» Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good performance... But question yourself first.
Comment: I bought this lens to complement the kit lens (18-55mm) that came with my Nikon D40. After about a month of using this lens, my fondness for it has depleted... let me explain:

The performance of this lens is quite surprising for its low cost. It's relatively sharp, and the colors are quite good. Obviously (since this is a cheap lens) the body of this lens is not rugged and up to pro standards, but average amateur photographers will probably not be disappointed by it. It is sturdier than the 18-55mm kit lens, but not A LOT sturdier. The bokeh (out-of-focus area rendering) that this lens produces is well controlled. It's un-distracting and smooth, but not "stunning."

At this point, you're probably thinking to yourself that this seems like a great lens for the price. It is... However, after only about a month of use, I have returned this lens, and bought the 70-200mm VR f/2.8 Nikkor. Why? Because I realized quite quickly that this lens (the 55-200mm VR) does not allow me to get many of the shots that I desire. The biggest issue with this lens is that the focus is very slow, and it tends to hunt a lot (meaning that it doesn't always get the focus on the first try). The other issue that *I HAVE* with this lens is its aperture. With a maximum aperture of f/5.6 at 200mm, it is quite difficult to get good shots on cloudy days, or indoors. This is the reason for the title of this review ("question yourself first").

Who are you as a photographer? Can you afford to take your time with 99% of your shots? Is most your photography of still life? Do you just want a lens that gives you more range, and don't care about the other details? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this lens might be the one for you. As I stated earlier, the performance is quite good for the price, and I personally have no major concerns with the optical quality.

If you answered "no" to the above questions, I advise you to reconsider your options before purchasing this lens. Do you need fast shutter speeds, fast focus, and the best of the best build quality for your photography? Then you may want to look into the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens instead.

Unfortunately, I didn't ask myself those questions before I made my purchase, and I was stuck with a lens that didn't satisfy the job. I missed too many shots due to slow focusing and slow shutter speeds, and that's why I bought the 70-200.

Now, the f/5.6 (versus f/2.8) aperture of this lens is a known limitation, so that is NOT why I gave it 4 stars out of 5. I gave it 4 stars because of the slow focusing, and usefulness (or lack thereof) of the VR (vibration reduction) system. So how about a direct comparison of this lens vs. the 70-200mm? Sure!

55-200mm f/4-5.6 VR AF-S Nikkor:
- Good optics. Good colors. Fair bokeh.
- Maximum f/5.6 aperture at 200mm (slow shutter speeds in poor light)
- Slow, slow, slow focus.. You'd expect better from an AF-S lens
- Not very useful VR system (it does sort-of work, and you will see it working, but it's not revolutionary)
- Average build quality. Roughly equivalent to the 18-55mm kit lens.
- Minimum Focus Distance: 3.6 ft. (1.1m).
- Price: approximately $200

70-200mm f/2.8 VR AF-S Nikkor:
- Extremely good optics. Beautiful colors. Beautiful bokeh.
- Maximum constant f/2.8 aperture through the zoom range (relatively usable shutter speeds in poor light)
- Insanely fast focus
- Excellent VR system. This lens is much, much heavier than the 55-200mm lens, yet I see LESS camera shake when using this one, because the VR system is much better.
- Amazing build quality. Solid as a rock, and heavy as a brick! (or maybe a few bricks...)
- Minimum Focus Distance: 5 ft. (1.5m). This is the only thing that I dislike about this lens.... I can't get as close to my subject as I can with the 55-200mm lens.
- Price: approximately $1650 (from a reputable dealer like B&H)

Concluding thoughts: Obviously, you get much greater quality, for a much higher price. Analyze yourself and decide if the extra quality is worth the high price for your photography. If you shoot action, or you just shoot everything (like me) the 70-200mm lens might be worth it (for me, it is). If you don't need lightning fast performance for your photography, then the 55-200mm lens should have sufficient quality to meet the majority of your needs.

I hope that this review has aided you in making a purchasing decision. If I was a foolish reviewer, I would have given this lens a rating of 1 out of 5 stars, because it's virtually useless to me now. However, I gave it a rating of 4 stars because that is what I feel it's worth in terms of the price to performance ratio (for an average shooter).

Good luck with your photography!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Satisfied customer
Comment: The lens worked as described. I've not had the opportunity to get more use out of it yet. However, if the results as currently experienced are what I can expect, I will not be disappointed. The lens is great, the vendor honorable what more can one ask for.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Noisy focus and VR
Comment: The silent wave motor (SWM) focus system is not very silent; however, it achieves very sharp focus in good light. In dim light, the SWM struggles, and sometime does not achieve focus. Has anyone else noticed a noisy SWM in this lens, or is mine defective?

The vibration reduction (VR) system is affective. It works very well in this lens; however, it is noisy. The noise resembles a clamping sound when the VR starts at the beginning of a shot. It produces a clunk when it releases after taking a shot. The image in the viewfinder also jerks at the end of the shot, which the instructions seem to indicate is normal. Has anyone else noticed this?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good choice
Comment: This has been a great addition to my original "kit" package. It has extended my range for my landscape photography as well as unobtrusive photography in crowds. The price is right!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Capable
Comment: In well lit conditions the is a great lens. Pictures are nice and crisp and the zoom is much better then the kit lens. The only problem is...once the sun starts going done, the lens quickly becomes much less usable. Pictures come out dark and fuzzy. Typically once that happens I just switch over to my kit lens which is much more capable in lower light conditions.

So basically, if you plan on using this is sunny conditions, go for it, great lens. But if you're looking for something more flexible, get something with a better (lower) f-stop.

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