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: At the purple fringe of acceptability
Summary: 3 Stars
As a travel lens the specifications are very attractive. How well does it work? Mostly well enough for amateurs like me.
My camera is a Nikon D50, and my comparison standard is my old Nikkor 24-85 AF-S.
The 18-200 mostly equals or slightly surpasses the 24-85 for sharpness at the center. At corners and edges the 18-200 is often a slight underachiever for sharpness. It usually takes 100% crop for this to be noticeable. The 18-200 showed purple fringing in a few challenging situations, where the 24-85 did better. Most of the time the chromatic aberration, when it occurs, is not very noticeable until displayed at full crop, but a few times it can be seen at laptop monitor resolution.
At 18mm there is recurved barrel distortion, but I'm prepared to accept that in this setting. It corrects pretty well at 24mm (where the 24-85 shows barrel distortion). Above 24mm there is mild pincushion distortion, but for my uses it is good enough. Vignetting at 18mm was milder than I would have expected.
I might have given this lens four stars, but the distance scale is often unreliable. This can be a problem focusing for night scenes where I would have hoped I could just switch to manual and set scale to infinity. To get good focus when the subject does not present a good autofocus target, it is necessary to find a bright object in the distance. Autofocus on that, and then switch to manual to hold that setting. The lens is not parfocal, and changing focal length requires refocusing. This is very disappointing in a $680 lens. If you're traveling to the arctic to photograph auroras, you may want to bring along a 24mm prime focus lens rather than rely on the 18-200.
Pointed directly upwards, with no accessories attached, I saw lens creep from about the 70mm mark to just above the 35mm mark. Add lens hood and filters, and the range gets wider, and the rate gets faster. In situations where this can happen, a rubber band can be used to secure it.
For most professionals the 18-200 is not likely to be an adequate replacement for that case full of more specialized lenses.
Nikon's U.S.A. lenses come with a 1 year warranty and 4 years extended service protection.
Here's a catch on the extended service protection: To get it you must mail in the Lens ESC Registration card within ten days of purchase.
Edit: Within its limitations, VR performance can be quite impressive. With the 18-200 set on VR I took a picture of my coworker at 1/15th sec 60mm that is very sharp. I can think of several shooting situations in the past where VR could have given me better results than what I got without it.
Digital camera Review: Autofocus fails
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a nice lens when it works. I bought it 8 months ago, and it has performed well up till now -- the autofocus failed. I researched the lens and found that this is indeed an issue with this lens. Right now, my lens is at the repair shop. My Nikon D300 is sitting in the camera bag. No photos for me!Digital camera Review: Awesome All Purpose Lens
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second copy, still have the original, for use on our second Nikon D200. This is absolutely the flexible use champion of all lenses on the market. It is not perfect in any task but it is very good in everything you do. For a general purpose, vacation lens, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this lens. Highly recommended for good build quality, good performance, great pictures, compact size and acceptable weight, and excellent Vibration Reduction (VR) feature. It focuses fast and accurately, it is very sharp across the entire focal range, and you can get great low light or telephoto shots due to it's VR. It is reasonably priced for the overall benefits of this incomparable lens.Digital camera Review: Awesome lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered the new 18-200mm vr lens after using a Nikon 70-300mm lens with my Nikon D70 camera to photograph my daughter's graduation. I used the camera handheld at a speed of 1/20th of a second or less due to available light. Camera shake was evident in most of the photos I took due to the high magnification, available light, and speed I needed to shoot at without a tripod.
I received the new lens on Dec. 27th, and I really put it through its paces. It is lightweight and has a very compact size. The sharpness of the lens is excellent and the vr works flawlessly. I am able to shoot at full magnification @ 1/20th of a second and slower without any distortion. The lens is very quick and quiet as it focuses. The photos are beautiful.
To be able to shoot from wide angle 18mm - telephoto 200mm without changing the lens is too good to be true.
This lens is a great investment in versatility, quality, and convenience.
Digital camera Review: Awesome versatility
Summary: 5 Stars
They said that this lens would replace all others in my bag, and with the exception of my fish-eye lens, that is absolutely true. I have found very little distortion, and the lens is the perfect companion to my D80. Image quality and build are exactly what I expected, and the vibration reduction seems to work quite well.