Nikon 18-200 VR lens?

[Kelly Thorson]

I've made the decision to purchase a Nikon D80. I'm having troubles deciding whether to go with the kit lens (18-135) or upgrade to the Nikon 18-200. I don't mind spending the extra money on it, this will probably last me a long time and I do take a lot of pictures. I've read a lot of good reviews on this lens and a few bad ones. The two negatives that seem to be issues are there is apparently some distortion (perhaps specific to all lenses in this range?) and the zoom will creep when hanging. It is also a bit heavier lens and with the lighter body on the D80 I wonder how the balance will be. The main thing that is drawing me to it is the vibration reduction and the macro capabilities and the general all purpose nature.

I mostly shoot landscape with some wildlife and a lot of up close compositions. The vast majority of the pictures I take are hand held, although I do have an excellent tripod. I like the idea of having a multi purpose lens that has wide versatility. I'm not big on the idea of travelling heavy with a combination of lenses, nor do I like the idea of changing lenses in "dust country".

Is any one familiar with this lens? Does it sound like a good fit for my needs? The last SLR camera I bought was my Canon AE-1 in 1976, which served me well! I think I'm a little rusty. Helpful comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Mike Jackson]

Kelly,
You probably already know about the Nikonians web site, but here is a link to the section about the Nikon lenses.
http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcforu ... =DCConfID3

I've had one of these 18-200 lenses since early in the year and really like it. I use it as my "carry around" lense and use it for my scenic photos when on the tripod. Most comments say it is "great for that kind of lense", especially considering it covers 11 times the zoom range. My original D70 came with a 17-70 lense which I used for quite a while, but I think this lense does a better job. The barrel can creep when pointed down, but mine only does that when I have it around my neck and while walking. At 18mm, you can see a little vignetting, but that is easy to remove in the RAW converter if desired. I think it does a great job handheld with the VR on, but I usually turn it off when on a tripod. I also own Nikon's 70-200 f2.8 VR and it is my choice for shots in that zoom range when I have time and luxury to switch to the lense. It is twice as heavy and much longer, so I usually limit that lense to the wildlife shots on the tripod. The 70-200 is quite a bit faster at focusing than the 18-200, making that one a better sports action lense, but

For the money and for the range, it is a great choice in my opinion.

Good luck on your decision.
Mike Jackson

[Kelly Thorson]

Thank you Mike,

Are you using the 18-200 on your D70? I understand the D80 has amost the same body and weight as the D70. I'm just wondering how they balance together. When I take pictures I usually shoot a lot at a time and I have weak wrists. I know they would get pretty fatigued using my telephoto lens with the Canon. I know these lenses weigh a lot less than the dinosaurs I have, but I'm just wondering how hard I will be fighting gravity to keep the lens up all the time. Ideally I'd like to handle the lens and camera before making a decision, and I will, but I have to be fairly sure of my purchase as the lens needs to be brought in from another store.

[Mike Jackson]

Kelly,
I more or less retired my D70 at the time I bought a D200, and I purchased the 18-200VR after the D200, so I haven't had much of a need to shoot with that configuration. The D70 and the 18-200 are both fairly light. I can't image balance being an issue. Both fit into what Nikon and other call their "prosumer" classification, I would expect them to work well together.

Their pro lenses are split up a bit, with not much that even gets close to the zoom range.

For example, Nikon sells a 12-24 mm, 17-55 mm, & 70-200mm that cover the ranges, but those run between $1,200 and $1,700 each. They are also much heavier.

Mike Jackson

[Kelly Thorson]

Great. Thanks again for your help Mike.