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

I have used this lens on my D90 for just under a year. Optics, size, features are all outstanding. Along with my 105 Macro I have pretty much any shot covered. Two things however are annoying. When zomed beyond 25mm and th lens is pointed vertically downward the lens will gravity deploy to it´s full extension. While i realize that the forward tube is heavier then most lens, a better form of friction damping would make this product perfect. As well the 3 sliding switches on the left side of the lens body are very easily moved, inadvertantly from regular handling. A push to operate feature on these sliders would help. Other than that I´m a Nikon fanatic.

My D80 came with a non VR lens. I purchased the NIKKOR 18-200 mostly to get the VR feature. VR works very well indeed without a tripod. I use the lens on my D80, D90, and now on my D7000. I take mostly landscapes of the Maritimes and the US SouthWest. A good VR zoom lens is essential. Detail of objects a half mile away is outstanding. Auto focus is excellent and fast. I find the use of a circular polarized filter improves the overall image sharpness and colour. I print huge prints with excellent resolution. The only con is the weight of this lens. I will stay with my NIKKOR as my first choice.

The zoom range makes this lens extremely convenient for photojournalism, street photography, etc. You really needn´t carry any other lenses.

But it´s slow: f3.5-5.6 really don´t bring in enough light and so it´s harder to eliminate noise and blur because of camera movement (more so at f5.6, obviously).

Also, because these maximum apertures are still relatively small (compared to f2.8 through the whole range, or f1.4), you get too much depth-of-field and so can´t blur the background enough to really isolate the subject.

My next camera and lens combinations will explore the D3s with the 70-200mm and the 24-70mm, both offering a maximum aperture of f2.8 all the way. (But that will mean carrying two lenses instead of one, both larger and heavier---not to mention the D3s, which is larger and heavier too. But there´s always tradeoffs; there´s no such thing as a free lunch!)

Got this lens after upgrading to the D7000, unlike my old kit 18-55, this unit has a smoother feel and instantly focus even in dim lighting.

When zoomed in and pointed upward the barrel will slowly zoom out. If you happen to be pointing downward expect the barrel to extend out at a much quicker rate. The barrel lock is nice, but I wish you could just twist into and out of the lock setting.

For indoor natural light shooting, you´ll find yourself using a high iso to get a 1/125 shutter, luckily this is not a challenge for the D7000. If I could afford it I would buy a faster lens, but for the price it does good job. In outdoor lighting it kicks butt, allowing me to quickly track and focus on moving subjects without having to wait on the lens. In fast pace shooting this allows for capturing a lot more moments that would have been lost when compared to a kit lens.

Speaking of focusing, the entire mechanism is very quiet, without the grinding or whirring sound of the old kit lens.

I certainly would recommend this to anyone looking for a lens that covers a wide focal range with minimal distorting and some really good glass. If you plan on shooting in dim light you might be better off with a faster lens, but for its price range it is a very good all purpose lens.

this is the most versitle lens that I have ever owned. I have been a Nikon owner for over 40 years and a nikon digital SLR owner for the last 8. After years of carrying 2-3 lenses as a minimum, I find myself as a one lens user. I have to admit, I will, on occasion use an old macro lens for kicks. This lens is sharp, easy to carry and operates quickly.

I have owned two of these lenses and they both broke within months of purchase. almost immediately the autofocus system failed and I had to use them in manual focus mode all of the time. this lens is terrible. Both lenses eventually were destroyed just by using the zoom. In one case the inner glass elements all came loose and the lens failed. The second lens will no longer zoom to it´s full length, and when it does it is out of focus. I have been a Nikon customer for years and this is by far the most cheaply made, least durable lens I have ever owned. You are wasting lots of money buying this lens. It will fail on you, Please take my word for it. Buy something else.

This lens was an upgrade from my Nikon 18-135. The 18-200 is noticeably sharper probably for the most part because it has VR and the 18-135 didn´t. I like the super zoom range and this lens is my ´´default´´ lens that I leave on the camera (D300) unless I need a fast prime lens. The auto-focus, like my other 2 Nikon lenses, is spot on, no AF trim required. My only nit-pick would be that if the lens is not retracted all the way it will creep out when the camera is pointed down. This behavior doesn´t make the lens hard to use however. Overall I really like this lens.

supberb lens, smooth trouble free, great partner under low light/bright light situations. I´m a retired photographer who started a career with two Nikons, an Nikkormat, and F2Photomac 30짦 ago and an assortment of lenses which I still have. I´m speaking from many years experience and this is one of the finest lenses I´ve ever owned. I´ll enclose an image I made to show how really sharp this lens is. Note the light gathering properties of the lens, as this image was made just after sunrise, with the assist of a monopod, andthe vibration reduction feature.

I am very pleased with the lens.It´s sharp and clear and delivers a lot of things.I use it even when I´m not taking a picture but can´;t make out something in the distance and it brings it in for me. I was surprised when I used it at night on a tripod to take ´strange things´ in the sky and it brought the images in even at that far of a distance...(had to enlarge the image because it was so small but was clear when it was enlarged. I´m really happy.