Covering a wide-angle to short-telephoto range, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is a 24-127.5mm-equivalent zoom for Nikon DX-format DSLRs. Suitable for everyday shooting, the lens's optical design, which includes three aspherical elements and two extra-low dispersion elements, helps to render a high degree of sharpness, clarity, and color accuracy throughout the zoom range. A Super Integrated Coating also controls lens flare and ghosting for improved contrast when working in bright and backlit conditions. Supporting the optics is VR II image stabilization, which compensates for 3.5 stops of camera shake to help realize sharp imagery when shooting handheld. A Silent Wave Motor is also used to provide fast and precise autofocus performance, along with full-time manual focus override.

Standard zoom is designed for DX-format F-mount cameras and provides a 24-127.5mm equivalent focal length range.

Three aspherical elements are used to reduce spherical aberrations and distortion in order to realize sharp imagery with accurate rendering.

Two extra-low dispersion elements greatly reduce color fringing and chromatic aberrations in order to produce greater clarity and color accuracy.

A Super Integrated Coating has been applied to individual elements to suppress internal reflections, flare, and ghosting for improved contrast and color accuracy when working in strong lighting conditions.

Silent Wave Motor affords quick, quiet, and precise autofocus performance along with full-time manual focus override. An internal focusing design is also used, where only the internal lens groups are moved during focusing, to maintain the overall length of the lens during use and to promote faster focusing speeds.

VR II (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by 3.5 stops to benefit shooting handheld in difficult lighting conditions.

Rounded seven-blade diaphragm promotes a pleasing out of focus quality that benefits the use of shallow depth of field techniques.