Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR review - Introduction

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Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

25 September 2007

Arkadiusz Olech

1. Introduction

Originally posted 2007-03-18 on Optyczne.pl

The number of mega zoom class lenses on the market is growing steadily. The lenses themselves - together with APS-C/DX detector digital DSLR cameras - are meant to be quite long telephoto lenses and give a wide angle view. All the lenses with a 18 mm to 200 mm focal length fulfill these conditions. One can observe just how large this range is and exactly what is on offer in the picture gallery below, with samples taken at a focal length of 18, 24, 35, 50, 70, 100, 135 and 200 mm, respectively.

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18 mm	24 mm

35 mm	50 mm

70 mm	100 mm

135 mm	200 mm

The chart below shows the current market situation. We present all currently available 18-200 mm lenses with their aperture, construction, weight, dimensions, filter size and price.

Manufacturer	Nikkor	Sigma	Sigma	Sony	Tamron
Model	AF-S DX VR 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED	18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 DC	18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS	DT 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3	AF 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Asph. (IF)
Aperture	f/3.5-5.6	f/3.5 - 6.3	f/3.5 - 6.3	f/3.5 - 6.3	f/3.5 - 6.3
Construction	16 elements 12 groups	15 elements 13 groups	18 elements 13 groups	15 elements 13 groups	15 elements 13 groups
Weight	560 g	405 g	610 g	405 g	398 g
Dimensions	77 x 96.5 mm	70 x 78.1 mm	100 x 79 mm	73 x 85.5 mm	83.7 x 73.8 mm
Price	750$	379$	549$	450$	389$

Of all the presented models, the Tamron is, so far, the only one tested by us. One of the main complaints about the Tamron we had was its inaccurate behavior for a 200 mm. The lens is dark and when used with a wide open aperture of f/6.3 the picture resolution is weak. To make it better one needs to get to about f/11. The combination of this diaphragm value and 200 mm focal length allows for taking a good picture (well-lit and steady), but only on a sunny day.

The chart above shows that another lens is able to (at least by numbers) avoid the Tamron's mistakes. It is the Nikkor, which, of all the lenses, has the best aperture and is equipped with picture stabilization (VR). You will find out how the Nikkor really performed after reading this review.