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

Very versatile lens. Love wide range, BUT it is not a sharp lens. I´ve never abused the lens but I was never happy with results. Sent to authorized service center and spent $250 for servicing. It came back well serviced, but is still not sharp. It cannot compare to the old AF NIkkor 80-200 1:2.8 lens I´ve had forever.

This lens came with my D200 when I bought it in 2006. I was skeptical at first, doubting that a single lens covering such a wide range of focal lenghs could possibly provide the quality results I needed. I fully expected to be buying a ´´real´´ lens within a few months.

I could not have been more wrong. I fell in love instantly. I now have 30 years of Nikon lenses I have aquired over the years that I could use but this lens is on my camera 99% of the time.

The range, of course, is wonderful. I can walk through the forest and shoot everything from wide angle get-pulled-into-the-woods shots to a close up of bird without changing lenses. My wife has a D60 with an 18-55 and 55-200 and is often frustrated that whichever lens she has on, she sees something that requires the other! I have gotten shots that she has missed because all I had to do is shoot and not worry about changing lenses.

The quality is excellent. One of my first projects was to shoot photos of my son´s soccer games. I walked the sidelines shooting the action at a wide range of focal lengths. When I assembled them for presentaion I included wider shots of the team in action, but also included shots of individual players that I pulled out of the center of wider shots. Even those were great and everyone loved them.

Nikon has sharper lenses available but the difference in sharpness is not going to be noticed by most of us in most applications. When I do need that difference, I use another lens. But that is rare and I would rather capture a beautiful image with an almost perfect lens than miss a great shot with the perfect lens!

A note on LENS CREEP: Yes, if you are not paying attention while pointing up or down, the lens can be pulled down by gravity, changing the focal lengh. This has never been a huge issue for me and I think it is because of the way I hold my camera. I use the classic -read ´´old guy´´- style of holding the lens and not the camera. I place the camera along the heal of my left palm, my thumb and middle finger in position to focus and change aperture. Well, used to anyway when everything was manual! But the same finger placement will adjust focal length and hold it in position. If you are used to holding a smaller camera by the edges your fingers won´t be in position and will allow the lens to creep.

This is my travel lens, and I travel a lot! It has proven durable and reliable, and the images are stunning. I haven´t noticed any lens creep at all. The VR gives me the option of hand-holding to reasonably slow shutter speeds (or upping the ISO a bit - I shoot on both a D2X and my newer D7000). The 1080p HD video shot with this lens also looks great!

All in all I´m very happy with this product and totally recommend this lens, particularly if you need a versatile workhorse while on the road. Even though the range is very good, I´m thinking of getting the 10-24 to give me a bit more wide angle and provide a two-lens complete kit.

I have used this lens for years - since the D2X - never had a problem with creep - especially when comparing it to my old creepy Leica 90 mm - If it wasn´t so heavy, I´d put it on and never need to change lens. I gave away my old 18-200 and just bought a new one. After taking it out of the box and going upstairs, I dropped it and watch it bounce down 2 flights of stairs. I had no expectations that I would remain alive and well. However it is working perfectly since the accident. Just one more anecdote that will keep me loyal to Nikon Forever.

Excellent rapport qualité/prix. Images nettes, facile d´utilisation.

The lens started creeping within a few weeks of purchase ,I didnt worry about it too much at the time ...Nikon...A fine reputable company will be able to repair this lens when I return home to Australia,
OK here goes nothing ,I am about to return the lens to the store ...wish me luck....!!!!!!

I hate this creep (!). It is difficult to take pictures aiming the camera up or down. I checked the technical support and was told that there is nothing I can do about it. I am getting rid of this lens. Does the VR II creep similarly? Perhaps I should go to another lens manufacturer.

This is an overall solid lens. It has a good heft to it. But like many have complained about, there is quite a bit of lens creep in the mid-range of the lens, but I just put a rubber band where it turns, and it fixed up quite nicely. Because of the 18-200 range, it´s a lens that I rarely take off of my d7000, although on occasion I do remove it for my 50mm 1.4G.

Photo quality wise, I´m very happy with it, although this is coming from a guy who upgraded from a 55-200. The photos were sharp, and I was quite pleased with the quality. Just change the aperture a bit, and you really won´t be able to complain about sharpness. There is some distortion at the extremes, but that´s to be expected. The only real complaint I have is the fact that I had to fix the lens creep, but it really is no big deal.

The photo of the puppy was shot at ISO 400, 135mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec.

I have now used this lens on my D7000 DSLR for almost a year. I am amazed at how versatile it is, from portraits to landscapes, action shots to movies. For my amateur photography, I do not need any other lenses.

Since I am not a perfectionist, I am not 100% sure of the benefit of Vibration Reduction although I have used it without any problems, even in movie mode. Pictures are very sharp.

Note - when subject is over 8 metres away, and the lighting requires a flash, the built-in flash on the D7000 is inadequate for this purpose.