Nikon DSLR 18-200mm vr lens review

[ParsonsEtha6969]

LINK amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/­B005NFW8LQ/electronic-uk-cat-2­1

Product Description

Nikon VR

The Nikon 1Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 10 mm wide-angle lens is perfect for most typesof photography, including landscapes and group shots. In addition to its compact, lightweight andsturdy design, this Nikon lens includes two aspherical glass elements forbreathtaking image quality. The 1 Nikkor ...

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[flicktrixbmx100]

almost everything he said is a thats what she said joke:D

[CRANKYONE100]

how does this compare to the canon EF equivelent Dom?

[dombower]

@CRANKYONE100 there is no ef equivelent only ef-s and i think the nikon one is better. i think

[crcc23]

Does your 18-200 vr make a clicking sound every time you press your shutter button halfway? mine does and its annoying.. wanted to know if its normal for the VR to make such clicking sound.. my 18-105 lens doesn't make loud clicking sound

[dombower]

@crcc23 very very tiny but that is the stabilization thing kicking in and stopping then kicking in again

[motocross4ever100]

very very good video .. thanks man!!!

[chinito03]

is your 18-200 vr II make a clicking sound every time you press your shutter button halfway? mine does and its kinda annoying.. wanted to know if its normal for the VR to make such clicking sound.. my 18-105 lens doesn't make loud clicking sound..

[voiceinyourdream]

Excellent Lens, The man speaketh the truth! ive had one for over a year now and wouldnt be without it, great travel/wedding lens! well done Dom, an no bad fir a Dundonian! eah!

[NIBIR98]

Sorry, But AF-S stands for "Auto Focus-Silent Wave Motor (SWM)"

[lucertola95]

your review was helpful for me, thank you

[Spaeckli]

I have the 18-200mm lens with my D7000, I really love it for general hots, you can pretty much leave it on all the time...

but I have to invest in some better lenses for portrait and macro..

[ipodUser242]

with this kind of camera you filmed a not that good video quality here....

just use it ! it seems amazing

[rajsingharora1]

nice review .....

[mckenzienelsonbi]

@smp4good i'm sure this space concerning what's semi professional and expert is smaller now. d7000 is all we all need. check out... freedsl r . co m remove spaces and try to get an opportunity bring home a Brand New Nikon D7000

[jwgilb61]

AF-S - my understanding is the S is for "Silent Motor", not "Speed">??

[doormat321]

man are u from edinbrugh

[dombower]

@doormat321 no, dundee but I live in Edinburgh.

[princerexor]

it is good for portrait? how about its bokeh?

[dombower]

@princerexor not that great, better getting a dedicated portrait lens

[maraneelo]

it's a very good review, dude.

[kaerfirarref]

I want a lens that can take pics from pretty far and take macro shots as well as portraits. Which Nikkor lens would you recommend? Thanks

[dombower]

@kaerfirarref you will want a long macro then, there is the 105mm macro f2.8 very good

[AntoLuPurk]

i buy it today!

[Syzhi]

As a newb to photography I found your review relevant and very easy to understand. Thanks for sharing, mate.

[TheVeetle]

Hi !

is there a new lens comes out ? because i have same lens but i see my VR color is a silver but yours is a Red !

and i have a Lock for my lens but you dont have it !

i just feel my old 18/55mm was much better than this i have , it wont giving me same quality on the pictures .

so my question, is that lens i have is a fake nikon?

like i said i have the same like yours,,,

18-200mm nikon vr !

please answer me if you have time!

thanks

[dombower]

@TheVeetle you most probably have the new version vr2

[TheVeetle]

@dombower

yes i just found out i have the new version vr2 ...

but i feel my old 55/200m VR was much better quality image thian

18/200mm VR II !

thanks for answer m8

[SlamHammer23686]

"or if your in a camera" hahaha

[KerlowayeKatastrophe]

Is this good if you are sitting at the back at concerts?

[andysmini1]

Great Review thanks! I think I'm going to get this for general walk about.

[sweetyvash]

very informative review... i have a D40 just bought recently coz its cheap..does the lens you just review fit on all nikon specially my D40?

[SlamHammer23686]

@sweetyvash yes it will fit on a d40

[ramomorahab71]

good review but its old clip.. now u can get VRII, still creep but there is lock button

[avelino2005ligalig]

hi. is this good for macro photography??

[dombower]

@avelino2005ligalig surprisingly. no

[RebelNC]

Informative video. TY

[leovienne0607]

Why do you look like phil anselmo of pantera? hehehe

[lfcohen]

Congrats for such great video. Final tip on my decision to get this lens + a Nikon D90!

[xchlppprsx]

i think its better to have the VR in the body though (and the AF motor in the body) because then you don't really have to worry about which lenses you buy if you want those features

[akhb1]

I have an 18-200mm nikkor lens on D300s and when the lens is zoomed in all the way for some reason the auto focus is much slower.

[AZNFlipy12]

oh good i thought it didnt come with a hood

[HARMONICA777]

Very good explained and informative, plan to buy one of theses for a scout lens....

[AZNFlipy12]

were you inspired by cameralabs?

[fourbyfourblazer]

My favorite lens. I sold my 70-300mm VR lens. 18-200mm works best for most situations.



[revivasfernandez]

Professional feel? on a lens made of plastic and with THAT amount of creep? You've come a long way, Dom, I don't think you would say that nowadays.

[saskLS1]

VR stands for Velocity Racing. Meaning this lens can be used for racing.

[alumigas]

@saskLS1 well this was posted last 2008 mate

[DimeQueenn]

I like ur accent, what country r u from? :p

[onlysirdave]

@DimeQueenn sounds like Puerto rRico

[SkittleLover1989]

Hi, i have never had a camera like this but i want to buy one now since i travel alot and i love to take pictures. Someone i know told me that a Nikon d5000 with a 18-200 lens would be a good buy. I will be using it mostly for taking pictures of fights since i do Muay thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA. but also want to take some landscape pics! Does this seem like a good choice or would you recomend something else? thank's :)

[bramberkien]

Great review mate. What's your take on the new VR II version though? It's supposed to have fixed the creeping.

[sixmosher]

whats the autofocus like ?

[WetOct0puS]

hey does nikon fixed creeping??

[sabadashi]

would you be kind enough to explain about chromatic abberations?

[dombower]

@sabadashi already have. type it in and my name at the top and you will see a video i have made about it.

[jeremiasvokurka]

nice review, thanks

[lycfmtkl]

very good narratation of this lens

thank you.

[krsm21inthegrass]

good video thanks alot :D

[bubbsy12]

Will this work on my d40x?

[gunkydood]

absolutely. Any F-Mount Nikkor will mount on a D40x.

AF-I or AF-S lenses like this will have AF on the D40x.

Traditional AF / AF-D lenses will not AF.

Non-chipped lenses will not meter with the D40x.

[krsm21inthegrass]

@bubbsy12:

well it may a little heavy - not that i actually own one of these lenses, but IMO the d40x is a little unbalanced. :P

[Mynameister]

Doesn't the S (in AF-S) stand for Silent wave motor? Witch means the motor is in in the objective, whatever it is fast or not? If the S is missing, there is no motor in the objectiv.

[AS7Datlas]

@Mynameister yes the S stands for Silent wave motor. not speed.

[c78932500]

@Mynameister

the SWM comes for Silent Wave Motor not the S !

[eagle1423]

luv this lens its a good all rounder lens. its a gud travel lens. i use it on my d300

[mememelovelove]

oh okay thank you. Two more questions: 1. Does this piece come with the lens? 2. Do you think that this is a good lens, overall?

Thanks once again.

[dombower]

do you know what the point of this video is?

[mememelovelove]

Hi guys. Im a complete newbie to DSLR cameras. Could anybody explain to me what exactly the cover piece is used for that he mounts at 4:20 ? Help will be appreciated.

[dombower]

that is the lens hood. it stops light from the side hitting the front glass and making flare or ghosting effects in the image

[albieonthefly]

Hi Dom,

I love this lens, I use it all the time on a D90, however I just noticed that inside the lens there is some sort of debri, a bit bigger than a dust particle almost like a very small piece of ash. I saw someone post an article on how to open it and clean it, but I'm afraid I'd damage something. What's your advice, send it to Nikon, local photoshop? Disappointed that this happen. Thanks!

[dombower]

if it is really small it wont make any differenct to the image. You can shoot through a wire fence and if you focus far enough away then you cant tell there is a fence, so a speck of dust is not a problem, only when it is on the sensor

[lestermaruj]

i have a question, i have a nikon D5000, i where i can only can chose nikon AFS lens just to get the Auto focus working. But what if i was looking for Tamron, sigma and Tokina , what should i looking for?

Btw.. good video , and learn alot from u! Thanks

[dombower]

@lestermaruj the only other manufac is sigma with anything saying HSM, tamron and tokina i dont think have any lenses with internal motors. not one hundred percent sure though.

[kingocarina]

6:00

no damage? what was that bloody awful sound then?

[dombower]

the buzzer for the door to the flat.. surely you didnt think that sound came from the lens or camera!

[BerekH]

Most DSLRs on the market have nominally APS-C-sized image sensors, smaller than the standard 24×36 mm (35 mm) film frame. For example, many Canon DSLRs use a sensor that measures 22.5 mm × 15 mm. The result is that the image sensor captures image data from a smaller area than a 35 mm film SLR camera would, effectively cropping out the corners and sides that would be captured by the 36 mm × 24 mm 'full-size' film frame.

[BerekH]

It's a DX format lens, which means it's focal length is 18 to 200 mm on a DX camera. It's not a 35mm format lens, which means you will not get a 1.5 35mm form factor with the lens on a DX camera fiving it 24 - 300 mm effective.

[dombower]

your statment is super confusing and doenst make much sense.

[sethborneman123]

what he means is that the 18-200 is made for nikons DX format image sensor, In example ( D80, D300, D200, Etc) There is also now the FX ( D3, D700, D3s) which is accurate to a 35 mm film exposure (meaning it is a larger image) so it needs a bigger lens to let the whole exposure be seen, so if you were to use that DX lens with a smaller opening on an FX camera it would be slightly zoomed in making it a 24-300, instead of an 18-200, Tamron now has a 18-270 VC MACRO, which is far better than this

[MariaRoy25]

mag kano ba yan bay?

[mahirko]

im thinking to buy this lens but i need to know, is the pictures good when you shooting nature, portrait and landscape?

and btw, do you get sweet macro pics too? =)

[dombower]

the picture is only as good as the person taking the photo. image quality wise its fine but itis not a specialised lens portrait and landscape need different lenses

[maduz]

whats the different between nikkor lens/sigma lens/tamron lens? can someone please explain it to me..thanks...

[dombower]

nikon = ferrari, sigma = volvo, tamron = fiat.

just different companies making lenses

[Henqli]

canon also ferrari :P

[chawcincao]

is it AF-S of AF ?

[TheLeadGuitar]

It is AF-S. I own one and can confirm it is an amazing zoom lens. This one lens is enough for all my travel photography. Highly recommended!

There's also a new model of this same lens that Nikon released recently and it is a VR II. Other than that they are both identical.

[ok4ck]

what is the different between af and af-s ?

[theskattalitte]

CORRECTION FOR YOUR VID. The difference is in the -S :/ it stands for Speed. it stands for Silent Wave Motor that is present in AF-S lenses, but not in the AF. The motor is used to turn focusing mechanism of a lens. The AF lenses rely on a motor in the camera body, which turns the focusing mechanism through a small screw type drive that protrudes from the camera body to a lens.

Advantages: I think it may focus a tad faster, works with low-end camera bodies: D40, D60, D5000,

[TheLeadGuitar]

Also, to clear up the possible confusion: this is an AF-S lens, which means it will autofocus nicely on D40, D40x, D60 and D5000 too.

[jamesyangdu]

i think the "s" in af-s is for "self" focusing... the focusing motor is in the lens rather than the camera, thus enabling to auto focus on camera that doesn't have the af motor, like the D40

[904SF]

no it stands for silent because its silent.

[domoarigqto]

Thank you.....very informative video. I was in the market for this lens and am happy I'll be able to get the newest one just out.

How have you found it when used for portrait type pictures?

[philphie]

i'm surprised about its weather resistance. nikon never says which of its lenses are weathrproof

[RS250Squid]

Hehehe 3:53 in a camera :-).

I'm easily amused :-P.

[Gingerjake2]

Great informative review - thanks. I've been hanging back not knowing if I wanted to get this lens for my D80...now I've decided I will. =)

[fustah]

Nikon just came out 2nd Gen of this lens.

[dombower]

yeah with vr2 if i flew to america i would get it (if i didnt already have the first one) but its going to be pretty expensive in the uk. cant wait to see the image test results

[dipmvideos]

I'm pretty sure the image quality will be the same in terms of sharpness. From what i understand, the only different is the addition of the zoom lock and some added coatings to help prevent flare and such. The VR system on the first version of the lens is also VR2.

DIP

[manochapchap]

Tamron 18-270mm

Tamron 28-300mm

Sigma 18-250mm

Nikon 18-200

Which one is better?

[dombower]

the one with the most buttons and looks the coolest!

[dipmvideos]

hahaha! i love your humor! great video btw!

[l9821518]

wicked review.funny too..i like the 'hello' at the end.class

[cancuncito01]

Hey Dom i saw your video and i purchase my 18-200.

the quality is really good i have an excellent pics

THANKS AGAIN

[mwells123]

i ordered mine on amazon and i can't wait for it's arrival

[timmis1971]

'vave' is late night drunk code for 'wave', sorry about that, like your review, will probably buy the 18-200 now!

[transferases]

I have a brand new pretty much for sale, I got it 3 months ago. Great lens but I got a 7-200 f2.8 instead, and now am looking to sell mine for 600 USD

[timmis1971]

S stands for Silent Vave not Speed

[dombower]

no way!!!!

i wonder what 'vave' means though?

[Leeter88]

its stands for Silent Wave Motor, the built-in focus motor

[bobbyp28]

Would you say that you sacrifice any sharpness or quality if you are using the VR in the on position when you really don't need it (IE high shutter speeds abouve 125/second...) In other words would you turn OFF VR at high shutter speeeds so that you might improve the picture quality?

[dombower]

no i dont think that would be an issue, however you probibly wont be needing vr anyway.

however i have heard and seen images where are not as good when using vr and it is on a tripod!

very strange

[ND300DSLR]

I sold my Nikon 18-200mm it was a super slow lens and the glass was crapy qulity!!

[RamboHH]

Ive heard about using VR when shooting with just let us say 25mm of zoom the Picture isnt getting so perfect cause of the VR cause... at 25mm ur very steady and dont need to use VR...

how does it going with ur D80?

I soon want to get an D90 upgrading from my old D40...!

[valtteri1234]

why not d200 or d300?

[dombower]

price? and maybe it is just a bit too professional for a lot of users,

[dombower]

the d90 will be a huge upgrade from your d40, you will really enjoy it.

[deb21305]

I go to a lot of baseball games. My seats which are for the entire season are about 400 ft away from where the batter and pitcher are. is this lens coupled with the nikon d300 sufficient to get really close up pics?

[dombower]

i think for really close up pics from 400 feet a way you will need a telescope not a lens.

but i would recommend the nikon afs 70-300 vr more than this lens

[arunmaroli]

No mention of IQ. It is no better than a higherend P&S

[dombower]

IQ is as good as you make it, granted wide open and at 135mm it totally sucks but that is not why you buy this lens. if you want high iq get a smaller zoom with an f2.8

[Hewson60]

Hi!

What do you mean by "on D80 = 300 mm"?

[dombower]

the equivelent focal lengh if you are talking full frame terms. the sensor is 1.5 times smaller than the full frame so focal distance is that extra half more

[timmyguy13]

It will have that crop factor on any Nikon camera other than the d700, d3, and d3x. Being that those are the only full-frame cameras they have.

[hazzard82]

200 on 35mm is 200x1,5 = 300.

[dombower]

no.... 200 on 35 = 200. DX cameras the sensor is smaller than a 35mm camera and thus there is a crop factor (almost like an extra zoom) of an extra half. but this lens is for dx cameras only so on a 35mm camera of FX it will only give an image on the centre and have a black ring round the outside.

[vhugtchoy]

Hi Domenic I'm john from the Philippines my cousin Alriz wants to know where he can buy the cam you been Demo here in Youtube,the NIKO DSLR 18 to 200mm, will if ever can we buy it from you? also what is your mobile number and you personal number coz we are interested to buy the camera 2nd hand from you if ever you want to con tuck as here is my number +63-910-8795959 you can txt me and will be in touch by you so hope to hear from you soon.. John here..

[topbillen]

How does it compare to the Sigma 18-200mm OS?

[prince0309]

is that a d80 youre using?

is it better than the d60?

[justXjustin]

it is better

if your looking for a decent size camera for not a huge price a d80 is just for you man

the d90 is even better, with a live view as well as a video feature.

[prince0309]

but isnt the d60 cheaper and newer than the d80?

im saving up to buy my first dslr camera. so i wanted compare.

[StickerMedia]

Yeah, but the D80 is still much and much better, The D60 is fine for taking familyshots.

spent some more money on the D80, so you can buy any lens available.

since the D60 doesnt have an internal AF motor, you need to buy AF-S lenses Every time if you have a D60..

D80 is much better to hold aswell, for most people. You have 2 weels for settings, that a big, big pro :)

[dombower]

yes but it is the lower version.

[dombower]

a little bit

[ricardoap23]

Does anybody tried this lens with a Nikon D60? is it any good?

[OYISGEN]

yes, it has clear and crisp quality and I recommend it.

[Kaneblind]

it works great

if feels like the lens weighs more than the d60

ahhaha

[p3p3p3p3p3]

thanks for the great review

[tgj24242]

Great review Dom.

Just a quick question, I'm thinking of getting this beast for my d90...would you suggest getting a 18-55mm (or similar) to improve distortion/night capability for these focal lengths, or can "the beast" handle these scenarios okay (before/after retouching on the pewter)? Ta.

[Radqq]

believe me, I've been using this piece of glass with my d300 for over a year now, and for sure it would work as well with d90. just forget 18-55, thats not the same leaugue. 18-200 is really REALLY good DX lens, I bet you won't be disappointed (and the distortion is better than in - otherwise great - nikkor 18-70).

[justXjustin]

i totallyyyy agree

18-55 mm lens is the most generic, insufficient lens Nikon makes, it is just a default really for a camera. It can barely focus in and doesn't have much to offer. Get the beast haha

[prmass1]

From what recent reviews I have seen on the web the latest produced nikon 18-200mm have no creep issue but the zoom is a bit stiffer. This lens is already over 3 years old and my D90 just came out. Still I order one because it is so popular. I chosed it over the new tamron 18-270mm. Reason. It has a faster motor than the tamron. I rather sacrifice some distance. Also, sharper focus at 200mm than 270mm.

[AZabakas]

Thanks for the review m8.. Really nice.

[jsc17988]

cool...thanks for the great review...i just bought a d80 and can't wait to get this lense...

[tobearockstar0706]

The creep can actually be stoped by a rubber band! I saw a pic from flikr and this guy had one of those donation wrist bands on the lens so it doesn't creep!

[bubblywums]

That is such an awesome idea. Complex problem solved with an easy solution. :D

[DoodleDandy921]

Great review dom!!!

[mucalinda]

excellent review

[d0ud0u06]

Hi,

I use a Nikon D3, with a 18-135mm, a 300mm F2.8 and a wide angle : 8-15mm

I also use a Canon EOS 1D Mark III with same lenses,

for the Nikon, I use the new SB-900 flash

and for the Canon, also a profesional flash I don't remember the model ^^

I you've got any questions, contact me

I'me french ^^

[arabianjules]

looking at getting this lense together with a D60 body as a kit for £650, is this a good price?

this will be a DSLR upgrade for me from a Minolta Dynex 500si

????

thanks.

[dombower]

s is for silent wave motor (or i like to think it is for speed)

[MidnightAtGuses]

I have an AF-S....what is the S?

[xuchenxixu]

are you sure this is normal?

can this eventually turn to grinding?

i also had a look of this lens in store, the Demo was SILENT

[dombower]

take it back to the shop or to a camera shop and if it is the swm they can replace it usually or send it off to nikon

[xuchenxixu]

hi there, thanks for the review.

i have this lens and i found that when its auto focusing, it makes a small squeaking sound, does yours have this too? i cant quite hear it from your video. thanks

[dombower]

yeah it makes that sound that is the motor, it is either that or a big BURRRR BURRR sound on older lenses with non af-s motors

[icedangel61]

I want to buy one of these for my D300 camera, but I've heard not only they are not sharp enough, bu also you get distorted pictures on the focal length of 130mm and above. Is that true? also @ 200mm pictures look flat.

I have a 18-70mm lens right now

[dombower]

if your buying this lens you are buying it for its versatility its massive zoom its vr and its relative compactness. yeah at around 130 its resolution drops and is a bit pump but you have to compare this with other 18-200 etc zooms. Its a great travel lens as it is the only one you will need

[hlvs001]

Thank you DomBower, for the information. Since, I am travelling to USA, I will consider buying D300 with 18-200mm.

Thanks!

[hlvs001]

Dear dombower,

Your demo is really good! Thanks for the useful information!

I would like to purchase my first SLR, a Nikon D300 with AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor ED 70-200mm f/2.8G IF! Do you think it is really worth spending that much on that particular lens? Or should I consider the lens 18-200mm, i.e. the one shown on your demo.

Thank you for your time.

[dombower]

wow that is a big jump! going from mo slr to the d300 is a scary one and could have you lost for a long time, and a lot of the functions may be lost on you and unneeded. I upgraded from a canon s2 is then a d80 and once i found out that missed some actions i needed then i up graded to the d300. spending 2 grand on dslr and lens is a bit dangerous. get a d80 and 18-200vr and then learn what extra you need from your camera and lens before spending far too much on what you might not need.

regard

[yomi1896]

i hope you got a UV filter for that lens. It'll save you a lot of money and trouble.

[danmancity14]

Is there any real reason why you choose Nikon Over Canon?

[Prince0fSpain]

Hello I have the d80 like your self and i know the D700 just came out but i don't want to be limited but getting compatible lens for it and change the ones i have what do you think about the D300 which now comes in that lens?

[degsvalencia]

hello dom, is 18-200mm lens will work well with my d60 and will it look good also in appearance?

tnx