Nikon 18 - 200 AF VR lens

[coastman6]

Hi, I have just purchased and should receive anytime now , a D200 along with an 18-200 superzoom, now I realise there is a trade off with optical quality with a lens like this ,but it suits my needs perfectly ,and I already have a 50mm f1.8 in my bag.
My question is ,does anyone have any veiws on this lens, its optimum settings, positive or negative sides, any info would be helpfull .

Thanks in advance

Tim

 

[robbins.photo]

Hi, I have just purchased and should receive anytime now , a D200 along with an 18-200 superzoom, now I realise there is a trade off with optical quality with a lens like this ,but it suits my needs perfectly ,and I already have a 50mm f1.8 in my bag.
My question is ,does anyone have any veiws on this lens, its optimum settings, positive or negative sides, any info would be helpfull .

Thanks in advance

Tim

Well, not a lens I've shot myself, but I was looking at getting one so I did some research, from what I read when shooting below 40 mm you can expect distortion, though I would imagine you can probably compensate for that in post if you use lightroom/photoshop.

The thing that most reviewers noted was that center sharpness was pretty good overall but that it got pretty soft in the corners, so you might want to consider shooting a bit "wide" and cropping off the corners when possible. A lot of reviewers recommended stopping down to F11 if your shooting at over 90 mm to help compensate for the corners when possible.

Hope that helps.

 

[goodguy]

Never used it, did a lot of research when I looked for a zoom lens for my D5100
No one got ga-ga over it in the reviews, it ok but nothing more.
If you are looking for top quality then look elsewhere, if you look for ok quality with lots of user flexibility then this lens is ok on DX body.
I chose the 55-200mm over it.
In good lighting condition it will work fine but in harder light condition considering the D200 is an very old camera and has very limited low light capability I would be looking elsewhere.

 

[shadowlands]

I shot with the 18-200 VR for years, back when I had my D90. Loved it. Still miss it.
It's honestly a great lens. And paired with your D200, you'll be amazed. I sold many landscapes that I shot with it, back when I had it.
Sure, it's not a portrait lens, but you already have the 50mm for that, and low light work.

 

[coastman6]

Thanks for your replies folks, much appreciated I have since received it, its a hefty combination, and I,m looking forward to using it , and will take your advice to get the most out of it.
Thanks shadowlands for your positive veiw of this combination, I was going to buy a newer Nikon, like a D5200 but decided to go for an older higher spec camera, I sold a full Nikon D80 outfit some years ago and bought a Fujifilm XE-1 outfit which I still have , but glad I kept the Nikon Nifty 50mm !

Tim

 

[shadowlands]

Thanks for your replies folks, much appreciated I have since received it, its a hefty combination, and I,m looking forward to using it , and will take your advice to get the most out of it.
Thanks shadowlands for your positive veiw of this combination, I was going to buy a newer Nikon, like a D5200 but decided to go for an older higher spec camera, I sold a full Nikon D80 outfit some years ago and bought a Fujifilm XE-1 outfit which I still have , but glad I kept the Nikon Nifty 50mm !

Tim

I forgot to mention... I used the VR active (if I recall what it's called) while on a vibrating small airplane and got super sharp images of the Molokai Sea Cliffs and sold them to Maui Tourism.
And check out shooting some close-ups at f4-f5, super sharp!!!

 

[robbins.photo]

Thanks for your replies folks, much appreciated I have since received it, its a hefty combination, and I,m looking forward to using it , and will take your advice to get the most out of it.
Thanks shadowlands for your positive veiw of this combination, I was going to buy a newer Nikon, like a D5200 but decided to go for an older higher spec camera, I sold a full Nikon D80 outfit some years ago and bought a Fujifilm XE-1 outfit which I still have , but glad I kept the Nikon Nifty 50mm !

Tim

Keep us posted and show us some test shots will ya?

Lol

 

[astroNikon]

on a positive note, the 18-200 is an ideal lens at any focal length for Infrared photos. Most lenses are only good at one focal length for IR.

 

[dannylightning]

nice lens. i have one, if you want something that will work well in most all situations and you don't want to change lenses all the time its a great lens to have. here are a few shots with it. it has taken good shots all the way from 18 all the way up to 200mm i do not think there is a focal length its not good at.

the only thing i notice is in a heavy crop it may start to look a little softer than some other lenses do but unless you are doing a heavy crop it always looks nice and sharp to me.

 

[otherprof]

Hi, I have just purchased and should receive anytime now , a D200 along with an 18-200 superzoom, now I realise there is a trade off with optical quality with a lens like this ,but it suits my needs perfectly ,and I already have a 50mm f1.8 in my bag.
My question is ,does anyone have any veiws on this lens, its optimum settings, positive or negative sides, any info would be helpfull .

Thanks in advance

Tim

I have the lens and love it on my D5100. The problems with my images have come from me, not the lens, as far as I can see. A Swiss Army Knife is full of compromises, but I like to have one with me when I travel. Same with the 18-200.