dark underside of a huge palm tree, and using that same palm tree to hide the sky to accentuate the stars.
Click any to enlarge:
Adding a Nikon 62mm L37c (multicoated UV) filter adds only a small green flare blob near the sun:
Click any to enlarge.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
I got my 18-140mm at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or eventually used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
I laughed at this lens until I tried it myself and saw how well it works — even with the cropped DX mode of an FX camera as I've shown throughout this review.
I use a clear Nikon 62mm NC (No Color) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 62mm UV which uses hardened glass and is treated to repel dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 62mm 010 is an excellent filter, as is the multicoated version and basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best today. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt. I use my classic Nikon 62mm L37c (multicoated 370 nanometer UV) filters because I bought them back in the 1980s when they were the best, and they never wear out. Putting a 1980s 62mm L37c on this new lens gives a tip of the hat to when Nikon ruled the photography world.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 40 years and then some. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s!
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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