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

[redbluegreen]

Owners thougts on this lens please. Is it as good as Ken Rockwell says. It sounds really smick, has anyine used it for sport ie soccer netball etc

[Oz_Beachside]

I had it, sold it.

I liked it, but just didnt get the use out of it, as I preferred my wider glass that gives better bokeh, and color.

Its the "Versatility King". Synonymous with "Jack of All Trades". Meaning, it covers many needs, but doesnt do any of them brilliantly.

Dont read that as its crap, it is certainly NOT! If you were looking for a nice lens, to cover many uses, this is it! You can replace most focal lengths with this.

As for sports, well, it is useful to take to an event, if you only want to take one lens, and you want to capture action, and crowd shots. The VR is great to reduce handshake, so you can shoot slower, in the late afternoon, at longer focal lengths. Remember, VR does not freeze the action of the sports (ONLY shutter speed can do that).

If I only wanted one lens, this would be it!

Hope that helps.

[NeoN]

[quote="Oz_Beachside"]



If I only wanted one lens, this would be it]

It's one of the the best all round lens you can have,and for the quality ,price and the wide coverage,you never regret it.I never had any problems.
Cheers NeoN.

[big pix]

I have just used this lens on a Commerical Industrial shoot, in Queensland and then Perth, using the full range of the lens in soft light to harsh midday sun and it was brillant to use. The range of this lens saved a lot of time with not having to go back to the car to change lens due to working on location at a construction site, lots of dust. The only other lens I used was the 12-24 Sigma also very good for what I was shooting. I am processing ATM over 850 images shot over 4 days and I am finding it hard to find a bad frame. When the exposure is spot on, I do tend to bracket, old habit, all I do is add a little unsharp mask, an action, to give a little pop. Most of what I was shooting was at f11 to f22 as I needed depth of field

As a general all round lens the 18-200 is very good...... but if you like to shoot wide open a lot, test one first, but this lens works for me

[Marvin]

I bought Oz Beachside's 18-200 and I am very happy with it. It's not the sharpest lens I have or the longest but since I have had it (about a month) it has been on my camera most of the time. I have found it very versatile and am happy with the quality of the shots. I haven't needed to use the VR yet but like to have the option there if I need it.

[Alpha_7]

Great walkaround lens, it covers a great range and really is very versatile, VR is also super handy in certain situations.

But as has been said, don't expect the bokeh or sharpeness of the really pro glass, there are sacrifices for the great range.

[Hueber]

I bought this lens in March & returned it after a couple of days. For $1200 it was too much for a lens that was in my opinion inferior to the kit lens that came with my D50. All the images were very soft.
I was very dissapointed to say the least, but I went against my own judgment after reading many negative reviews & bought it anyway. Maybe I was unlucky & got a bad copy but as I bought it from Ted's Cameras I had a 14 return policy. I swapped it for an 18-135mm for less than half the cost & have been very happy with it. I shoot mostly at the wide end so the loss of the extra 65mm hasn't been an issue.

[TTT]

Anyone knows which shop / site has one in stock ?

I am on the waiting list in Digital city for about 3 months now.
($100 deposit)
:(

[jberth1]

I picked mine up from, um, am I allowed to say it here... Birddog.

It was delivered within about 6 days - well I dropped over to his house to pick it up - and the price was of course very good !

It's definately soft, wide open at 200mm near infinity, so technique is critical to get the best - even VR won't save a lense when it's a little soft.

Focus is fast and accurate in good light (and not too bad in poor light - there doesn't appear to be much hunting, and the AF-S focusing quickly corrects anyway).

I was getting a few shots with obvious hand shake in them indoors at the Easter Show, so I checked the shutter speed - 1/4 of a second @ 200mm will challenge any VR system when not used with the best technique !!!

Be warned about the VR power usage as well - back when I had my D70 I never needed a second battery nor even contemplated one - with the 18-200 on the D80 it has become essential. I'm lucky if I get 300 shots out of a charge.

Cheers

Justin

[photoham]

Got this lens last month and must agreed that it can be a bit soft, however the VR function is great and has allowed me to do more indoor shots (especially at the longer end) without using flash. Verdict - I'm happy with mine.

TTT - try Nikon on Broadway. I got mine from them fairly quickly (and at a much better price than HK vendors - go figure) and I've always found the guys there to be quite friendly.

[gstark]

TTT - try Nikon on Broadway. I got mine from them fairly quickly (and at a much better price than HK vendors - go figure)

Did you actually get Nikon Oz stock?

I am aware of instances of stock being bought from them where Nikon Oz/Maxwell refused to do warranty work because they claimed the stock to be grey.

[losfp]

Try Photo Continental in Brissie. They were the only ones who had it in stock for under $1300 when I bought one for Mrs Losfp in February.

As for the lens, I am very happy with it. Obviously not as sharp as the pro f/2.8 lenses, but IMO does very well for a consumer lens (albeit a $1000+ consumer lens!!). I reckon it is just as good as the 18-70 from 18-70, which is very good!!! Focusing is pretty fast too. Stopped down, it does pretty damn well, and the VR is brilliant. The range is great of course. If you're not obsessed with pixel peeping, I can see why many people would stick this lens on their camera and just never remove it

I "borrow" it from the good lady wife quite often.. If it was just a little bit wider, I reckon I would get a second one for myself (my most-used lens is the Tokina 12-24)

[photoham]

Gary - they did say warranty was covered through Nikon Oz as I remember having asked this specifically. Is there anyway to check?

[gstark]

What documents did you get with the lens? Is there anything that says Nikon Oz (or Maxwell, depending upon the time frame.)?

[TTT]

thanks photoham for the info

Rang Nikon on Broadway and they have 1 for me will be picking it up after work :D

[losfp]

Gary, my $1150 18-200 from PC came with the usual yellow maxwell warranty slip. For that price I would have been happy with grey stock, the local copy was just a bonus

[gstark]

Des,

It sounds as though some dealers may be pressuring NA to give better local pricing.

About bloody time, and I view that as a good thing.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[photoham]

Gary - just checked - my warranty slip is also from Nikon Oz. I must say I am surprised to read about issues with them as to date my dealings with them have been pretty good.

TTT - you're welcome!

[anubis]

Got my 18-200 VR from Nkon on Broadway. Aussi Stock with Maxwell Warranty price was AUD 1149. I find the versatility great but above 100mm I find it soft. But great walk around lens.

[gstark]

Gary - just checked - my warranty slip is also from Nikon Oz.

Ok, cool.

I must say I am surprised to read about issues with them

So was the person involved. A well respected member here, btw.