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

OK – I borrowed a this from a colleague before I ultimately decided on buying the 18-105 lens. I did use it for a weekend in all types of conditions and it took great pictures. The zoom lens range is surprisingly large and would exceed the expectations of most people in its range. The lens feels like a quality piece of kit. In Australia this costs… Read more

around $1000 and for this price it simply not good value for money especially since one can buy other good lenses for half the price. It has some very annoying features like the zoom creep. While trying to take a picture of the moon at night I found I had to hold the lens while taking it, which introduced too much shake. I could have solved it with a bit of tape but because it belonged to a colleague I did not want to get glue on his pristine lens.

Another thing I found was that the lens was no sharper than my 18-55 lens and on the edges was actually less sharp.

So was it good enough for me to buy it. If it cost around $550 I would have taken the plunge and found a way to live with the creep. Given its price and considering that I found an 18-105 for $420 I cannot recommend it. Great zoom range, quite effective vibration reduction. Feels good quality to touch and use Very expensive in Australia. Not as sharp as 18-105 or 18-135. Zoom creep, very large and quite heavy.

Good – This is a VERY good "walkaround" lens for everyday photography and probably a killer lens for travelling, as with this focal length range you won't have to carry 2 or 3 lenses with you. It's not razor sharp, but still pretty damn good. It is quite lightweight, so again will help with the travelling side of things and day to day shooting, however… Read more

it does feel a little "plasticy". Fantastic zoom, lightweight, vibration reduction, quite sharp for such a complex lens Price (maybe, but it's all relative. $1000 might be good value for 18-200mm range for some people), build quality is not great, variable aperture,

OK – This is a lense that tend to be over rated by many reviewers because is a all in one lense. But because it has VR, a good range the cost is also pretty high and we are looking at $950-$1200 estimate. Personally this lense will be worth it if it did not have a lense creep issue. Lense creeping means when you point down the lense will zoom down due… Read more

to its weight and vice versa zoom in when you point up. In other words you have to hold the lense in place to get the shot. Is not ok if you want it on a tripod. I have seen wonderful pictures with this lense and also poor ones. In my opinion is better to go $400.00 more for the 17-55mm DX that gives F2.8 and very sharp optics. wide zoom range, good for travelling, VR included lens creep, expensive for non professional range from Nikon.