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 enlarge | Brand: Nikon
Category: Photography
List Price: $749.99
Buy New: $634.89
You Save: $115.10 (15%)
New (16) Used (7) Refurbished (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  268 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Optical Zoom: 11.1
Maximum Focal Length: 200
Minimum Focal Length: 18
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 4 x 6 x 9
Warranty: 1 Year Warranty + 4 Years Extended Service Coverage - 5 Years of Protection Included directly from Nikon USA
MPN: 2159
Model: 2159
UPC: 182080215984
EAN: 0182080215984
ASIN: B000BY52NU
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand new in retail pack, shipping same day with ups.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Worth the money March 8, 2007
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Buy it. You will not be unhappy. However, my brother has an 18-135mm. Stepping up from that type of lens might not give you the extra zoom that you want. From an 18-70mm, this is definitely a worthwhile investment.
Great all-in-one lens March 8, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
After using compact digital cameras for convenience but with marginal results for a few years, I decided to go back to the full-sized SLR. I purchased the Nikon D200 body thinking I could use my existing Nikon suto-focus lenses and flash. I read a review of the new 18-200 lens designed for the D200 and couldn't pass it up. It's great! I'm getting wonderful sharp pictures. The optical anti-vibration feature seems to really work. My only complaint is that Nikon has reversed the positions of the focus and zoom rings otherwise I would have given it 5 starsl. There is no aperture ring on this lens because it's adjustable from the camera. There isn't a macro setting either. Although the lens is a bit heavy, it's worth it to get the obvious picture quality! The lens feels sturdy in the hand. I've noticed some extra resistance operating the zoom while pointing the lens upward.
A truly amazing lens March 4, 2007
I'm sure you've read all the reviews on this lens by now so I'll just give you my personal opinions and spare you any technicalities. The 18-200 (27-300mm equivalent) is so versatile and convenient. Even though this lens is more expensive than buying an 18-55 and 55-200 combo. The convenience of just having this one lens mounted on your camera at all times is well worth it.
Construction wise, I like the texture of the lens as it matches my D80 (I think they were made for each other). I like the weather seal on the mount as it offers some extra protection against the elements. The size of the lens is great, you would think it would be really big but it's not that much bigger than the 18-135 lens. Construction is pretty good but not on par with the pro lenses. I generally take very good care of my stuff but I would not want to take this lens out in adverse weather conditions and I don't think it would survive a drop from my tripod. But then again for a sub $1000 lens, what do you expect.
The zoom creep that plagues this lens is unavoidable from what I hear although I've heard of folks who say their lens barrel is nice and tight and they have no creep. The creep is really not a problem you just have to be extra careful when composing or carrying the lens around.
Now to VR, simply put once you experience VR (version II for this lens), you will wonder how you ever lived without it. Being that this is a 5.6 lens at 200mm, either I need a lot of light or I have to crank the ISO to 800 and up. I get sharp images in auditoriums at 200mm at 1/15th and sometimes even at 1/8th! I can't do this with my 50mm 1.8 D at 5.6, all I would get would be blurry images even at ISO 800. The VR is worth the extra money as it will allow you to take pictures otherwise unobtainable.
Personally I paid $899 at my local camera store for this lens and this is now my favorite lens. I use it 99% of the time as it does most everything very well. If you had to buy just one lens buy this one. I would rather buy a cheaper camera body with this lens as opposed to a more expensive body and a cheaper lens. My friend bought a D200 with the 18-70, and I get better pictures than him with my D80 and this lens. I highly recommend this lens to everyone.
Great all around lens, but not a "pro" lens February 17, 2007
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
I bought this lens as a general all purpose "walking around" and travel lens, and for that purpose I'm not sure there is a better lens on the market. However, if you're looking to take professional quality photographs (sharpness, color, contrast), then this lens may leave you wanting more depending on your standards.
This lens has tremendous zoom range, so it enables you to shoot everything from wide to telephoto without the hassle of changing lenses. This was attractive to me initially because i was concerned about getting dust on my sensor. The colors and sharpness are very close to what I'd describe as "pro" (the 2.8 zoom lenses, etc.). For a "consumer" lens, it's really impressive and I can't really knock the quality of the images it takes. I also used the Tamron 18-200mm and there is no comparison.
I eventually realized thought that I didn't just want to take snapshots, I wanted to take the best photographs I could with the time I have alloted for photography. The problem with this lens is that it's slow. Sure, it has VR, but that doesn't help you when your subject is moving. Also, it's not quite as sharp as the pro lenses, something that bugs me. I just bought a 2.8 zoom lens as a result, but i find myself having trouble parting with this great all-around package.
Strength
- Pretty sharp at most focal lengths
- VR
- Terrific focal range
Weakness
- Slow
- Not quite as sharp, colorful, or contrasty as the "pro" lenses (but darn close!)
- Hard to get, out of stock everywhere
Superb, must-have lens February 13, 2007
Short answer: It is incredible. Long answer: One year ago I photographed a Boy Scout winter camporee with a Nikon 8700. It was great, but things happen too fast for the Nikon 8700 especially on a very cold day (it hit 7 below zero F). Now I have a Nikon D-200, a very fast camera. I have a few lenses for it but there's the 70 millimeter switchover nuisance -- one lens 18-70, the other 75-300. It is terribly annoying and not very smart to constantly be swapping lenses outdoors. So, with little more than a week to go before the next winter camporee, I gambled on Amazon's reputation. I did some "due diligence" and decided Cameta Camera was legit and ordered the lens on Tuesday. By Friday of the same week it was in my hands. Yes, I paid more than list price and I don't seem to regret it since I got it in time for the event. I've taken photos up to one full second (at wide angle setting) hand-held and very sharp; only a tripod would make it sharper. It even makes daylight telephoto shots sharper. Now some bewares: It seems to have a bit of vignetting at telephoto settings and wide aperture (not that f5.6 is very wide) and more importantly, with the VR on, the vignetting might not be centered as a lens element is moving the image sideways to try to stabilize the image. Another beware is to allow the stabilizer to work; it takes a split second from button push to stabilization -- you'll hear a faint click and see a wobble in the viewfinder, takes about 1/4 second or so. THEN take your photo. When you release the shutter release, about 1/4 second or so later you'll hear a click as the floating lens element is locked or "caged". I suggest not violently moving your camera until the lens is "caged" since I suspect the VR part is rather delicate. Good-fors: Indoor candid photography or similarly dark outdoor photography where you cannot anticipate the focal length you'll need for each shot and you cannot very well have a tripod (or even a monopod).
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