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18-200VR or 18-135 and 70-300VR

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kkj1961

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I placed a bid of $785 on an 18-200VR lens on an Ebay auction that did not meet the seller's reserve. Got a second chance offer this morning to make the purchase at that price.

In the mean time, I've been reading about the 18-135 and 70-300VR lens and I'm impressed with the sharpness of both (I know the 18-135 has some other issues). For the price of the 18-200VR, I could basic purchase both of these lenses. The 18-135 would give me decent tele on my everyday lens and the 70-300vr would be nice when I needed the big zoom.

Is there a good reason to go with the 18-200VR other than not needing to change lenses?

Thanks!!

Kevin
 
unless you have decent lighting, the 18-135 will not be very good. I believe it's f/5.6 at 70mm already. You could break out the 70-300VR at that point but remember that at closer than infinity distance focusing, 70mm on the 70-300 is not the same as 70mm on the 18-135 in terms of the actual image zoom.

Personally, I'm going with the 18-135 and 70-300VR combo, as I need the longer reach. 200mm isn't long enough for me, and 300 might not be either but I'm willing to try 300mm knowing that 200mm is definitely not close enough.

I suppose the question is how often will you need more than 200mm?
--
Improving, one shot at a time...
 
Actually, I would consider the Nikon 18-70mm and the 70-300VR combo. You could get the 18-70mm at $200-$250 nowadays on ebay, and 70-300VR for $499 brand new. Together, they offer a powerful combo and alternative to the 18-200mm VR.

Eventually, I would like to see a VR version of the Nikon 18-70mm and/or 18-135mm. If Nikon could make a 55-200mm VR for only $50 more, I don't know why they can't make that happen to the 18-70mm or 18-135mm.

--
Harry
 
--be careful. The 'second chance offer' with ebay has gotten lots of press as the HOOK into losing your money... Take due care..

as to the lens, nothing to add there, Have the 18-200 for abt a year, no complaints, the 70-300vr is a fine lens, and so is the 18-70 if you have a good copy...
All the best.
MATTinNE_FL
 
Well, I no they had a reserve on the auction, which didn't get met. I bid 785 and there was one bid above me at 795. The person has good feedback and I figured they offered the lens to the high bidder and he/she declined.

A little nervous now. Wonder if I'm protected paying through Paypal?

Kevin
 
Matt in FL said:
--be careful. The 'second chance offer' with ebay has gotten lots
of press as the HOOK into losing your money... Take due care..
as to the lens, nothing to add there, Have the 18-200 for abt a
year, no complaints, the 70-300vr is a fine lens, and so is the
18-70 if you have a good copy...
All the best.
MATTinNE_FL
Click to expand...
What is a 'good copy' vs. a 'bad' copy?? I started a thread on this and got little responses that elaborated on the differences, could you help me out? thanks
 
I echo the previous poster. Be very careful with 2nd chance offers. Many of them are fraudulant.

With my D70, I frequently used a combo of the 18-70 and 70-300ED lenses. It was a lightweight kit and I liked it very much. Most of my shots were in the 18-70 range so I didn't need to pull out the 70-300 very often. But it was good when I did. Images here:

http://www.pbase.com/fotofanatik/europe

A year ago I switched to a D200 with the 18-200VR. This is a great combo. Image quality is very good. And VR throughout the range is a great option. I have taken shots at 1/2 sec to 1/8 sec that I never could have achieved before. And my 18-200 is quite sharp all the way out to 200mm. Images here:

http://www.pbase.com/fotofanatik/rocky_mtn_natl_park

While I really like the 18-70, and would recommend it to anyone, the 18-135 is very sharp and would provide much more overlap with the 70-300VR. Overlap is actually a good thing because you don't have to change lenses as frequently.

Hope this helps
--
Steve

 
kkj1961 said:
I placed a bid of $785 on an 18-200VR lens on an Ebay auction that
did not meet the seller's reserve. Got a second chance offer this
morning to make the purchase at that price.
Click to expand...
Be very careful! make sure it came from the seller and is legit. Don't send money if in any doubt. Ask him to re-list with a buy-it-now price and then buy it.
kkj1961 said:
In the mean time, I've been reading about the 18-135 and 70-300VR
lens and I'm impressed with the sharpness of both (I know the
18-135 has some other issues). For the price of the 18-200VR, I
could basic purchase both of these lenses. The 18-135 would give
me decent tele on my everyday lens and the 70-300vr would be nice
when I needed the big zoom.

Is there a good reason to go with the 18-200VR other than not
needing to change lenses?
Click to expand...
Actually I'd have a preference for the other two. In fact for travelling or general walkabout I chose the 18~70, which would cover the bulk of what I'd do, and the 70~300VR for when I want more reach without a tripod.
 
slimandy said:
Actually I'd have a preference for the other two. In fact for
travelling or general walkabout I chose the 18~70, which would
cover the bulk of what I'd do, and the 70~300VR for when I want
more reach without a tripod.
Click to expand...
For this reason, I really suggest the OP decide on what range they shoot in most. 18-70 is a good range, I do find myself past 70mm often but not so much under conditions that I need slower shutter speed than 1/focal length so I wouldn't need to swap immediately to 70-300 lens.

As to the 2nd chance offer, I'd decline personally. Given the price, you may as well just go try to find one at a reputable store, even if you have to wait a few weeks.

--
Improving, one shot at a time...
 
Thanks for the feedback. After some more thought I think I'm going to place my order for the 18-200vr at Ritz and get in line.

I don't think I will use the tele over 200 that often, and having VR at all focal lengths will be nice. Plus the convenience of not changes lenses and being able to use a fairly compact camera bag is a plus.

Have a golf trip to Mesquite, NV coming up in May, so I'm hoping Ritz will ship before that.
 
--measurbate. BUT, when you take an image, look for edge to edge sharpness at most focal ranges and ap settings. Bad copy of lens will show soft side, or turning rapidly soft when you leave the center of the image.

Do a search for test target, front focus, back focus, one of them will turn up a chart someone posted to enable you to get a pretty good idea how your lens does actually focus. Front or back focus errors will drive you nuts as you can imagine. Nikon can usually fix that, however sometimes they tune it and the camera together and I have seen posts that claim after the 'fix' of the lens, the camera does not work as well with other lens... It can get complicated

To sum: pay attention to edge to edge sharpness, and does it focus where you think it should. Does the overall color and contrast match your other good nikon lens. The 18-70, even though a 'kit' lens, is very well thought of for overall quality and IQ.
MATTinNE_FL
 
--B&H, KEH, ADORAMA, there is a major dealer in the DC area I got mine from last Dec. ROBERTS also comes up often here. ALL these guys are also Nikon dealers to my knowledge, sure there are other good guys, their names just escape me at the moment. Dont get anxious and overpay unless you REALLY need the thing. In Dec 05 I gave 760 or mine. Its a fine lens and many have EXCELLENT copies of it. If it starts getting into the 800's though, believe I would wait a bit.

With THIS lens, I would not buy a grey market or import version. Strict USA Nikon warranty. Some guys send it in after a while for the creep issue, (nothing much changes, you just learn to live with it), and there is a lot of stuff moving around in that lens in order to get the range they get, not to mention the VR mech. Some lens, I do gamble on and buy import, but NOT this one..

Good luck with the search and enjoy you stuff. ALL the best.
MATTinNE_FL
 
el you have to wait for an 18-200mmVR. don't feel you have to wait for rce for used Nikon glass is nikonians.org. I bought my 18-200mm VR last year with out ny problems,(payed $790 including shipping from Japan and 4 filters).

Everything I've bought and sold on the Nikonians "I want to sell" forum has been fine. I think because you must join the group for $25/year, a lot of scam artists stay away. I know there has been at least one case of non-receipt after payment and that indiviaul has been black listed and his fraud well documented.

Anyway, I sold my D50 body there, bought a MD-80 battery holder for my D80 with out any problems. There is always something good for sale, 18-200mmVR, 17-35mm 2.8, 70-300mm VR, etc. There is also a section called "I want to buy". That is where I found the seller of my 18-200mmVR.

Good luck,
 
I vote for the 18-135 & the 70-300VR. You will get better image quality, more range, and have the pleasure of changing lenses every so often (isn't that the benefit of a DSLR?

Of course, this is exactly what I have so I may be biased.

Now if I had money to burn, I might spend $1K on the 17-55 2.8 and another $1,500 on the 70-200VR, and then spend some change on a TC for the additional range. If I had this setup, the 18-200VR would be a great walk around lens! It just depends on your situation.

Perhaps someday....

--
Doug
 
I went through this dilemma a couple weeks ago, when a local shop got several 18-200's in stock while I was at the store. I have an 18-135 and had just bought a 70-300VR, so I bought the 18-200 and compared and compared and compared late into the night. Both the 18-135 and 70-300 were noticably sharper, although the 18-200 was not too bad. I decided to sell the 18-200. Honestly, I did not see what the hype was about that lens, and I would keep the 18-135 even if they were the same price. Both have a few annoying issues, and there was not a huge difference between 135 and 200 lengths. I am very glad I had a chance to do this testing first hand. LOVE the 70-300VR - it is a keeper.
 
kkj1961 said:
Is there a good reason to go with the 18-200VR other than not
needing to change lenses?
Click to expand...
For one thing you gain the unobtainable 18-70 VR ... ;)

I like the 18-135 + 70-300 combo better for longer reach and perhaps sharper 200mm quality, however lately I have some 2nd thought about 18-135's plastic mount. Some say that the plastic used is tough but I've seen two broken mounts (although from older lens). With my luck it will break while I'm on some nice far away vacation.
 
I have the 18-135 / 70-300VR combo and am very happy with that. The 70-300 is superb and the 18-135 is a good walk around lens, sharp and I would say well above average for a kit lens. It is also surprisingly light.

I imagine your prime consideration will be how much reach you want from your system. I do wildlife, so 300mm is important.

If you can't cope with the thought of dust, then the single lens option appears to be popular for people with such fears -

I cannot comment on the image quality of the 18-200, but I can say that I am more than happy with my setup. The D80 resolution allows for heavy cropping, so the 18-135 is very functional, and the VR on the 70-300 means that even at full tele and cropped, you get a lot of keepers.
 
it takes me two months to receive mine from ritz. try your luck by calling all of your local camera store, too. and check bh every morning if you can.
kkj1961 said:
Thanks for the feedback. After some more thought I think I'm going
to place my order for the 18-200vr at Ritz and get in line.

I don't think I will use the tele over 200 that often, and having
VR at all focal lengths will be nice. Plus the convenience of not
changes lenses and being able to use a fairly compact camera bag is
a plus.

Have a golf trip to Mesquite, NV coming up in May, so I'm hoping
Ritz will ship before that.
Click to expand...
 
kkj1961 said:
I placed a bid of $785 on an 18-200VR lens on an Ebay auction that
did not meet the seller's reserve. Got a second chance offer this
morning to make the purchase at that price.

Is there a good reason to go with the 18-200VR other than not
needing to change lenses?

Thanks!!

Kevin
Click to expand...
B&H can sell you the 18-200 VR lens for $749 for the USA version so why buy from someone on eBay???

For hand held shots it is best to shoot at the reciprocal of the focal length or faster. With the 70-300 at the 200mm setting that would be 1/200th and 1/300th at the 300mm setting. With the 18-200mm VR lens you should expect to be able to shoot at 1/50th at the 200mm zoom setting. That translates to sharper images in low light, lower ISO settings needed as in ISO 400 instead of ISO 1600.

The kit lenses while good for their cost are "C" level lenses and the 18-200mm VR is a "B" level lens that will produce better images at more zoom settings (18mm, 50mm, 200mm) and when shot wide open than a less expensive lens.

You will probably buy another camera in the next 5 years. Get the best lenses you can afford as they will still be around and work fine on the new body. Personally I would buy a pro level lens in used condition on eBay before I bought a new kit lens at retail is cost was a concern.

Good info at this site: http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html

and at Moose Petersen's site on the 18-200mm VR lens.
 
I have purchased 18-200mm DX AFS ED VR, then sold 18-135 & 70-300mm, 18-70mm etc. Now I only has 1 lens, good enough to cover all I need. Expert F2.8.

18-200mm color tone are so nice, skill tone is execellent. Light weight with execellent sharpness & color tone with D200. The only missing part is F2.8, it is price of value game.
kkj1961 said:
I placed a bid of $785 on an 18-200VR lens on an Ebay auction that
did not meet the seller's reserve. Got a second chance offer this
morning to make the purchase at that price.

In the mean time, I've been reading about the 18-135 and 70-300VR
lens and I'm impressed with the sharpness of both (I know the
18-135 has some other issues). For the price of the 18-200VR, I
could basic purchase both of these lenses. The 18-135 would give
me decent tele on my everyday lens and the 70-300vr would be nice
when I needed the big zoom.

Is there a good reason to go with the 18-200VR other than not
needing to change lenses?

Thanks!!

Kevin
Click to expand...
--
James Kei
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kei_james/my_photos
 
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