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I am looking at buying an 18-200mm lens as a walk-around travel lens. Interested in any opinions / experiences with this lens... also Harvey Norman quoted me $749 - is this a reasonable price? It seems to be from other quotes I have received.

Cheers and Happy New Year everyone!!

For the purpose you describe, it's a great choice in my opinion.
I travelled for several months earlier this year and found it great for those times when I only wanted to carry the camera with one lens, and also when it wasn't safe or convenient to change lenses.
It's relatively light, very versatile, and represents good value for the money. That price seems fair given the current financial turmoil.

A great all rounder i found anyway. i traveled oversea's recently and used my 18-200mm nikkor 99% of the time.
Also the Price you were given sounds good, i paid over $1000

Cathy - I have no experience with this lens, but I have found a review and sample shots.

Thom Hogan:
http://www.bythom.com/18200lens.htm

pbase.com:
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/nikon/18-2 ... _afs_dx_vr

For travelling light, it would appear to be a great lens.

Harvey Normal price of $749 is a bargin. (In the USA @ B&H sells for US$619).

Discount Digital price is $995:
http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/nikonslracc.htm

European Camera Specialists price is $975:
http://www.cameras.net.au/index.php?cPath=27

Happy shopping in 2009.

fozzie

Chica wrote:also Harvey Norman quoted me $749 - is this a reasonable price?

Very. Gobble it up.

Thanks a million everyone Much appreciated. Happy New Year!!!!

Th perfect lens for what you need. The price HN are offering you is a really good deal, I would not hesitate in making the purchase. I paid $1000 dollars for mine also.

Some people knock the IQ of this lens.

I have one, and although I wasn't that fussed with it on the D200, I find that it is very good on the D300. I believe that you have the D90, so it should be fine.

And, of course, its compact dimensions and relatively light weight make it a perfect travel lens.

Chica wrote:I am looking at buying an 18-200mm lens as a walk-around travel lens. Interested in any opinions / experiences with this lens... also Harvey Norman quoted me $749

I agree with the others that this lens is great for the purpose you quoted.

$749 is a excellent price. Are you sure HN is quoting you a Nikon, and not a Nikon "compatible"? They sometimes do that... )

I dont know that the person who served me was overly familiar with anything to do with cameras, but she wrote the quote down for me .... so we'll see. It has been great to get so many thoughts and opinions and expertise.... thank you everyone. Cathy

I bought mine from HN and the sticker price (still on he box) is $1299. I negotiated down to $990 which they accepted. $750 is a phenomenal price. The lens works perfectly on my D90.

Chica wrote:I dont know that the person who served me was overly familiar with anything to do with cameras,

I am truly surprised!

Make sure that you ask her how you control the steam function.

Thats a great price for what I find to be a great lens for this purpose. I got mine for US$650 in September (AUD$800), and I have seen a few go for AUD$750 second hand. Don't let that price get away, you might even be able to sell it on for a small profit!!

there was some discussion on the 18-200 in this thread http://www.dslrusers.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=35116

you have to trawl down about 2/3rds of the way back it is there!

I agree with others here and I also do own this lens, its great for its intended purpose and if you had to only take one lens....this would be mine...

at that price also, i might buy a second one

Hey,

If it is indeed the Nikon 18-200 VR lens, and you get it for $750, is there any chance you could make a copy of the receipt share it? I know that it would be a very useful bargaining tool for us. I intend to buy one as soon as i return to Australia, and am fully expecting to pay $900 +.



Thanks,


Tim.

If I do buy it I am happy to share the receipt...! I am still dithering... is the 18-200mm a 'better' lens than the 18-105mm? Thats the one I have now and they sell on ebay for about $400ish.

Chica wrote:If I do buy it I am happy to share the receipt...! I am still dithering... is the 18-200mm a 'better' lens than the 18-105mm? Thats the one I have now and they sell on ebay for about $400ish.

Define "better".

It has more reach. That makes it more versatile, but does that mean that it's better?

They're both kit lenses, so they're both optically slow, and they have similar characteristics in that realm. Neither of them are replacements for the 70-200 or 24-70, but neither of them cost PP2.5K. despite their low costs, they are both surprisingly good lenses.

Let's get back to your original question in this thread: the 18-200 is a great walkaround lens, because of its versatility, and in that regard, yes, it would be a "better" lens than the 18-105.

I have this lens, and to be honest, its a good all rounder lens, but it is heavy and the VR chews up the battery. I owned an 18-135 beforehand and to tell the truth, i notice very little difference in photo quality, but a big difference in size and weight, and the extra mm's don't matter to me....

Im thinking I might save my dollars and save for a wide angle or macro... I have a 70-300 anyway so the 18-200 is doubling up a bit.