Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

If you bought a D-40 with the 18-55mm lens kit, this zoom lens is a perfect addition for any beginning D-SLR users. I have gotten sharp images at 1/15 shutter speed. Great for nature and sports photography. If you have some extra cash, check out the "all-in-one" 18-200 Nikkor VR.

Having upgraded to a Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body only), the first lens I bought was theNikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens a great AF lens for general photography.

However, anyone owning a D80 is quickly going to need something more than a lens for general photography. There are basically two ways to go about this. One way is expensive, get the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. This one lens covers the entire range offered by the 18-55mm Nikkor lens together with the subject of this review the 55-200mm Nikkor lens. However the price of the two lens is significantly cheaper than the truly excellent 18-200mm lens.

So the answer for those of us serious enough about digital SLRs to get a D80, or even D40 or D60, is that two is better than one, at least on the pocketbook. The practical effect of having two lens means you are going to have to change them depending on your objective. Needless to say the D80 handles interchangeable lens quickly and reliably. Care of the lens is the primary time consumer, and needless to say you want to take care of any lens properly. Now if you are headed on safari to Kenya and might need a 18-200mm lens to handle changing conditions (lion on the right, Kilimanjaro at sunrise on the left, etc) , then you have enough money to have two cameras. You won't need another lens, because you already have two.

As to this 55-200mm Nikkor lens, it is everything you expect from Nikon, especially with its very rapid AF. The lens is engineered for what you have around your neck. They skimped on the price, but not much else.

This is a pretty decent lens, especially for its price. The f-stop doesn't get as low as I would want and the focus time can be a bit long (and noisy). But when I saw the lens I wanted was in the multi-thousands of dollars and this was less than $200, I went for this lens.

This lens does give great pictures. I can take pictures of a street intersection sign about a 1/10th of a mile away and I can read the words on the sign. The Vibration Reduction works great too. I took a picture of a bolting deer and it came in perfectly focused.

For the money, this is a great lens.

The lense is heavy and a challenge to focus; both distances and up close to the subject. It did not live up to my expectations and was returned to Amazon for a full, hassle-free credit.

Very light for the optics, a delight to use. Clarity and focus are terrific. After using Nikon 35mm for over 30 years, being able to obtain this quality for the dollar is amazing.