Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm 3.5-5.6G IF-ED Reviews

in my opinion it is very good for overall use I need... and I have neither money for for several lenses no time to change them during shooting.

For a lens that will do many things very well, this lens fills the requirements. However, as others have noted and the test pictures here show, it is not the sharpest at 200mm as more expensive lenses.But, then those other maximum sharp lenses have a narrower focal spread and cost 5 x's as much. With that said, I like the lens very much and do not regret buying it. It is a tremendously flexible focal range with very good quality at all focal lengths. The VR is very useful for me and outweighs any sharpness concerns for me.

After a photo-lifetime of 6 Canon bodies, 7 Canon lenses, 1 Canon flash unit, (and additional non-Canon equipment) reviews and back-orders for this lens tempted me into Nikon. Bought the body (D80) after finally geting the lens in Oct 2006. Contrast and sharpness do not match fixed-focal or 3x brand zooms but will only compromise untreated (Photoshop) larger than A2 prints. Much better than Tamron's, Sigma's and Sony's and a bit faster on the 200mm extreme. It pairs extremely well with 10.2Mp sensors. Once using the +10x zoom range starting at 18mm (27mm in 35mm equiv) it's difficult to go back to anything else as the "main lens" (+95% pictures). For all-around no predefined subject camera-carriers like me, this is the closest you get today to the perfect lens. Vibration Reduction works wonders really providing 3 - 4 f-stops. Raelly loved Canon but this combination pulled me into Nikon and satisfaction is very high!

Very good all-purpouse lens. It has a great zoom range (yo don't have to chenge the lens from landscape to wild animal shooting) and th VR is more than very useful (with ISO set to 400-800 tou can shoot in the moonlight at 100 mm without any tripod and panning is a joke).
I got it with me every time I travel and I want to take some shot (if I've enough space I'll take also my Sigma 10-20).
All this good thing are paid in terms of image quality (expecially at long range) and complicated-to-correct distorsion. Also vignetting is a little bit high for me.
If you travel a lot or you shot in complicated situation and you have enough money to buy it... buy it!
The price seem to be high, but think how much do you spend for a 18/70 + a 70/300 withouth having VR and whit the need to change (an carry) the lenses...

Extremely useful and versatile. Much better lens than you would expect for 11x zoom It has allowed me to get photos I would never have taken, since it is so small for its capability - ie trip in the highlands of Guatemala, where I simply could not take a larger lens - VERY practical, some FINE photos.

OK - A good lens, but afgter buying it I have a hard time figuring out under what conditions I need the range that this lens offers. If I'm taking wide angle shots, why do I need the equivalent of a 300mm telephoto? And vice-versa. In exchange for the wide range I have mediocre lens speed and at the extremes the lens is a bit soft - not a complaint per se, just a fact of the type of lens. For the price, doesn't it make more sense to get a smaller, lighter wide angle zoom, and a telephoto. Each can then have faster speed and I won't be lugging around a single heavy lens that has limited use.

The idea that this is the ideal travel lens fails me. I travel to Italy and shoot inside churches, no lighting allowed. What shots can I take with this lens that I won't be able to take better with a bit wider and faster lens? When trying to capture a low light area the D80 does a fine job with the built in meter, but the lens isn't fast enough to use the lower ISO settings. I wind up shooting in RAW and still have noise issues.

This lens is a good value, clearly highly desired as evident by the long wait times to get the lens, but for me two specialized lenses make more sense. I'm older and more of a prime lens kinda guy, so my bias may be showing, but I still prefer to get the right tool for the job. A Swiss Army knife is fine in an emergency, but I don't plan to build a house with it.

The lens is extremely handy, especially when I travel and just want to bring one lens on a trip, but I completely agree that it is never quite the lens that I want. I've started to seriously consider the Nikon 17-55 f2.8 to go with the old 80-200 f2.8 I already have. When there's plenty of light, the 18-200 is very competent, but as it gets darker, I miss the extra f-stops, and it isn't as sharp as other lenses that I carry. Finally, don't forget that the VR only works for stills -- if the subject is moving, then having vibration resistance will give you a sharp background behind a moving subject.

I purchased this lens with new D200. It came as a great disappointment to me after shooting with the 18-70mm kit lens on my old D70. At best this lens performed well in high levels of ambient light but began to produce poor results both in terms of lack of sharpness and exposure of colours/ hues etc in anything other than excellent light. In low light I found the 18-200mm diabolical to use, even with VR function. The 18-70mm Kit lens performed much better than this lens ever did for me.

I sent my lens for repair to Nikon Aust (Maxwell's in Sydney) as I was unable to really nail a crisp image. It was returned as 'adjusted' under warantee but continued to perform like I was shooting through two layers of pantyhose....... The focal range of this zoom lens is fantastic and is all one ever requires for just about all shooting but the constant zoom creep, heavy weight and inability to shoot a crisp image even on a tri-pod test was enough for me to sell it off and split the focal ranges with a 17-55mm and a 70-200mm lens. (much improved situation now) After parting company with the 18-200mm I have discovered on many web sites and forums that this lens apperas to have good copies and bad copies - I guess I forked out big $$$ and got a bad copy - the only Nikkor that I have loathed. One experience only.

After 10000 pics my 18-200 (and D80) was stolen in Uruguay. So it's been almost a year with my other cameras (sincerely missing the 18-200). Then the D90 arrives and I buy it with a new 18-200. My new 18-200 works as fine as my previous one and picture quality is difficult to differentiate. I need to say that the new version does not creep its zoom out when having the camera hanging from the neckstrap. I guess this proves I would buy it again (ouch)!

Had my 18-200 on a D200 for over a year and 2500 plus shots. Not as sharp as I would like, seems to lack resolution unless in well lit situations. VR must be switched off when using a tripod to get best detail. Totally unsatisfactory at 200mm.

Have decided to chop focal lengths and will now get the 24-70 and 70-200 at ENORMOUS expense. The 18-200 will sell on Ebay for about £360.

The strength of the lens lies in its 11x zoom range which makes it a very versatile objective.

Well built (better than most Canon lenses) and with a good image stabiliser (but not quite as effective as the latest Canon version), the lens is a little soft but is capable of very good results. For best results, I recommend using an optical correction program such as DxO.

Recommended for the Nikon cropped dSLR user who wants either to travel light or to have an almost all-in-one lens.