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Question: 18-200mm vs 18-300mm - which one would you suggest?
Document: The only walk-around lens you will need for your Nikon. 28 to 200 is a great range. Yes, I'd love to have 18mm and 300mm, but that requires two lenses and for me this is just the right compromise. Bochea is particularly good on this lens and the lens is sharp even at mid-range. There is slight barrel distortion at 200mm but its seldom noticeable and decent software like NX2 will take it right out. I would buy this lens again in a second.
Perfect all around lens. This 18-200 has so much more to offer than my 28-200mm lens.However, I wish I had purchased the 18-300mm.
You're more likely to miss some brief wider angle opportunity well before you can switch lenses.The solution is this 18-200mm. No, it doesn't manage 300mm like my longer zoom lens, but I'm not too worried about that since I find that I seldom need 300mm on my DX/APS-C camera at a moment's notice.
The Nikon 18-200mm is a big range for a lens. Ordered this lens because my employer would only allow for one lens, so in order to cover all bases this seemed to be the best over all. From 18-70mm, the lens is sharp. The sharpness really starts falling off from 135-200mm. For the price and the reason for purchasing, this lens overall is a good lens.
I have had the earlier version on my D200 but due to a problem with the focus motor sent it in for repair. At the same time decided to change the D200 for a D300s. Since I could not wait for 6 weeks for the orignal 18-200mm to come back I decided to buy another Nikon 18-200mm lens. I believe this lens to be the most versitile for Nikon DSLR - if I could only have one lens this would be it.
For those of us who like to travel, or like to be able to carry one lens, this is perfect for us. I wouldn't even call it an amateur lens, I would say semi-pro, it is not metal, but other than that it shoots high quality images. Just the ability to go on vacation or anywhere without having to carry multiple lens is a joy, though for us DX shooters, I would suggest picking up a wide angle to fill the void in that area.
I have been using this lens for more than a year now, and find I take it on most hikes here in Alaska. I love the performance and it exceeded all expectations. I would only considered changing to the new 18-300, but I am not sure I want the extra weight. I almost never use my 70-300mm as it is so big and heavy in comparison.
The price to pay for this type of convenience, space & weight savings, not changing lenses, is well justified the investment you'll make.And as Ken Rockwell would say, add a PRIME LENS f1.4 or f1.8 for LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY, and you are set to conquer the world...Edited October 2012:Nikon have unleashed a new monster,the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX (77mm filter).
I was skeptical about this lens after reading the various professional reviews of it, but chose it over the 18-300mm lens because the reviews were worse for it, it is much heavier and bulkier than this one, it had caused the price of the 18-200 to drop enough to make it a really good deal, and the purchase reviews for this lens were mostly very positive.
I would suggest you consider the used market as an option if cost is a consideration.
Answer: Depends on what you are planning to use the lens for. If you are into wildlife photography then you may need the 18-300.The 18-200 is a pretty compact lens while the 18-300 is huge and weighs about 10 more ounces. Check out this link to see the relative sizes..........http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/comparisons/DX-super-zooms/index.htmAs far as Leon's criticism of this lens is concerned I would definitely not call this a poor lens. Just keep in mind that as with any superzoom there are compromises that have to be made. It would not be fair to compare the sharpness of this lens with a prime lens or with a pro quality zoom lens like the 24-70 f/2.8. So if you are into pixel peeping you will be disappointed. This is a good walk about lens that lets you capture a variety of scenes without having to change lens. This is not a fast lens and needs good lighting to capture good photographs. In summary if you are looking for a portrait lens look elsewhere but if you are looking for a lens that you can travel with and capture vacation memories then the flexibility that this lens provides you is excellent.