Why I buy this one ?
- High-ratio, 11x zoom lens and 18-200mm focal range
- VR II Vibration Reduction technology provides a four-steps-faster shutter speed
- Lens incorporates two ED glass and three aspheric lens elements
- Delivers high-resolution and contrast, outstanding image quality, and fantastic photographic versatility
- AF-S Silent Wave Motor provides fast quiet autofocusing, and M/A mode makes it easy to switch from auto to manual focus

Amazon.com offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $618.88 Usually ships in 24 hours

J&R Music and Computer World offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $618.88 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Calumet offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : Too low to display Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Ace Photo Digital offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $639.00 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

The Shutterbug offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $645.00 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Beach Camera offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $649.00 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Norman Camera & Video offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $649.00 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

6ave offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : Too low to display Usually ships in 1-2 business days

The Camera Company offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $693.99 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Willoughby's Established 1898 offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $699.95 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

What our customer's say!

"Hit or Miss but worth it.", I'm not going to go on about this lens and rehash the same info good or bad, like hundreds of reviewers before me. Instead, I will simply share my personal experiences with this lens.
I got this lens to use with my D100 1. Because all my other lenses were for film format and 2. I got tired of carrying and switching 4 different lenses. All in all, this was a great lens for me. It is an all in one lens that basically allowed me to take "pretty good" pictures in most situations without having to do a damn thing. All for under $700.
This lens became my main lens for 90% of my photography. What do I take pictures of primarily? My family and friends, my house projects, vacations and occasionally for work documentation.
The other 10% I use my other prime lenses for side jobs (weddings, restaurants) Yet I still used the 18-200 as well.
Unfortunately, my lens completely stopped working after about a year and a half. (no AF or VR) and I never registered after purchase to take advantage of Nikons free extended 5 year warranty nor did I still have the receipts or paperwork. Bummed, I continued to use my other lenses in the meantime. Didn't realize how much I relied on that lens until it was gone and I couldn't go back to relying on manual focus with my eye. It was going to cost more than a couple of hundred bucks to fix. I decided to buy a new lens anyway and sell the old as is. I bought the same lens and immediately noticed a difference! It didn't seem as sharp as the first. It seemed as if the AF was always a little "soft" even at high shutter speeds. My other lenses were tack sharp, so I knew it wasn't the camera. I immediately exchanged the lens for another. This third and final lens seems to focus just fine but now I have doubts about the VR. When the VR is turned on normal it sounds different than previous same lenses. I also seem to have a less success rate on controlling camera shake blur than before. It may just be me getting old but keep in mind after more than a years worth of constantly using that lens I got used to its every nuance. Something is not the same. I believe it has to do with different "batches" of manufacture. I miss that first lens before it quit. I'm thinking maybe I should have paid to fix it and kept it. This is the only Nikon lens I have ever had problems with and also the only lens I own not made in Japan. (That's a whole other discussion)

Basically, I think it is a hit or miss with this lens. But for what it is, it's a great all around lens. Well worth the $. Just be sure to register for Nikon's free 5 year extended warranty in case you have issues like me!
I recently got a D700 and am in the process of seeing how it performs with this lens. We shall see.



"review if partnered with d40", it`s pretty closed to 5 stars but not perfect because it is too heavy for d40, probably perfect for other bigger nikkons which i dont have. makes it a good everday lens...very flexible but again...heavy for my d40 and seems a poor balance.. pictures come out great!!!

"Soft and slow", Not sure what most reviewers are craving about. I must have gotten a bad copy that came with d300. Yes, it is versatile, but that's about where it ends.

My major gripes with the lens are: (1) The lens is extremely slow. Don't even think about using it in low light without a tripod. (2) The focus is soft no matter what I tried. (3) At its widest settings there is bucketload of corner vignetting and barrel distortion. Be prepared to heavily post process each and every time you do wide angles (shoot in tif or raw to preserve detail).

Verdict: if you are serious about photogrpahy, you'd be better off buying specialized lenses in lieu of this underperforming generalist.

"The best general purpose non-professional Nikon zoom lens you can buy.", This is great general purpose lens, just make sure that you understand its limitations.

This is not a professional lens. The speed of the lens (max aperture) is far too slow for low-light use, and--depending on the focal length--is too slow even in normal light at certain shutter speeds. The build is consumer grade, and the barrel/pincushion distortion is noticeable and occasionally difficult to correct in post-processing. The benefit from VR is negligible in my opinion, especially given the slow (max aperture) speeds.

All of that being said, this is still a great lens for most shooters and most situations. I included the aforementioned critique since I have heard many people discuss (and inquire about) using this lens in a semi-pro or pro capacity and I don't think that it will make the grade in that respect.

Here is why I would recommend this lens to any amateur/casual Nikon DSLR user:

Focal length range: let's face it--awesome. In fact this is probably why you are considering this lens. 18-200mm covers 95% of what you need for any normal shooting encounter, at least in terms of focal lengths. The only things you will miss are very wide angle and very long telephoto. With cropping taken into account, this loss of coverage will be negligible and barely noticeable. But yeah, this focal length coverage is awesome. This is essentially the only lens you need to take with you on any trip. No wasting time changing lenses and risking dust on your sensor; no extra baggage/equipment. Seriously, this focal length range is amazingly convenient in all ways.

Weight/size: also very convenient. Very light and small, more so than I expected from pictures before getting the lens in person.

Zoom ring: I like it a lot. I can't understand the complaints about being stiff. First of all, it is not remarkably or annoyingly stiff by any means. More importantly, it is just tight enough to eliminate all lens creep. I have experienced lens creep on most all other Nikon zooms, from $100 kit lenses to $1500 professional zooms. I really like the way this lens stay where I set it.

Sharpness: surprisingly sharp! I have found this lens to be noticeably sharper than the Nikon 18-55mm, 18-70mm, 18-105mm and 18-135mm consumer zoom offerings. Remarkably sharper.

Low-light ability: none. Sorry, but it doesn't have it, despite what others are saying. The VR does not save this slow lens from being a slow lens. VR does not give you an extra stop; do not buy the marketing hype. Do not listen to Ken Rockwell (in this instance anyway), VR will not eliminate the need for a tripod in situations here one is required. This is a slow lens unsuitable for low-light use. In normal lighting conditions this lens is outstanding, however, and again superior to the aforementioned Nikon consumer zoom offerings.

Cost: I think it is finally getting to a reasonable price. The initial price of $800-$900 that this lens commanded was too high. The price has become more reasonable over time, especially on the used market.

In summation, I would recommend this lens to anyone that was not planning on selling the output for money. Simple as that. If you are not planning on exchanging the pictures taken with this lens for money, you will love this lens. In my humble opinion this is the most effective way to judge if this lens is right for you.


"All Rounder Lens", They say, you get what you pay for. This lens may be on the high end side when it comes to the price but it gives result which makes your investment worth every penny. I am not here to review all the technical details but I did a lot of research on web before I went for this one and I didn't make a bad choice. Right out of the box I shot a wedding and the results came out stunning with great details and colors (wedding in Asian countries have bright color dresses). Auto focus is fast even in low light, almost quiet focusing, great Zoom and VR works the way it is supposed to. There are tons of websites with all sorts of reviews to confuse you over the technical details and prove that it is not worth it but remember that this lens is a Jack of All Trades so don't analyze it only for a specific purpose and should consider other specific lenses for that. It is not as heavy as it looks so holding the camera with this lens for longer duration is not an issue. I have read of lens creep issue with this lens but I have yet to witness it. The lens is one stop brighter than the competition (which offers a choice on similar specs but a lot cheaper in price) and one stop may not sound a whole lot but it does make a huge difference for indoor low light situations. This lens offers you the convenience of photographing the right moment at the right time and not to waste it in changing lenses. Go for it !!!!.

Amazon dropped the price right after I bought so I am not happy over that as Amazon should guarantee price for some duration to increase consumer confidence or match it with a refund if the price drops within that duration. I think like other good stores do, it would be fair with the customers.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Nikon 18-200", I am an amateur photographer and a mother of two little kids, I still like quality and speed for my pictures. I love this lens b/c I don't need to change lenses, I took it to Disney, the beach and soccer games and it definitely does the work. Unfortunately, when I'm taking inside pics and I use the flash, it shows a shadow and it is very frustrating. I don't know how to get rid of it, I'm thinking about buying another lens for family reunions or indoor activities.
If anyone can help, I would appreciate.

"Dust in lens", This is a great lens but I take off 2 stars for dust inside the lens--where I cannot clean it.

The warranty does not cover dust cleaning.

"Fantastic lens but....", I read the reviews before I bought the lens and was a little hesitant. After receiving it though, I found that the lens is very versatile and that maybe I am just not the picky when it comes to the specs on this lens. After owning it for about 2 weeks now I have found that it does drift but ONLY when holding it absolutely vertical and in this position, some tape would be handy. As far as distortion goes, I only found this to be noticeable at the extreme of the lens. IF you use the lens at 18mm or 200mm, you'll see the flaws but use the lens at 22mm to 196mm and it is fine. As far as I am concerned, these small details do not break the lens in my eyes. It beats changing out the lens over and over with the 18-55 or 55-200 kit lenses.

"Dust Magnet", Not a good lens for the price. Just got a couple of weeks ago and it has collected more dust in the internal glass than my camera's sensor. It's unbelievable the poor build & to think you pay $600 plus for this lens. Get another lens, not worth the money! I'm using it with my D300.

"Great lens if you understand the limitations", I originally got this lens for my D-70 and later upgraded to the D300. I'd have to say that it's the most versatile lens for a Nikon DX type camera.

If you go to the various camera review sites you can find all sorts of technical information about distortion, sharpness, chromatic aberration and other optical qualities. Rather than repeat them here I'll focus my review on my personal use and handling.

I've used the lens for both personal and professional work. I also have other "professional" grade lenses to compare it to in some of the focal lengths. Is it the same quality? No, does it matter that much? Depends on what you do.

The lens itself is remarkably small and light for its range of focal length. It does have a plasticy feel and when it extends it practically doubles in length. The hood on is good. Mine took quite a beating, I'm on my second one (they don't float FYI) going on my third. The lens itself despite all that beating is still in good shape.

It has three switches on it. One for the focus, two for VR.

One is the switch to move between autofocus and manual focus. Its rare to use that and the manual focus ring is really more there for emergency use. It is neither large, well placed or smooth. It is an AF-S lens which in Nikon speak means it fairly quiet, fairly quick to focus and after you have achieved a focus point you can grab the focus ring and override the autofocus to what you need. Just the ticket when shooting animals at the zoo and the autofocus can't get past the cage.

The remaining two switches are related to the Vibration Reduction (VR). This is some fancy mechanism that stabilized one of the inner lenses to reduce the effect of hand tremors and jostling. One switch turns it on, the other lets you choose normal or active mode. Use normal if your plan on panning (like at a sports game) active if you don't (like from a car). I usually leave it on active.

The VR helps but it's not a substitute for proper technique or support. When you crank out the telephoto VR or not you need to pay attention to what your doing or you'll get blurry pictures.

The size and weight of the lens is both its blessing and its curse. Its really not that big and does well when mounted to a D70 body. Mounted to a D300 with the MB-10 grip it seems a little on the small side. Balance is a bit off as well. Its small size and light weight make it perfect for travel and carrying around all day. But it also makes it tougher to get a really good firm grip and rest for taking a shot. With heavier lenses the mass of the lens helps to dampen out your bodies vibrations and the larger barrel gives you something substantial to grab onto and balance with. So when shooting handheld with longer shutter speeds and focal lengths don't expect the same performance.

The F-stop range (how wide the aperture can open) goes from 3.5 to 5.6. F 5.6 at maximum focal length is wider than any other super zooms have been able to achieve. Only recently did Canon equal it. F3.5 is ONLY available at the widest aperture (18mm) as soon as you come off of 18mm it starts going down. By the time your in anything resembling normal range your up to F5.6. On occasion you might get F4.5 out of it.

The VR system is nice but its not magic. You still have to pay attention to your shutter speeds and focal lengths. If your at 200mm F5.6 and 1/20th of a second you'd better have Kung-Fu grip if you want a tack sharp image. Also it doesn't do you a bit of good if your SUBJECT is moving. You may be able to hold a 1/10 sec shot but the person walking though the picture is still going to be blurry.

Functionality
This lens gets huge marks for functionality. If getting the shot matters way more than getting the shot perfect then this is THE lens for your Nikon DX camera. Being able to go from Wide to telephoto at the spur of the moment is huge. The flexibility is incredible. I wandered around Asia for several weeks and this lens was constantly on my camera until nightfall. After dark I switched to some wide angle F2.8 glass since most of the stuff at night in the city is close.

To be sure other lenses could outdo it. The min aperture of F5.6 at zoom and the fact it does its sharpest work between F 9-11 was a factor that affected both quality and the shots I could take. But for the most part I was able to get a picture. If I had to use "pro" glass I would have missed half the shots (or more) because I had the wrong focal length or didn't feel like lugging that thing around even more. This really is a great, great travel lens.

Closer to home its useful if your going somewhere and you don't know what focal length your going to need as long as you understand the low light limitations of the lens. Around the house it's great since it goes wide which is most of what you need indoors.

Performance
Features and specs aside does it take good pictures? The answer is a definite yes. It's not the best lens in existence at its focal lengths but the vast majority of users and people who admire their photographs, are not going to notice. If you compare it pixel for pixel against pro grade glass you'll see the where it doesn't measure up. But for a shot for the family album or website its great. It's a real lens for real people taking real pictures, not professional artists trying to win gallery competitions where every little flaw is judged.

Its not to say it has no room in the professional arena. I've seen high end wedding photographers use this lens and deliver pictures to satisfied clients. He might have gotten slightly better quality with a better lens but the flexibility let him give them shots he would have otherwise missed. Unless you've got another picture with a better lens to compare it to you won't really notice the difference if you use it right.

Durability
I was concerned about the durability of the lens, but so far I've had no issues with normal and even rougher than normal use. It spent time in pack, got squished in subways, drizzled on, knocked around crowded streets and still works fine. I made sure not to intentionally abuse but its gotten a few knocks.

One annoying aspect of the lens is that if you leave it on the camera and sling the camera with a strap it tends to telescope out on its own. Creeping out a little bit at a time. Also if you have it pointed up for a long period of time it will creep in. Annoying if your trying to do long shots of the sky or stars.

So to sum it up

Pros-
-Light Weight
-Small size
-Incredibly flexible
-Widest aperture in the super zoom class (F5.6)
-Good VR system

Cons-
Lack of mass for dampening
Best work is done at F9-11 not F5.6-8.
Lens creep on the zoom.

Conclusion-
This is a great lens, you won't regret buying it. If I could have only one lens this would be it. It stays on my camera more than all my other lenses combined.