After drooling over this lens on the internet I finally dedicated almost a full day at work (of course while handing my bidness) to ordering this lens for no more than $750(MSRP) and not waiting on a 50+ person list.
How I got the lens for $350 -
As some of you might know, the 18-200mm VR is a very hard lens to get your hands on at the moment, unless you spend $900 from a large retailer or on eBay.
Best Buy is one of those large retailers Nikon has sent a bunch of these lenses to for distribution, only problem is, they marked up the MSRP price to $900 from $750.
Good news: Best Buy has pretty good customer service and a great price matching policy.
So I call up my local camera shop, Hunt's Photo and Video and ask about the wait list for the lens and prices. After talking to the store manager for
a while about the back order situation, he mentioned Best Buy would have some instock and that he would write me an extremely low quote for the lens for BB to price match.
Awesome.
Bad news: Best Buy removed all 18-200mm VR's and D200+18-200mm VR kit's from stores and only sells them online.
Good news: I still got them to price match the local shop's low quote, although I had to go BB Customer Service arguing with a few other Online Sales reps and then had to fax over the quote. I ended up ordering what I thought was the D200 kit with 18-200mm VR lens but ended up recieving the seperate D200 body and Lens.
So in the end, after returning the D200 body(Costs just as much as a E30 BMW or 3rd Gen 350 Camaro) I have my new, all in one Nikon lens in my hands within a week, all for just $350. $650 less than what Best Buy sells them for.
Hands-on with the lens -
My first reaction was - Wow, finally.
Attached it to my D50 and took some quick shots while eating dinner, eager to test out the VR abilities.
At first I didn't think the VR did much(Ain't no miracle worker), but I took some back to back test shots and had less motion blur with VR on. Unfortunately I think I deleted those pics. But I can take another comparison shot if requested.
It really is amazing to have such a huge range from wide angle to tele all with out having to switch lens. I can take a picture of my whole family under at 18mm and zoom in to catch a picture of someone else from across the room.
Outdoors is where this lens really shines. With proper sun shine, everything looks crisp and clear, allowing you to get to the most out of this lens as it's biggest aperture setting is 3.5 @ 18mm and 5.6 @ 200mm.
I went to pick up my cousin's wife in town by where there was a street festival going on. Walking around with the power of this zoom lens quickly made me feel creepy almost to the point I was stalking everyone I saw in my view finder.
The autofocus is quick and precise. The D50 has built in AF motor as well as the 18-200mm VR lens so focusing speed is not a problem.
Later that night I drove back upto Boston from New York and made a pit stop at a Mobil station off of the high way. Went to the bath room, picked up a Red Bull and setup my tri-pod just a few feet from cars traveling at 80mph.
The moon was big and bright that night and I had always wanted a zoom lens to take lunar photos. I was pretty happy with the results seen below, but now I'm thinking how much better a 400mm would be.
Back in Boston I am usually pretty busy, putting in over time at the job doesnt leave me with much free time when I get home at night. Couple of days this week I was able to get home somewhat early and take some more shots on my roof. Again I the stalker feeling came over me as I couldn't help but spy on people in the near by park
Build Quality
Very good, feels much more solid than the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my D50.
Picture Quality
Bright and clear as expected. Slightly higher quality shots than with the 18-55mm. Not that really that big of a difference though.
Final Thoughts
At the price I got it for, I can't really complain about anything
But I am a little disappointed by the Vibration Reduction feature as I remember reading that it would allow for "photos at 4 stops lower". Maybe I had high expectations or I maybe I just need to do more testing, but I haven't seen that big of a gain from it yet.
Over all it's a fantastic lens for someone who does not want to be switching lenses around and doesn't want to lug a bag full of equipment. It will make the perfect travel companion when vacation times come. Not to sure if it's worth paying the $150 premium ($900) over MSRP, but definitely worth the $750 I would of paid if I hadn't taken advantage of Best Buy's customer service.
And now on to some boring photos I've taken with the new glass:
Lots of graffiti on the roof of my apartment building
Lots of birds too
Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sux.
In the full-res version you can clearly see the people walking around the stadium as well as what's on the flat panel TV's.
Pimped SLK55
Moon @ 200mm
Review: Nikkor 18-200mm VR - Deal of the century.
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