size and weight - a great generic do it all lens for travel (particularly for Full Frame Bodies).
Sharp -

softness at longer end
Will not work with D40, D60, D5000, D3000. Will work with D90 and above.
Apparently sample variation exists

This review is for the G type (not D type) 28-200mm Nikkor (purchase price 245 Pounds).
Lightweight lens ideal for Full frame digital bodies. Great value for money for size and price. Great for DX bodies as well, however that extra 10mm on the wide end (with a 18-200mm) does make a difference. It is much smaller than 18-200mm and personally I prefer this to the 18-200mm, is a matter of personal opinion. Apparently sample variation exists and I am lucky to have picked a good sample. The lens is sharp at F8 and compares to my 70-200mm AFS at that point. However it is softer at the tele end (as expected). Bottomline: Fights hard with the 18-200mm do it all lens on a DX body. 28-200mm does not have VR which may be very important for you. A must lens for a Full Frame Body (the 18-200mm is a DX).

Customer Service

none required. I have often got my old lenses serviced by Nikon UK. For a small premium they make it good as new.

Similar Products Used:

18-200mm VR Nikkor
70-200mm VR AFS Nikkor
35-70mm 2.8D
85mm 1.4
85mm 1.8
105mm F4
300mm F4
Both DX and FX digital bodies

Compactness, economy, versatility, excellent performance given its size, weight, and cost.

Plastic construction probably limits durability, plastic mount would probably fail if dropped, limitation of wide end, 1-1/2 stop loss in zooming from wide to tele.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the design limitation at this price point.

I bought this as a result of a recommendation from a Nikon School instructor to fill the need for a fun travel lens for my D70 cams. I mainly used medium zooms and wides, and for the longer end had a 300f4 and an 80-200/2.8. They were great lenses, but a pain for travel and fun situations. At $300 at the time of purchase, it didn't make too big a dent in my wallet and saved wear and tear on my bigger lenses and was just the right ingredient for an impending cruise.

Although I had been cautioned not to expect too much from this one compared to its more professional counterparts, it brought me many more winners than expected, including the best shot of the entire cruise -- Charlotte Amalie at Sunset. It proved itself again during a video assignment to record a local kids league game. I placed it on a D70 to occupy my son, 15, who is not an experienced photographer. He had a blast and provided me with a collection of shots that were so good, I decided to feature them as a montage in the video.

This lens fills the need for a tele to round out my collection, but in keeping with the practice of limiting lens changes in order to prevent sensor contamination, it can stay on for wider shooting. However, the wide end is somewhat limited, being like a 44mm on a film SLR. It also has a nice macro function.

My typical travel bag is one D70 body with SB800 flash, 10.5 fisheye, the 28-200 mainly as a tele, and either the 18-70 or 17-55 as medium zoom workhorse.

While not specifically marketed as a pro's lens, I feel that it is capable of producing professional results that would please my event clients.

At the time of purchase, I had a legacy 28-105 lens left over from my film days. I sold my film SLRs but was not ready to part with the 28-105. Once I got the results from the 28-200, the 28-105 went up for sale.

Customer Service

Got excellent response from OneCall, which is consistent with my earlier experience with them.

Similar Products Used:

18-70, 28-105.

Very small and light, good price, quite sharp even at full open, close focus, convenient carry around lens.

Color far from 35-70 f2.8 class level. Plastic mount looks like it will fail in time.

Guess I have a good copy of this lens. =) Have no problem with sharpness but wished for better colors. In short, in par with bang for the buck kit lens 18-70. Definitely worth the money spent compared to other brands' mid zooms.

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 18-70f3.5-4.5 (great value), 35-70f2.8 AFD, 50f1.4 (fast, sharp and colorful). Sigma 28f1.8 (soft, not recommended)

Cheap, small and light, useful focal range. Looks not bad, operates smoothly and zoom lock to prevent zoom creep.

Performance ! The AF is maddeningly slow, when it's achieved, that is, I have had occasions when the lens would simply NOT be able to focus (and under not really bad conditions either). Awfully soft pictures until you use really small apertures, which makes lots of photgraphic situations undeable with. Overall extremely disappointed with this product.

I don't know if the particular sample I had of this lens one a bad one, but my unit was really bad in every aspect. Sure, it's a cheap lens, but I've had cheaper which performed much better than this one. It seems Nikon is not going in the right direction if the whole new range of lenses for D SLR's are the same "quality".

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 28-300mm Hyperzoom

Size & weight, zoom range, fit & finish, quality optics

maximum f-stop, but then I didn't pay for it either

Having previously used many Nikkor prime and zoom lenses over the past 35+ years, I didn't expect much from this plastic bodied/mount lens. I have been very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the photos & the fit and finish of the lens. The zoom range is ideal for an all-purpose lens, as I find no need to lug around a tripod for daylight shots. The maximum f-stop could be faster, but that would negate the ease of use by making it larger & heavier, not to mention much more costly. I'm not concerned about the durability of the lens because I'm careful with my equipment and it's made well enough not to wear out with use for a long time. Nikon seldom makes a lens that's inferior and this is no exception.

Customer Service

Not necessary

Similar Products Used:

As a Nikon dealer some years ago, many Nikkor lenses & cameras

Sharp for an all around lens, but try one. Samples may vary!

None for this kind of money.

I bought the 28-200 today to compliment the 50mm and 18-70 kit lens. I had some hope that the lens would be "good enough" and I'm very surprised at just how good this small lens is. I tested the 24-120 VR. Call me crazy, but it seemed soft to me. When I got home I looked at the tests and the results from the VR lens were actually fine. What really killed it for me was that 120 was just not enough reach (for me) for a really versatile walk-around lens. I took the 28-200 home and did some tests. This is a very nice lens. I found images very close in sharpness to the kit lens wide open. The near instant focus wasn't there of course (and missed!), but otherwise this is a lens that does a lot of things well. Focus was spot on and I tried some test macro shots fully zoomed in, also very nice. It's small and light and feels quite sturdy. At under 300 dollars it's a bargain. I couldn't see the point in waiting for the 55-200. It's simply starts too high at 55mm for a walk-around all-in-one lens. As others have said, the 28-200 may be a lens to live on the camera most days. If you're looking for a very nice all-in-one for that vacation or casual use, this lens delivers. Now if they make this lens a VR with the S motor we'd really be cooking!

Customer Service

No comments at this time

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 80-400, Nikkor 18-70mm, 24-120 VR, 50mm, 70-200mm

Small compact design, makes it a perfect lens for a vacation, or when you wish to travel light. The results are sharp & good contrast

A little slow & noisy to focus, no manuel focus switch.

For the money this lens is great value, cheaper than many off brand lenses. My expectations were not high for this lens as the price seemed very low for Nikon. It has exceeded my expectations in every way. I use this as a travel lens & keep it on my D70 most of the time, it gives close up shots closer than the D70 kit lens. The 200mm reach is very useful, it's as near perfect as an all round lens. The price is so low, I bought it on impulse, didn't have to think about it. Nikon gives you a lens hood, front & rear lens caps & a little velvet pouch to store it in.

Customer Service

Never used

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED

Excellent close focusing distance. Sharp to my untrained eye.

The focus seems extremely slow to me. You may miss some essential shots if you have an erratically moving subject, but if you're shooting static subjects, it works.

A good lens for the price, but it has its drawbacks. . .

Customer Service

Never had a need for customer service

Excellent optics light weight small size focuses down to 1.3' Robust despite it's apparent cheap build

Light weight (doesn't carry enough heft to be effectivly hand held at 200mm)

Ah, the much maligned Nikon 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF Zoom-Nikkor. Poor thing. I admit it isn't as fast as the 80-200 f2.8 or as sharp (though darn close)but what is expected of a lens of this focal range. At first this lens seems cheaply built and I must admit I was disappointed with this when I first bought it, but while on an outing to the local race track with friend who was packing the same lens on his D2H, he took a tumble and the whole ball of wax came tumbling down from about 2' onto the blacktop. Smashed the haze filter and scraped up the camera but not a scratch on the lens. No, the "G" doesn't stand for garbage. Optically there is slight fall off at 200mm (but again, what do you expect with a 28-200) and it uses no less than three aspherical ED elements. This lens is sharp and contrasty. The lens itself is VERY light and compact, it's actually physically smaller than the 28-100G. and unlike is cheaper breatheran has a metal lens mount. It is capable of focusing down to 1.3' giving an effective macro ratio of 1:3.1. There is a focus limit lock although you can only lock in the range from infinity to about 10' and not the low end as well. There is also a 28mm lock. This prevents the zoom from extending while hanging around you neck as it zooms quite easily. This has been my walk around standard for the last year and has been great for grabbing quick shots with out having to haul a monster (like the 80-200 f2.8) around. BTW, it absolutly outclasses the 28-200D and is cheaper.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 80-200 AF ED f2.8D Nikkor 70-300 AF ED f4-5.6D Nikkor 28-100 AF f3.5-5.6G

It produces what you ask of it. Its a NIKON. If you ever decide to sell it you will get your money back.

It is the photographer that makes the photo not the lens. Some of my best photos were taken with my Nikon L35AF.

Great travel lens, leave the "bag" at home.

Customer Service

I have never required service on any Nikon I have ever owned. Lucky I guess but you get what you pay for.

Similar Products Used:

Most Nikon equipment. Never buy third part stuff.