18-200mm lenses

[alan]

Glad to have helped! And congratulations on your new arrival

That is indeed my son, Cameron, taken in the South coast of France at the summer. He's a really good swimmer for his age now, but refuses to believe it!

Hope you have a great holiday, and do post the photos when you get back!

regards,
/alan

 

[Doot Fan Mommy]

Dh gave me an early holiday gift! We leave for Disney on Tuesday and he knew I wanted an all purpose lens for the trip all I had was the kit lens from my Rebel XT and the Nifty Fifty. I still plan on bringing the 50 mm since it will do much better in low light. The new lens is my first image stabilized lens. I am by no means a good photographer, but I take tons of pics of my toddler and love the speed of the DSLR.

The only downside is that it is HEAVY!! I upgraded my camera strap and that helps, but I think carrying it around all day is going to get tiresome. How do you all deal with that?

 

[SueInBoston]

It's a very versatile lens, you'll enjoy the range. What strap did you get? The neoprene strap really makes a difference.

 

[oregonmommyof2]

I am stuck and can't figure out which lens to get. I currently have a D60 with the 18-55 and 55-200 kit lenses. The lenses worked out fine on our last trip to DisneyWorld, but I got tired of switching them out when I needed a closer look. I am looking to get a better "all around" lens and am stuck between 2 lenses.

Nikon 18-135mm lens (I found it for around $350)
and
Nikon 18-200mm lens (I found it for around $700)

I was really leaning towards the 18-200, but am trying to figure out if it is really worth twice the money. Some reviews I have found say that there is not much zoom difference and the quality is very comparable, but other reviews say that the 18-135 is a waste of money and to step up and get the 18-200. Now keep in mind, I am not even close to a pro, and just use the camera for leisure and family pictures. Like I said before, The lenses I have now work great, I just want to get a more convenient lens that I can leave on during the trip. Any help or suggestions would be great. Does anyone out there use these lenses?

Thanks

 

[Quicklabs]

I have the 18-200. The convenience can't be beat, especially for travel. It's easy to carry around all day. IQ is decent, especially if you don't start fooling around with pro glass and start comparing! (Very, very dangerous to ever play with pro glass--those lenses should come with warning labels).

 

[tjl1388]

18-200VR...Until mine took a 7ft fall onto concrete, it was on my camera 95% of the time. With it in the shop I have SORELY missed it. I am counting the hours minutes and seconds until I get it back.

The VR is easily worth 3 stops of shutter speed. If your shooting a fast moving subject that helps alot.

 

[wdwwishes]

I have an 18--200 mm for my canon and use it quite a bit due it's range. I just wish it was f/2.8.

 

[todzwife]

I'm considering it for those times when I don't want to change lenses. I know that the nikon is a good lens, but the sigma is SO much cheaper!

Any suggestions?

 

[kaffinito]

I don't know a lot about the Sigma version of that lens, but whenever I'm looking into buying a new lens I'll read the user reviews on it at Amazon, B&H, and search the forums for threads on the lens. I'll also read reviews in the photography websites.

Try that so you can see what others think of it, and then you can compare the lenses you want in that range. I got a good deal on a used Nikkor 18-200, so maybe you could go that route.

 

[todzwife]

I've had a sigma lens and was very happy with it but I sold it to fund my D90 because at that time, I HAD to buy it with the kit lens.
It got 4/5 on amazon. About the same as the nikon version.

 

[thesimson01]

I own a Sigma 70-300 for my pentax and works fine.

 

[Angrypenguin]

I used to own a Sigma 18-200 (Canon version) on my Rebel XS, and I thought it was great. It gets soft on the high end, but that's pretty much expected. The IS/VR/OS (whatever you want to call it) wasn't the best, but again, it's usable. For the price, I think it's a good, solid lens. You'll enjoy it!

 

[Unibits]

We have a sigma 18-200. It is a great all around lens for general use. Lacks a little at the top end. Great if you don't want to carry around a bag of lenses all day.

 

[alan]

I have this lens and thought I had posted some test pictures on flickr using it. But perhaps not - I can't see them any more.

However, the pictures in this set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp/sets/72157605594855461/ - were taken on that lens.

It's not as nice as L glass. In particular, it's not as sharp and the fall-off as you go from sharp areas to out-of-focus areas is not terribly attractive. But it's a fantastic walkaround lens, and offers tremendous flexibility.

regards,
/alan

 

[Ratpack]

I need to replace my 18-135 Nikon lens and I am looking at this one since it is fairly reasonable. I know it may not be as good as the Nikon, but I just need one that is a good general lens. I have all my Nikon special lens that I can use for other special or more critical shots. If you use it, let me know what you think and post some shots if you have them.

 

[annnewjerz]

Personally, if I were going to get a third-party 18-200mm lens, I would go with the Sigma 18-200. It seems to get better reviews and it has OS (Sigma's version of VR) which will come in handy when shooting at the 200mm end. It isn't much more expensive (about $100 give or take) than the Tamron.

I would also consider looking at B&H, Adorama, KEH, Nikonians, E-bay and Craig's List to find a gently used Nikon 18-200 VR. It'll probably be a little more expensive than a new Sigma 18-200, but the Nikon seems to be the best reviewed out of all of them. While you won't get the same image quality that you will with pro glass and I have definitely had my gripes, it has become invaluable when I'm lazy and don't feel like putting forth any extra effort while I shoot.

Edited to add: Right now on KEH they have a Sigma 18-200 DC OS HSM in "LN-" condition (which according to everyone on this board, will probably be close to perfect) for $379, that might be worth looking into.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'd also suggest if going the Tamron long zoom range, to go with the Tamron 18-250 instead of the 18-200, if you can afford it. It is also a bit more expensive, but since their newest model is the 18-270, the 18-250 might be found cheaper now. It received very favorable reviews, and notably by many who had the 18-200 or tested it previously...it seems to have improved on several levels over the 18-200.

I have the Sony SAL18-250 F3.5-6.3, which IS the Tamron 18-250 essentially (Sony licenses it for their use from Tamron with just a few tweaks in design)...I love the lens and find it amazingly versatile and quite reliable in almost any situation. 90% of my Disney DSLR photos have been taken with this lens.

 

[Ratpack]

Thanks for the info.

Zackiedawg, I looked at your Disney photos and if they are with the Tamron 8-250, then that may be the way to go. They look great to me.

 

[annnewjerz]

I've been toying around with the idea for a week or two, but I think I've finally decided that I'm leaving my 18-200 at home for our trip to The World next week.

Before I get any responses telling me that I'm making a huge mistake and that I should bring it, consider this.

I know...I may end up regretting it since the 18-200 is by far the most convenient lens to tote around, but not bringing it will give me the chance to get a little bit more creative, spend some extra time composing shots, really get to know my new UWA lens and maybe even come back with a shot or two that you haven't seen some variation of yet.

I have no kids to chase around for pictures and I'll only be doing one park (MK) and DTD since this is a weekend trip. I know now that my Tokina 11-16 will work just fine for fireworks (thanks boB and Tom). I love my Sigma 30 most out of my lenses anyway and for our trip to DC back in April, it was probably mounted to my camera 75% of the time. I'll have the Nikon 10.5 fisheye to play around with as well, for at least a day and a half (thanks again Karyl!)

So why lug one more thing down there?

All in all, if it ends up being a mistake, I have a whole week in December to make up for it.

 

[Suburbanmom]

I don't think it is a mistake...you've made very good points. I can't wait to see what you do with the Tokina UWA. I'm sure you'll come back with a new perspective.