For a lens with a 11x zoom factor, the 18-200mm VR is light and in the retracted state also small. This should also be the main argument of those who use it: a compact Always-top lens when you want to travel without great photo luggage.
The 18-200mm VR features as opposed to the kit lenses 18-55mm VR 18-105 mm VR and 55-200mm VR Nikon on a bayonet ring made of metal instead of plastic. On 18-200 mm VR is made a lot more plastic installed. The materials and workmanship as well as the fit of the moving parts is overall okay.
One shortcoming is the "creep" of the zoom ring, ie, the automatic insertion or extension of the tube was in facing up or down the front lens when the lens is not retracted in to the initial focal length or extended until the Endbrennweite. The lock, with this creep (neudeutsch: "Zoom Creep") is to be prevented, can be put only in the initial focal length of 18 mm. While this prevents bolt that moves the tube, but its predecessor was stirring the lens in the 18mm setting also not. A mechanism that reliably counteracts the creep 19-199 mm and having mechanically narrower tolerances would have been better here than a primitive slide with which the lens can be locked in one position, in which it also the predecessor anyway not to Zoom Creep bowed. Overall this detail therefore looks like a solution looking for a problem.
The built-in Silent Wave autofocus works quickly and reliably. Criticism deserves the ring for manual focus, because it is too narrow to easily and without tactile feedback when adjusting. In addition, the ring simply slips to stop when it reaches the smallest or infinite distance by instead on the stop. Nikon should be remembered that it also today still are many photographers who want to adjust the focus precisely manually. Such details can be better solved, even at the price.
The image quality is convincing, on the whole, at least in the range of 24 to 160 mm. Sharpness and color reproduction are all be described as good, at least on Nikon's 12 megapixel DSLR D5000, D90 and D300, where I was able to test the lens.
In the wide angle to show from 18 to 24 mm but visible Tonnenverwölbungen, also occur perceptible vignetting.
- From 160 mm the lens recorded quite clearly pincushion.
- Although Chromatic aberrations (chromatic aberration) occur in all focal areas, but are not very pronounced.
- With the help of Nikon software Capture NX 2 can be corrected all the aforementioned error.
- Astonishingly low the problems with which one is confronted with the 18-200mm VR when shooting in backlit situations are absorbed. Flare (neudeutsch "lens flares") occur only when you directly photographed in the light source inside.
- Of course, the use of the supplied lens hood is recommended. However, one should be careful: you shoot with the flash of the camera installation unfolded, so the patch Gegenlichtblende throws an ugly shadows into the picture.
- Taking pictures with the fully open or too closed aperture (. Absorbed diffraction errors from panel 16), however, leads to quality degradation in the picture; Unfortunately, here there are no simple correction options via software.
For a Super Zoom 18-200mm VR that has a good appearance, but there are some limitations compared to lenses with a smaller zoom range, not to mention of prime lenses only. A good all-around lens is never true in any single discipline class; there is always a compromise:
- When 18-24 mm wide angle, it is not convincing because it lists and vignetting too vigorously.
- When 30-35 mm standard lens, it is much too faint.
- For 60-90 mm lens Portrait it has neither a beautiful bokeh nor the necessary intensity to perfectly with the aperture fully open a person exempt from the background.
- As a medium to long telephoto, it clearly points to insufficient light intensity and too much distortion.
- For use in macro photography, it is useless.
- In addition, the light intensity is 1: 3.5 at 18 mm, 1: 4 from 24 mm, 1: 4.5 from 40 mm, 1: 5.3 from 90 mm and 1: 5.6 from 135 mm rather low what you have to compensate by increasing the ISO values.
Little cause for criticism, however always (= not in the camera body) offers the Nikon built into the lenses and manually switched on and off anti-blur VR II. Does the photographer have a steady hand, so are handheld shots even at a 1/15 second in lightweight telephoto range (up to 50 mm) quite possible 1/30 sec. up to 100 mm and even with 1/60 sec. are already blur-shots at 200mm focal length succeeded from his hand. When shooting from a tripod Nikon recommends the way to turn off the anti-blur.
The 18-200mm VR is thus an all-round and travel lens for photographers on the go do not want to burden them with a variety of lenses to. It offers a good overall imaging performance with weaknesses at the beginning and end of the focal length range. Nikon is the compromise in the field of optics quite well, this is me quite worth 4 stars. The minor flaw in the materials and workmanship, and the poor manual focus ring lead to a devaluation to a total of 3.5 stars, which rounded correctly but leads to a 4 star rating.
