heartyfisher

Such a great idea the manual everything DSLR ! I'd never have thought of that.. and it probably should be full format too.. with a REAL focussing screen !! really hate the focussing screens that come withe the current batch of DSLRs

Hello Ben & others,

 

From what you say(landscapes and family) the 18-70 is probably a better lens for you.. Have you considered the 18-55? That lens is supposed to be even sharper than the 18-70 and cheaper.. I have the 18-70 and I was totally flabagasted(in a good way!) by its performance when I first got it. I was comparing it to the clasic tamron 28-200 I had from film days and it made my beloved tamron look like a magnifying glass.. anyway back to your choices. the 18-55 is equal to a 28-82 which is a nice wide angle to portrait "normal" lens, Perfect for family gatherings... and you will have money to spend on another lens if you find that you need longer or wider. My brother in law has the 18-55 and 55-200 and he never uses the long zoom.. I think you may not like the 18-135 because of the Vignetting and Chromatic aberations that would be annoying to me in landscapes/cityscapes, thats what the review says I dont have a 18-135 so I dont know. you should try it out and see for your self. I have the 18-200vr which has some vignetting (not as bad as the 18-135 the review says) and it annoys me. but stopped down its ok so the 18-135 may not be a bad choice, since stopping it down gets rid of the vignetting. I migt have considered the 18-135 if I was not caught up with the excitement of the 18-200 VR which I bought. However, I was a bit frustrated with the softness of the 18-200.. but, since I got it repaired (it stopped focussing) it has come back sharper I think.. but then It may be only because I am now stopping down to F8-16 when I can.. I do like the VR though.. so I may wait for the 18-135 VR?? then again maybe not? I used to find my tamron 28-200 just that little too short at the long end.. I dont find that with the 18-200 Vr that often..(cus its == 28-300) that little extra reach satisfies me most of the time now..... so for me My 18-200 stays on the camera most of the time. even if its a little soft.. :-( I guess you cant have everything... my 18-70 is a nice backup.. and btw I also have the 12-24 .. real yummy for landscapes city scapes...

I have the 12-24 nikkor.. and recently got the 18-200VR.. bit of a reverse decision from yours :-) I use the 12-24 alot for taking photos for my wife's real estate business and its excelent for that because at 12 mm it covers 90 degrees which is the whole room if you stand in a corner. At that time I couldn't get the sigma 10-20 or I would probably have got it. But having said that .. the 12-24 is a really great lens I was very impressed with it at the longer end really amazing from 17-24. I also use it for parties but you have to be careful where the flash goes since its so wide ! You can usually sneek a shot at the "camera shy" ones at parties because they dont think they are in the field of view! stopped down and the depth of field is amazing! what can I say.. love the lens for sceenary. altough I must say that the 18-200vr is hogging the camera at the moment!! probaly just infatuation. :-) as its a little bit soft for my liking and it stopped focusing recently.. I have just got it back from the Nikon service center today and it does seem like its not as soft as before.. still I am niggling.. It a great super zoom and I really do have it on my camera most of the time...

Hi all.. Got my VR lens back today . took some photos at the macro and at the 200mm.. seems better so I am happy! need to do more testing but it does seem better..<div></div>

Hello Becky,

 

Yes, and yes! .. It was a bit soft and it stopped auto-focusing. I did some comparisons with the 18-70 Kit lens and its a bit softer than the kit lens but much sharper than my old 28-200 tamron. I find that its worst at teh long end than the short end. but if I am printing teh usual 4x6 or 5x7 prints its fine. However, I have put it in for service.. will report back here when I get it back if you like..

Glad to hear that it was human error for you.. However others may want to know that I have this same problem with the Vr 18-200 on a D70 I have put it in for service they say it should be back in 4-6 weeks time :-(

Hopefullty it comes back sharper :-)

I have a 18-70 the 18-200vr and a 12-24 .. As I see it the 18-70 is sharper than the 18-200vr so you may want to keep the 18-70 handy..My 18-200vr has stopped focusing and I am puting it for service today.. I was disappointed that the 18-200 was less sharp than I hoped for but I was comparing 70mm vs 200mm so its just in my mind.. in reality the 18-200 is really really flexible and I have it on my camera most of the time.

I am abit niggled by the slight softness but for the huge amount of flexibility in the extra reach and low light capability I can live with it. Hand held shots at night and twilight are a joy to shoot with the 18-200vr

 

It really depends on what you want to shoot..are you a nature or sports photographer and would be using the long ends more? or will you be taking shots in the "normal" range? If I had the chance to do it again.. I may look for a sharper 18-135VR zoom and maybe a 170-500 or 80-400 vr

I have similarly found that the 18-200 is not as sharp as my 18-70. I am a bit disapointed as well as read reviews that seem to say that the 18-200 was sharper than the 18-70. However, it is a super zoom with vr capability.. I have an old First Generation 28-200 tamron which I loved with my film camera, compared to the 18-200 it looks like a magnifying glass.. Ie the VR 18-200 just blows the old Tamron 28-200 out of the water.. but for the 18-70 range the standard kit zoom is amazing..

 

Anyway yy 18-200 has just upped and stopped being able to focus.. I will be sending it in for service today.. hopefully it comes back calibrated as well!!