AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

I´ve used this lens for over a year now, and it truly lives up to it´s reputation! It simply does it all, freeing me from the inconvenience of dragging a ´´lens bag´´ around. It´s the only lens I keep on my D40, and I plan to continue that practise when I upgrade to a D90 or D7000 in the near future. This airshow photo was taken using the D40 in ´´action´´ mode with the lens set at max telephoto, and then further cropped to size.

This lense is my go to ´´workhorse´´ lense because of the wide range and quick response. I have used it for four plus years wiht very little problems. It has a couple of ´´eccentricities´´, the tube has a tendency to drift to extension when in a tube down position which will cause problems during extended use with in tripod settings. I have had to have it rebuilt once already, which helped the stability. The other problem is the auto exposeure tends to jam when camera battery power is low. These two problems aside this has been a very enjoyable lense to work with.

The 18-200 VRII is my go-to lens for shooting cycling races, especially when on the back of a moto. The focal range is excellent for 98% of the shots I make. This great portability means I need to carry only a single lens. And in often dusty or rainy environments, not having to change lenses protects the equipment that much more.
Image quality is excellent for the job intended, as magazines and websites have responded favorably to thousands of images produced with this lens.
Improvements? As has been done with the 24-120, giving the 18-200 a constant aperture of 3.5 throughout the focal range and of course improving the sharpness would make this lens simply stellar. Would I pay more for that? In a flash...

I purchased this lens almost nine months ago and it has been on my camera most of the time. I gave this purchase considerable thought since I already have the Nikon 70-300 AFS-VR but I wanted a lens that I would be ready for most any situation without having to switch lens or carry two cameras and this is what this lens does. The pictures have great contrast and color and the VR allows me to get pictures that I would not be able to capture without a tripod.

Other than the significant heft one would expect in a quality lens with this zoom range, this lens has almost no drawbacks. While it is certainly not the best for every situation, it is very usable in any situation I have come across. From portraits to wildlife to candids, keeping this lens on my camera lets me pick it up and shoot just about anything. For everyday shooting, walks in the woods, and situations where you don´t know what you might need, it is amazing. For vacations there is no need to pack anything else.

As I read before I bought it, there is some distortion, but it is fairly correctable in Photoshop, and if distortion is a concern, you probably aren´t using this lens to begin with. I have also read that it lacks sharpness at some focal lengths, but I have yet to see any softness either. Another common complaint I read about before I bought it was zoom creep, but on the model I got it is nonexistent; the zoom is actually a little stiff for my tastes. I have never even had to use the zoom lock.

If you want to take pictures of focus targets and test patterns, this lens may not be for you. If you want one lens to take anywhere and get great shots, near or far, this is a great choice.

After 2 years of very infrequent use the silent wave motor on the autofocus mechanism packed up. Luckily Nikon agreed to repair without charge. Zoom creep is a recognised problem with this lens and I guess I would concur with another reviewer that photos taken with it (on a D80 in my case) are lacking in sharpness compared to photos taken by my brother (who is a much better photographer) on his Canon.

This is my workhorse lens. I use the D5000 with this lens and carry it all over the continent on my motorcycle. Autofocuses quickly, easy to zoom, sharp edge to edge. Only problem was on a trip to Alaska when after two weeks of constant rain it would no longer focus at low focal lengths. Finished the trip as a 70 - 200 zoom and Nikon fixed the lens for a reasonable price.

Provides an excellent range without having to change lenses.

This lens has excellent clarity and sharpness given the range of the zoom. Space is very limted when I shoot so carrying this one lens rather than two is very efficient.