VR, incredible

Awesome 18-200mm zoom range

Good size, very small

Lens creep

Waited a year, and found the price had gone down.which was good. Use lens with a D-80 and have had very good luck. Sharp pictures, good crisp lines and love the VR feature.This lens has tremendous zoom range, The lens is compact when zoomed in, need the VR assist when zoomed out. VR is a nice feature, I'm not using the tripod as much. I find that the lens tends to creep, Feel Nikon needs to deal with this matter. The mount is metal but body is plastic, guess to help with weight The VR feature, quality and size makes the cost of the lens worth while, as well as makes this lens a great all around travel lens.

Customer Service

NA

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Zoom range

Lens creep. Image and contrast not good

Well, what can I say, the lens is a 'much sought' product and I have to wait for a long time and by the time I got them, Nikon drop the price!
Not as good as what people think it is. For its whole range, the quality of photo is just so-so. I strongly recommend people to look at other alternative if you want a zoom at this range. The felt of VR is not very 'strong' I had used Canon 75-300VR zoom before and that lens, with IS, is a great lens for image stabilization. Sold the lens at a slight loss and intend to get a shorter zoom quickly.

Customer Service

Not used

Sharp, good contrast anf versatile.

Some distortion at the wide end. Focus a bit slow in low light.

I have used this lens on four contonents now. It travels with me wherever I go and has never let me down. Acceptable sharpness throughout the range. Some noticeable distortion at the wide end typical of such zooms, but not difficult to correct in Photoshop. Good contrast. VR works effectively. Yes - it has passed the drop test and maintained its sharpness despite a hard landing!

Customer Service

No experience, no service needed.

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Sigma 24-70, Nikon 24-120

Who else had an 11X zoom that is this light weight, this sharp, plus vibration reduction?

The lens is a little pricy, but I was able to get mine through AAFES for less than many are paying for it
The biggest complaint for me is the zoom creep which Nikon says is not considered a problem with lens. Gravity will pull out the lens to maximum zoom, so you just about have to keep a hand on it at all times. I finally read about using a rubber O-ring to stop the creep, and that has fixed the problem, but I think it is something that Nikon should address.

I got this lens to have an "all around" lens for my Nikon D80. The lens build is OK, but more plastic than some other Nikon lens that I own. At least it does have a metal mount. The lens is compact when zoomed in and is not much longer than my 18-70 DX lens. When zoomed out the lens gets really long, but it is so light that it does not unbalance the camera. Image quality and sharpness are excellent especially around f/8 considering that this is an 11X zoom. The VR feature is very nice and Nikon's claim that it adds 4 stops to your ability to get shots may be a little conservative.

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Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR

VR, incredible
Awesome 18-200mm zoom range
"Macro" capable, (200mm at 40cm)
Good size, very small

Outdoor photography
Indoor photography (with flash or high ISO)
Flowers, bugs, portrait photography

Sports photography (except for stationary sports: golf, baseball, etc.)
Plastic

I have been using several digital Nikon lenses for some time now. For my indoor sports photography, I use several f/1.8 and f/2.8 lenses. I was assigned to our Jersey island office for several months and I wanted a better lens.

First of all, the lens has an incredible range. Of all the photographs I have taken on the island, except for a few cases, 18-200mm has been very suitable. There are some incredible landscapes in Jersey, so something even wider could have worked but only in a few cases.

Second, I have had no need to bring my macro lens. This lens will focus at 40cm for the entire 18-200mm! And, 40cm (from the back of the lens) at 200mm is macro enough for nearly any circumstance.

Third, (the one I was most concerned about) is the aperature. I shoot a great deal of indoor sports. It requires an f/1.8 lens in most cases. I knew I would not be taking indoor sports photos with this. I have my lenses for that. But, for macro, f/5.6 at 200mm is even a little too fast at 40cm to capture an entire flower. Sometimes the depth of focus is a little too sharp, so f/8 or f/11 is better.

I saved the best for last!! The VR. It's my first and I LIKE IT. I could not say more. Some reviews of VR are confusing. They say that you can stop down three steps more or something like that. I understand that what they are saying: it acts like you are shooting at a faster shutter speed to compensate for camera shake.

To be clear the VR simply "locks you in" on focus when you shoot. Whether you are shooting at 1/8 or 1/1250, it locks you in. Press the shutter release half way and images just lock in place.

I used to have to use tripods, monopods and higher shutter speeds at even 85mm. Now, at 200mm with VR, I get clear shots everytime anywhere from 1/10, 1/50 and faster.

The lens cost me, but after this trip, I won't ever look back on my decision and question.

Except for sports, I have no need to take this lens off my camera.

- Pretty sharp at most focal lengths
- VR
- Terrific focal range

- Slow
- Not quite as sharp, colorful, or contrasty as the "pro" lenses (but darn close!)
- Hard to get, out of stock everywhere

I bought this lens as a general all purpose "walking around" and travel lens, and for that purpose I'm not sure there is a better lens on the market. However, if you're looking to take professional quality photographs (sharpness, color, contrast), then this lens may leave you wanting more depending on your standards.

This lens has tremendous zoom range, so it enables you to shoot everything from wide to telephoto without the hassle of changing lenses. This was attractive to me initially because i was concerned about getting dust on my sensor. The colors and sharpness are very close to what I'd describe as "pro" (the 2.8 zoom lenses, etc.). For a "consumer" lens, it's really impressive and I can't really knock the quality of the images it takes. I also used the Tamron 18-200mm and there is no comparison.

I eventually realized thought that I didn't just want to take snapshots, I wanted to take the best photographs I could with the time I have alloted for photography. The problem with this lens is that it's slow. Sure, it has VR, but that doesn't help you when your subject is moving. Also, it's not quite as sharp as the pro lenses, something that bugs me. I just bought a 2.8 zoom lens as a result, but i find myself having trouble parting with this great all-around package.

Customer Service

No experience.

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Tamron 18-200mm

Well built, VR works well, very convenient.

Expensive , resolution okay rather than great, contrast and colour not up to say Canon L levels. Some distortion, but show me a zoom that hasn"t

I have had this lens for just over a year now, used on a D200. Lets get one thing straight, this is not the wonder lens some would have you believe. I think its non- availability over the last year has created legend where legend really ought not to be. Yes it is a better lens than either the Tamron or Sigma equivalents, technology has moved up a notch with this lens, but a decent two lens combination covering the same focal lengths will give superior results. I use a Canon EOS 30D with a 17-40L and a 70-200F4L. These were both bought seconhand for a total of 750 pounds. On the 30D they give superior contrast, colour and I have to say sharpness, JPEG or RAW. They also allow the 8mp sensor to resolve more detail than the 10mp sensor in the D200. No surprise really as there has never been any substitute for good lenses if you want top notch results.I hsd cosidered looking out for a Nikon 17-55 lens, but I have yet to see one even secondhand for any less than I paid for the two Canon lenses together. As lenses have a far longer shelf life than any Digital camera body I have decided to move the Nikon kit on, even though I do find the D200 nicer to use and it is undeniably more nicely built. My Canon lenses will still be good lenses ten yesrs on DX or full frame, when I suppose Nikon D200"s will be museum pieces. Simple economics I"m afraid. That said the lens is a very useful walk round llens, the VR does what it should and it is very nice not having to change lenses or leave shots if you are feeling lazy. Should you buy one? It does have a lot going for it but sadly top drawer performance isnt what you are going to get. As a travel lens great. For quality work no.

Customer Service

Not used

Sharp, at all focal lenghts, well balanced, neutral colors, limited distortion.
Very good bokeh. Combined with a Tokina 12-24, an excellent set for a 360 use.
No need of additional and expensive lenses.

AF not so fast, but, again, this is not a prof lens.

First of all, this is the lens that everybody is waiting for. I bought it last July, together with my D200 and after just a few shots I clearly realized I've got a lemon.
Good sharpness within the range 18-60, soft from 60 onwards, ugly ghosting at night...well, I was disappointed not to say something else...I sent it back to Nikon 2 times asking for a replacement and they always shipped the lemon back with some nice make-up. Yes, there was some improvement, as lens was re-aligned, ghost disappeard, but softness was so evident that I thought I could sell it on ebay and switch to Canon.
After sending it back a 3rd time (Yes, I am a very demanding customer) I finally got a replacement, so my review can start...
Great. This lens is great. Increadible sharpness at all, I repeat, all focal lenghts. It really seems that the new sample compensated with interest the pain I suffered with the lemon. No ghosting at night, no flaring, no creeping.
The only remark is that this is not a fast lens. AF works well but it is clearly targeting everything but sport professionals. VR works discretely well, nothing 'terrific' but a good help in low lighting.
In conlusion, if you feel that you got a lemon, send it to nikon service immediately asking for a replacement. For all the money you pay, you deserve the best of their production.

Customer Service

They always replied in a very professional way, I have to be honest, and when they realized I was about to have a nervous breakdown, they send me back a new sample. Nice.

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Tokina 12-24. Amazing lens. D200, good camera.

Great Images and Sharp!! Feels right on a D80! Best all-around lends made!

Too Slow for sports shots. Not wide wnough for landscapes. You will need a wider zoom and a longer zoom is you shoot landscapes or sports. LONG WAIT TO GET IT!!!

Great all-around lens that is perfect for 90% of all situations you willl shoot.

Customer Service

N/A

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Lots

Small, light, extremely sharp, with only moderate lens distortion (easily correctable in Photoshop), and with very effective image stabilization (which Nilon calls, Vibration Reduction).

Nilon has traded off size for speed, therefore this lens is only moderately fast.

First of all, the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Lens is very compact - notmuch larger or heavier than the 18-70mm Nikkor that it replaces. Yet it provides a 35mm-equivalent zoom range of 28-300mm, and while it isn't the fast lens Nikon offers, with it's VR image stabilization factor of 3 - stops, it might as well be. While photographing political events leading up to the recent election, I was up against photojournalists with their very large and heavy 300s, and don't feel that I was at any disadvantage.

Customer Service

Nikon has always provided me with fast and excellent customer service.

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