In May of 2007, I ordered my first upgrade lens for my Nikon D80.  The press and hype around the Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR lens along with my intended use led me pick this lens.  At the time, it seemed like the perfect choice for what I needed.  And that was, a good general purpose lens that could do many things fairly well.  Granted it doesn’t really overachieve at any of them; but it does a good job of clear wide angle shots in the 18-24mm range.  The Vibration Reduction II (VR II) system works well and allows you to shoot 3-4 stops lower.  I have gotten usable wildlife images shooting handheld at 200mm, 1/40sec, and f/5.6.

I have taken several wide angle shots including this night shot of downtown Nashville (18mm, 15sec, f/14,  ISO200) .  I also used this lens to shoot a wedding last year.  Though it is probably not my preferred portrait lens; its power and flexibility emerged when taking the wide variety of candid shots that are so popular today.  And, not having to change lenses was also a big plus.  Continue Reading »