Which Nikon Lens ?

[Happy Snapper]

I have a Nikon D80 , hoping to upgrade to a D90 soon (this is not my question).

But for either of those Cameras I am looking for a new Lens, having sold my kit lenses already Nikkor 18-70 and 70-300, I was thinking of going for a 18-200 Lens.

The choices I see are

Nikkor DX 18-200 VR1
Nikkor DX 18-200 VR2
Sigma OS 18-200

I wonder what people would recommend, I am really looking for better quality pictures that I was able to produce with the kits Lenses.

Or if someone could recommend another Lens I would be happy to look at that, tks.

[armando_m]

For a 18-200 I'll go with Nikon, any version should be fine

I'm not sure i understand, you sold the 18-70 and 70-300 ?

if so the 18-200 makes perfect sense

but if you still have them then i'll go for a prime lens , a fast lens
35mm f1.8 afs - the most useful of these three and cheap
50 mm f1.8 af or 50 mm f1.4 afs - starting to get a little long, Af is the cheapest, afs not so cheap
85 mm f1.4 af or the newer afs - to long for everyday use, very useful for portraits, expensive

it all depends on what kind of shooting you want to do

[Happy Snapper]

Hi Armando,

Yes I have sold both my kits Lenses.

So would you recommend one Nikon 18-200 Vr1 over the other Vr2 ?

does the lock at 18 on VR2 make a big difference ?

I tend do do Landscapes mainly, but also try portraits and indoor objects occassionally.

[Franglais]

The 18-70 is one of the best lenses I have ever used. The 18-200 is good but the definition is lower. The 16-85 is about as good as the 18-70 but with a wider zoom range. If you want to do better then look at primes or the 24-70 f2.8 (I have the 28-70 f2.8) and it's great but so big..

I use the 18-200 for landscapes on a tripod with the lens at f11 to get the most definition out of it. I love it because it's versatile..

[n8]

Hi Armando,

does the lock at 18 on VR2 make a big difference ?

I may be wrong, but I think the VRII has to be retracted for the lock to be used. I've never had an issue with creeping on my VR 1 as long as I pull the lens all the way back.