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: Back To The Drawing Board For Digital Zoom lenses
Summary: 2 Stars
I've been a professional photographer for 35 years - although for the past several years, I shot less and less and worked more and more in PhotoShop on Macs doing digital imaging. But since my entire career was with traditional SLRs several years ago, I missed the entire revolution of digital photography. So this is the very first digital lens that I have ever purchased (along with a Nikon D200). Every one of my professional friends has said to me that this lens is awesome. Every article I've read says that this is the best digital zoom ever created by ANY company. But I find this lens 10 steps backwards from the old days of fixed focal lenses.
I am now trying to relaunch my professional photography career - so I copped for a Nikon D200 and this 18-200 VR zoom lens. It is not sharp. There is no way that you can MAKE it sharp. Oh yeah... it's sharp enough for an amateur. It's sharp enough for a family photo album of 3x5 prints. It's sharp enough for Grandma. But... it... is... not... SHARP! I have had to sharpen every single image I have shot with this lens in PhotoShop. My little pocket Fuji ($175) is sharper. And amazingly, it's a zoom lens, TOO!
And automatic focus is the greatest leap BACKWARDS in photography that I have ever encountered. It's pretty much the equivalent of the difference between an automatic transmission in a car - and a standard transmission in a car. And... if you don't know how to drive the standard, then you don't know how to DRIVE! Do you? The same with an automatic lens. If you can't shoot manually, then you are NOT a photographer.
The other day I shot a portrait of a guy and his car. I had the guy up close in the foreground - and I had the car in the deep background 20-25 feet away. It was a bright sunny Florida morning - so I should have had depth of field all the way to MARS! Yet I could not keep both subjects in focus. (Forget SHARP! I'm just talking about acceptable focus!) I would focus on the guy and then pan to include the car - and the lens would automatically rack focus TO THE CAR! I must've done 30 shots in my attempt. So I said screw it and switched the automatic focus off - reverting to manual. But when I did that, it also killed the automatic exposure making every shot overexposed - and I can find no way to manually adjust the exposure - OTHER than through on the main menu - which takes time. So... if you're shooting on the fly in a variety of lighting scenarios - from light areas to dark areas - you can forget about it. You're doomed. You will never switch that main menu in time.
On the shot I just spoke about with the guy and his car, I ended up using one shot of the guy and one shot of the car and comping them in PhotoShop. That's the only way that I could get it done.
This whole digital zoom lens "thing" is BS! And when I talk to my Canon friends, they say the same thing happens with Canon as well. They also say that it took them all a CONSIDERABLE amount of time and experience to master these damned digital zooms.
So... Nikon and Canon... go back to the drawing board and develop true automatic FIXED FOCAL lenses that are actually SHARP!
Digital camera Review: Bad Distortion, but it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' (Thanks Timex)
Summary: 4 Stars
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UPDATED 7/28/09: Well...I must eat some of my words below. My dad wanted to visit three museums- 2 in Detroit, and one in Chicago. For this three day whirlwind trip I only took my D300 and the 18-200VR Lens. I considered taking my 17-55 F2.8 but as I wanted to travel light--the 17-55 F2.8 is much, much heavier, and I didn't know what to expect I opted for the 18-200. What a GREAT Choice. Dependable. YES. Sharp: YES. VR Worked: A RESOUNDING YES. At the Ford Museum I was shooting around 1/15th or lower at F5.6 to F6.3 for added DOF. I did shoot at least two or three to make sure I "nailed" the shot but usually, all three were very, very sharp with no hints of camera shake. I was so impressed with it's performance I have not taken it off the camera in over two weeks. I don't know what happened, but these images handheld, are extremely sharp. This past weekend I took it down to the shore with all my other lenses and quite frankly the other lenses didn't even come out of the bag. I shot at every aperture from F3.5 (wide-open) down to F22 and even though at those tiny apertures EVERY lens suffers from diffraction, the images are still tack sharp. so, read on, but I do take back some of what I wrote below. An added note is the barrel does droop. It didn't happen for the first year I owned it but it does happen now. I use the "UPSTRAP" camera strap which allows me to put the camera strap over my left shoulder, with camera on my right hip with the lens facing INWARD and even then it still droops. No big deal, it just looks stooopid.
I purchased this lens new back in early spring 2007 and used it on my Finepix S2 Pro (where it is still used today), and have used it on my D300 which I purchased in February '08. I bought this lens to replace my 28-200 G series lens as I wanted more on the wider end. However, I now rarely use the 18-200 on the S2 Pro as I'd rather use the SHARPER 28-200 F3.5-5.6 zoom even if it doesn't have VR. Whenever I need a bit more pull on my D300 that the Nikon 17-55 F2.8 can't give me, I reach for the cheaper, sharper 28-200. Now, that's not to say the 18-200 is not a very good lens. It is for it's intended purpose as a general purpose walk-about lens. I have shot over 100,000 images, more actually, with it and I sell many, many of those images. However, I am careful as this lens does exhibit a bit of barrel distortion which is correctible in the (dreaded) Photoshp. That, fixing lens distortion, and dust spotting are the only reasons I have and use PS.
This lens does take a whipping. Like I said I used it from March of 07 through February 08 on my S2 and from February '08 to February 09 on my D300 ( I now use my 17-55 F2.8, and the S2 with the 18-200 is my backup) in ALL kinds of weather ranging from drenching downpours in a South Carolina swamp, Gale force wind driven sand on the Outer banks, to 30 degrees below zero windchill with flying, semi-frozen salt spray on the Maine Coast as well as over one-hundred degree temperatures in the Southwest deserts and it never balked, bound, squeaked, rattled. Nothing. (BTW: None of these are recommended operating conditions per Nikon) It still works, and looks perfect! I know you are not supposed to get it wet but believe me, this thing has had rain, sweat, salt water, fresh water spilled, dropped, and pretty much soaked in rain and even though I worry it will fail, it still functions perfectly. If I were going out to shoot for a day and was not taking a camera bag or anything else other than a filter and memory cards, I would probably choose this lens for its wide to tele option. In closing I just don't like the fact it's not very sharp unless you stop t down to F5.6 or beyond. The other thing is the silly 72mm thread for filters, same as it's 28-200G lens. So both of these lenses got the 72mm to 77mm step up rings as soon as they came out of the box so i only carry one size of filters with me.
Digital camera Review: Best All Around Lens Out There
Summary: 5 Stars
Being fairly new to photography, the prospect of having to use several different lenses for different situations was abit worrisome when I first got my DSLR. Not only because of not always knowing the best one to use, but because of the great expense involded in putting together a collection of lenses. This lens isn't appropriate for EVERY situation, but for the average photographer it's pretty good for about 95% of the shots you're going to be making. It's pretty expensive, but alot less than the 4-5 lenses you might otherwise have to purchase separately.Digital camera Review: Best LENS?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first lens, so it's hard to compare it's performance with anything else. But it is a really versatile lens that takes very nice pictures. There are better lens for specific items, i.e. speed, macro, zoom, but this is a good as it gets for having everything in one lens.
I recommend it, unless you have problems carring a heavier camera
Digital camera Review: Best Lens of it's kind - regardless of brand
Summary: 5 Stars
I have taken well over 1,000 images with this lens on a D40 body and I can tell you that it's great! The telephoto length is essentially unrivaled. Except for a few cases (extreme wide angle, fisheye, or sports/extreme telephoto) you won't need any other lens. I love it's versatility. Never before have I been able take so many photos in lower light situations and have them show up crisp. This lens isn't cheap, but really, it's a bargain!