Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor

kay Shumway

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $699.00 from manchester,NH

Summary:
I was fortunate to be able to buy the 18-200 lens before we took a trip to Scotland. I lugged two other lenses along , a 70-300 VR lens and a 105 mm lens and never used them The lens stayed on my camera the whole time. It is sharp at 200 and wonderful for close ups of people at 18. I was unable to bring a tripod because of the weight and never missed it. I have a 70-200 lens which I love. It cannot be used without a tripod but it is 2.8 which allows more picture taking in low light. The f3.5 is close enough for me for travelling and indoor pictures. It is a great addition to my lenses. It focuses quickly and gives sharp images all the time. I even took some decent pictures from a moving train. I will keep it on my camera most of the time, except when I am taking nature shots with the tripod. I think this lens is a great starter lens. I wish I had had it when I bought my first Nikon camera.

Strengths:
The VR function works really well

it is so versatile 11 times zoom is amazing

It is sharp at all settings.

I don't like to change lenses out in the field. This one works so well for most situations.

Weaknesses:
None.
I have not experienced any lens creep which is what some people talked about when I was reading reviews to make a decision.

Similar Products Used:
I have a nikon D80 with a 70-300 VR lens

a 70-200 2.8 lens
a 2x teleconverter which I use on the 70-200 lens only

Customer Service:
I haven't needed any yet or ever.

Mule

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5,
4 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Local Photo Store

Summary:
First a bit about the reviewer... I shot a lot of 35 mm from the late 70's to late 80's. I shot for a newspaper and college. I took off about 20 years and just re-entered the digital scene.

I was fortunate that the informed sales staff encouraged me to upgrade to this lens when I purchased my D80. It is a great all around lens and I would have soon upgraded from any kit lens to this product soon after I made the purchase. .

Strengths:
It captures enough wide angle that it will cover many indoor needs. The zoom to 200 is sufficient for a lot of daily use. It is lightweight and compact so if you are making that hike and don't want a lot of equipment, this is a good choice.

I spent some time in the store with other lenses and discovered this one was quick to focus and made less noise than other lenses. The noise factor may not be significant but it is nice to keep quiet when shooting photos of people while remaining descreet or capturing nature shots.

If you are going after sports you will want something with a stronger zoom and larger aperture but for most uses, this is a great lens. Read the other reviews out there and you will see most people agree

Weaknesses:
I suppose I could say that the aperture isn't large enough for some settings but it would be a bit of an unfair criticism for this price point.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.67 of 5,
3 votes

Price Paid:  $850.00 from Calagaz

Summary:
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.

Strengths:
VR, incredible

Awesome 18-200mm zoom range

Good size, very small

Weaknesses:
Lens creep

Similar Products Used:
NA

Customer Service:
NA

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
3 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
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.

Strengths:
Zoom range

Weaknesses:
Lens creep. Image and contrast not good

Customer Service:
Not used

Ernest T

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5,
9 votes

Price Paid:  $675.00 from AAFES

Summary:
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.

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

Weaknesses:
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.

Similar Products Used:
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR