Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom Nikkor Lens by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom Nikkor Lens
Digital camera Review: Amazing lens
Summary: 5 Stars
This lens is a groundbreaking choice for anyone who hates changing lenses in the field as much as I do. I used to miss shots because I had to go into my camera bag and put my telephoto on, and by the time I was set, the moment was gone. Now I have no excuse! Being able to walk around with only one lens is a truly liberating feeling.
The images are fantastic, sharp (enough) throughout the zoom range. The distortion at 18mm does not bother me -- it is to be expected and can be corrected. I even enjoy distortion in many photographs, and when it is not appropriate I simply zoom in to 24mm.
I find the build quality to be good, except the lens feels fragile while extended at full zoom. I always retract to 18mm for storing or even walking around. I have not experienced the zoom creep others have mentioned. Auto focus is nice and quick, but the manual focus ring is not as smooth as I would like.
The VR is an excellent feature and really comes in handy on the long end of the zoom. Of course, if your subject is moving the VR won't do much for you.
The only downside this lens has is its lack of speed. f/5.6 (at 200mm) is too slow for many applications. Indoors I find myself switching to 800 ASA so I can shoot a sharp image. The depth of field at f/5.6 is of course less flattering than what you would achieve from a prime. You will also find prettier bokeh in other (more expensive) prime lenses. So don't throw out your other lenses! I know there are limitations in optics, and that this lens only costs $700, but I would be exceptionally ecstatic with this lens if it opened to a f/2.8. Maybe one day. Meanwhile, I will enjoy this lens because it is fantastic.
Digital camera Review: Amzing lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I do not think it is right to penalize this lens just because Amazon has screwed up the OFP. People here who are desperately in need of the lens should buy this from dealers who have ready in stock. Ofcourse these guys will charge a $150-$200 premium. You should be able to get this lens with a few dealers for $899. This lens is simply amazing and too good to be true. The images are tack sharp and have nice contrast. This lens is sharper than its competitor Tamron 18-200mm. Is it worth twice? Yes it is for the amazing picture quality it produces. The sharpness is remarkable. The vibration reduction does work actually. I can shoot consistenly at 200mm @ 1/15 second and the images are very sharp. There is a little barrel distortion at the wide end but no worse than competition. Vignetting is minimal and almost absent at f8. This lens is a marvel of Nikon engineering. Simply fantastic.Digital camera Review: An Oldie but Goodie
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this lens used. The first retailer "sweet november" was the worst retailer I ever encountered on amazon. The sale was cancelled, and I was deeply impressed by the courtesy and efficiency of amazon's cancellation staff/policy when the retailer refuses to fulfill the order or communicate with the customer.
But, I wanted the lens so I went ahead with another retailer, who was excellent. The lens itself is a dream: yes, it is heavy (I love that, hate the lightness of today's cameras and lenses);yes, it is noisy, but I love the sound of a lens working; yes, my copy has lens "creep" (when the camera is off), but I don't really care about that. On the other hand, the pictures are superb. Not only is the image sharp enough to "shave with" but the color balance/saturation is perhaps the best of the three other Nikkor lenses I own. By far, my favorite lens. Hope the new version is as good.
Digital camera Review: An outstanding versatile lens
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not a pro, but I shoot a lot of pictures. This lens is everything I was expecting and more. I have had it four months and about 3000 shutter releases. It is a "prosumer" lens and the one star off is for the nit pick below.
The 11-1 zoom range is the main reason anyone buys this lens and it excels in that category with a 35mm film equivalent of 27mm to 300mm. My 18-70 and 55-200 are now paperweights! This lens looks and feels great on my D300, and even with the SB-800 flash, the rig is very well balanced and professional feeling. It is especially useful for events, parties, and even weddings ... short-range wildlife, walk around town, scenics, you name it, this lens can just about do it all. I love having the ability to shoot an overview of a dance floor, then, in the next few seconds zoom in on a smiling face of someone having a great time. Or I can frame a breathtaking mountain range at 18mm, and in the next moment grab a shot of a Golden Eagle swooping in low on a jackrabbit. No other single lens can provide those types of opportunities.
The build quality is impressive. Its plastic ... about as good as anything short of metal construction, but not without flaw.
So here is my only nit-pick.
There is a slight wobble when the lens is zoomed out even slightly. More-so when fully zoomed. I'm sure this is due to all the heavy glass the plastic barrels have to support, and does not affect performance. Zooming back to 18mm eliminates this, but you have to remember to do it. I am a little concerned that this wobble could accelerate wear and cause problems later. But okay so far.
The lens creep issue ... When I first got the lens it did not creep, though, from reading many reviews I expected it to, which is why I waited to write this review. After three months and about 2500 releases, it began creeping. It's really not an issue with me and the zoom is actually now smoother than when new ... a plus! The lens will not creep or wobble when set at 18mm! Something you should do anyway when not shooting. There is a "back woods engineering" fix for the creeping posted on the internet ... get a 71mm (I.D.) O-ring and stretch it over the zoom ring. Personally, I don't recommend this because it would have to create added friction somewhere to work ... and there's that accelerated wear thing again. Nikons' new version of this lens has a lock at 18mm (where it doesn't creep anyway). That's the only difference ... and they're going to charge more for it. We'll, at least they're listening.
This lens is sharp! ... even at 200mm! (sometimes, painfully sharp for tight people candids) It's way sharper than my 18-70. It's nearly as sharp as my 50mm f1.4. And I've read that it is nearly as sharp as the 70-200 f2.8 ... but it is not nearly $1600! Color and contrast are exceptional as well. Barrel distortion is quite visible at 18mm when vertical or horizontal lines are present in an image, but goes away quickly at about 20-24mm.
Focus is fast, quiet and accurate. Manual fine tuning is possible (without switching to manual focus) for maximum sharpness simply by turning the nicely positioned focus ring with one finger. The lens is not a macro, but focuses closer than most 200mm lenses, and I think closer than Nikon's notable spec of 20 inches, allowing me to fill the frame with a medium sized Butterfly.
The VRII system works really well ... noticeably better than the VRI used in my 55-200, which I felt did little more than made noise to make me think it was doing something. With the 18-200 I am able to shoot at 3 to 4 stops slower and usually get reasonably sharp pictures. Another big plus with VR is prevention of "ghosting" when shooting with flash or fill flash at slower shutter speeds which allow some ambient light with the flash. Remember that VR doesn't freeze subject motion, only camera motion. A fast shutter speed or flash is required for that. You will need lots of light or flash to freeze action with this lens, as f5.6 is a bit on the slow side. In low light, if flash isn't allowed or won't reach, you'll need that $1600 rig.
I absolutely recommend this lens for all but the most discriminating shooters. Most photographers will benefit from and enjoy using the 18-200VR while getting striking results.
I'm not going to say this is a great lens for the money. $700 plus is a lot of cash for some shooters ... not so much for others. Simply put, the Nikon 18-200VR is a winner on its merits ... and those are outstanding!
Digital camera Review: Are you for... ... Extremely Sharp? or GREAT MOMENTS!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Extremely Sharp? or GREAT MOMENTS? shot , i do favor both and if the pictures are sharp to 90% of people it's sharp enough for me and this is where the 18-200 vr belongs and the rest falls to great moments.
i hope most of us young or old do remember those famous pictures: -were the great boxer Ali knocks out his opponent and raise his hand to the air , -the Dunk shot made by Michael Jordan when he take off from free throw area and made him won the Slam Dunk competition, -the vibrant Tennis player when they react on their winning shot like Mcenroe and Sampras ...YES! we do remember those picture NOT by it sharpness but with the Great moments captured by photographers and his camera, and remember they are not the sharpest picture we have seen yet they were taken by Thousand dollars zoom or prime Lens. Who hate sharpness? nobody does, but i am more to capturing a very rare opportunity of great moments of my friends, sports, landscape, indoor outdoor , outings and most specially moments of my family and Kids. We do have our own reason of buying things , a KIA might be too much for somebody and a BMW still not enough for someone , everything have a plus and minus and i rather have the little downside of this lens than the Few advantage of other glass. "Provided that if you get a good copy of this lens, you'll be suprised how sharp it is." Try to stay with 24-170 range.
Having one lens from 27-300 35mm equivalent, VR that helps in telephoto and low light , decent fast f3.5 at 18mm wide angle with maximum f5.6 at 200mm, silent wave focusing motor. With this Lens we do have a big chance capturing special moments that never happen all the time. Of all my lenses this turn to be one of my favorite and i would suggest for some beginners with limited budget to pair this with $100.00 prime lens(not bad for its price and capability) Nikon 50mm f1.8 for extra low light and fast action shooting condition.
BTW i'am a Canon and Nikon user i love them both and they're both good so i'm one of those mix family Nikon+Canon = NIK-NON or CAN-KON , cheers!