nikon 18-200 VR

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mervyn

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Opinions on this lens please. SAw a bad report on c.net:bang:
 
What are you wanting from a lens? From all accounts people I know with one rate it as fantastic as an all in one do everything lens. Personally I want wider aperture, more range at the wide end and better image quality so I went the multiple lens route.
 
You'll always see mixed reviews on this lens. As Foggy says, it's just a case of what you want out of it :D
 
mervyn said:
Opinions on this lens please. SAw a bad report on c.net:bang:
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I have this lens in the for sale section, for an all round lens i don't think you can fault it when you consider the range, there's also some pics taken with it in that thread :thumbs:
 
I've got one o these, to be 100% honest I don't rave about it but, for the cash and the range, it's usable, I use it when I'm not so fussed about 100% faultess I.Q, (holiday snaps, friends and family ets) it's a sharp and versatile lens but a little slow, especially at 5.6 @ 200mm.

If you were thinking of buying then maybe save your cash and then invest in two sepertae zooms that cover the same range, i.e 24-70 or 17-55 and a 70-200 or 80-200 or similar.

T.
 
I found it a tad soft. If you're looking for an all-rounder to save you carrying several lenses, it's fine. But if its sharpness you're looking for look elsewhere.
 
aberal said:
I found it a tad soft. If you're looking for an all-rounder to save you carrying several lenses, it's fine. But if its sharpness you're looking for look elsewhere.
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I agree.

This lens is really designed for people who'd rather have a Point-and-Shoot, rather than a DSLR. Its soggy, unconvincing optically, pricey, and you can spend the same money and do much better elsewhere.

Personally I don't like it at, others do. Try one for yourself!
 
I had it, I actually was expecting it to be softer than people say. IMO a great all rounder but I didnt need it for what I shoot. I reccomend it if you want a good all rounder. As there seems to be so many mixed reviews and oppinions on this lens why don't you go to jessops and ask if you can test one?
 
I have one of these and it is great if you just want an all round walk about lens and do not want to keep dipping in the bag to change lens. I find it a very usable lens, yes it can be a little soft at the limits of the zoom but you can not expect everything for that sort of money.

I use it mainly when I am out in London or somewhere and I am grabbing candid's and its a bonus that it is VR.

For the money I do not think you can get a better all rounder, it is much better than the Sigma 18-200, I do not know what the 18-300 (28-300???) Tamron is like but I returned the sigma and stumped up the extra cash for this one.

It all depends what you want from the lens I suppose for me it does what I want.

Nigel
 
puddleduck said:
This lens is really designed for people who'd rather have a Point-and-Shoot
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Thats a ridiculous observation, there are plenty of good photographers who have and use this lens as a walkabout when they don,t need a bag full of lenses, granted it's not the sharpest but then who would expect it to be at such a big focal range, i've seen some great sharp photos taken with it, it is certainly one of the most versatile lenses around for the price.
 
I don't have this lens, and I never bought one; but I can tell you that when it was launched there was so much demands for it that there was a waiting list to get it. So much was the demand that a 2nd hand copy was selling for more than what you'd pay for a new one, simply because you would have had to wait for a while to get a new one.

Now, a lens that was in such high demands surely can't be bad, no matter what! Of course, this doesn't mean it is a fantastic lens either; but as has been said, for the price you pay and for an all-round lens .. this is excellent.
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
I've got one o these, to be 100% honest I don't rave about it but, for the cash and the range, it's usable, I use it when I'm not so fussed about 100% faultess I.Q, (holiday snaps, friends and family ets) it's a sharp and versatile lens but a little slow, especially at 5.6 @ 200mm.

If you were thinking of buying then maybe save your cash and then invest in two sepertae zooms that cover the same range, i.e 24-70 or 17-55 and a 70-200 or 80-200 or similar.

T.
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Dude, excuse me for calling you dude, but what are you inhaling :shrug:?

To get the cheapest of the options you've given, the 17-55 and the 80-200, that would be well over £1,500; compare that with the £450 for the 18-200! Now, yes, the two lens option is way much better than the 18-200VR but if someone was looking to buy this lens, the two lens options you've listed aren't exactly a direct comparison!

Again, sorry to pick on you for this, but I thought it was funny that you've put this as an option ... then I realised it's Saturday evening, and it's probably when most of us switch our brains off, or start to enhale something weird, or both!
 
puddleduck said:
This lens is really designed for people who'd rather have a Point-and-Shoot, rather than a DSLR.
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Or, equally validly I would suggest, it's designed for people who have a DSLR and like using it and may even have a selection of lenses, but occasionally don't want to lug around a load of gear.
puddleduck said:
... and you can spend the same money and do much better elsewhere.
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Please enlighten us.
 
Well I've had the lens a week and I'm very happy with it.

Today I was at City Hall open day in London and then went down to Greenwich to see HMS Illustrious.

I am well pleased with the quality and sharpness of the pictures I'm getting from it.

It certainly saves me switching lenses and the VR ability is brilliant.
 
I had one when it first came out, to be honest it wasnt as good as I thought it would be, I found it a bit soft at 200mm. But, if you spend all your time testing it and coming up with reasons why its no good, you will never be happy with it.
I have used mine at football matches at airshows on holiday, portraits...... you name it, its done the lot, and I have to say, the results are very good as long as your not pixel peeping at 200mm. I could freeze a football in the air on a dull day using it hand held, thats fast enough for me! This was 1/1000 at f5, 80mm on a cloudy day. Iso 400 cropped and a little usm in jpeg format

3013427011_d8e1675009_b.jpg


Not the best framed shot but it served its purpose.

A lot of people still think its a good lens and many experienced togs carry one with them all the time.
Wish I`d never sold mine now...

Allan
 
Yep nice shot good example, and the keeper looks pretty sharp on my monitor :thumbs:
 
Heres another shot taken with the 18-200mm VR, i would say this is pretty sharp, and it was taken in front of glass too, and been cropped a bit.

Tiger-1.jpg
 
I have this lens and find it excellent. It's a great walkabout lens and I don't have to keep changing lenses to get different pictures. The picture quality is also excellent as you can see with the other examples above. I have this and a nifty and it covers most of my amateur needs for the moment. I'm sure in 2-3 years time I will have progressed to better lenses costly vastly more, but by then the 18-200 will have earned it's money. And anyway, there is always a good second hand market for the lens and you'll recoupsome of the original expense anyway.

A tip, if you do buy, ask Kerso for a price. He did a superb deal for mine.
 
I have one and for what it is (a compromise) it's great. It's never going to be as sharp, have the best IQ or be as fast as higher price lenses, but, it's one lens....

Pricing wise, check www.camerapricebuster.co.uk - you could get them earlier in the year for £400 brand new, UK model, I am sure that you could get one for that now....

Not sure what Ian's (Kerso) price is though...
 
I have one. I was lucky enough to buy it on this forum for less than £300.

It's not the sharpest lens, but more than adequate, and I doubt many would complain about sharpness and IQ at screen resolution!! It's compact and light. I bought it as a companion for the D300, when I just need to carry light. It replaces a whole raft of lenses, which would more than fill my large camera bag.

I put this and the D300 in a small Lowepro top loader, and it barely takes up more room than a barebones film SLR and a standard lens.

I recommend it highly. It's not the cheapest of the superzooms, nor the fastest, but with USM and VRII, the maximum aperture is not so important, and it is an adequate low light performer.
 
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