Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR

The Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR was announced in November 2005 as an all-round super-zoom lens for Nikon DX-format bodies. It delivers a long 11.1x optical zoom ratio with an equivalent focal range of 27-300mm on a 35mm body. This offers wide angle to decent telephoto coverage which for many people will be all they’ll ever need.

Making it even more useful are Vibration Reduction, VR, facilities to counteract camera-shake, and Nikon claims it allows you to handhold shutter speeds three stops slower than normal. It’s also an AF-S model which means quick and quiet auto-focusing and compatibility with both the D40 and D40x, along with other DX-format Nikon DSLRs.

Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR design and build quality

Measuring 77mm in diameter and 97mm in length when zoomed-out, the Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR is slightly bigger, and at 560g, heavier than 18-200mm rivals from Sigma and Tamron. But the Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR’s build quality is to a higher standard with a tougher body and smoother mechanics – it’s roughly equivalent to Nikkor’s up-market DX 18-70mm kit lens or the 70-300mm VR telephoto zoom. When zoomed-in to its longest focal lengths, the Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR extends by a further 65mm, employing two barrel sections.

The Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR has a maximum aperture of f3.5 when zoomed-out and f5.6 when zoomed-in. This makes it slightly brighter optically than the Sigma and Tamron, which have a slower focal ratio of f6.3 when zoomed-in. Our only complaint about the DX 18-200mm VR’s build is that it can suffer from lens creep where the barrel extends or retracts under its own weight – see our video below.

In terms of focusing, the DX 18-200mm VR is equipped with one of Nikkor’s SWM Silent Wave Motors, built into the lens itself. This makes it an AF-S model, and as such will auto-focus on the D40 and D40x, along with every other Nikon DSLR. It was only slightly quicker at focusing than the Sigma and Tamron 18-200mms, but noticeably quieter. The DX 18-200mm VR employs internal focusing with a non-rotating end sections – important for anyone who uses polarisers – and comes supplied with a lens hood.

Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR coverage

The big selling point of the DX 18-200mm VR is of course it’s enormous focal range which takes you from wide angle to fairly respectable telephoto coverage. Mounted on DX format body it will give you equivalent coverage of 27-300mm, and you can see the sheer flexibility this offers in our examples below.

Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm 3.5-5.6G IF-ED		Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm 3.5-5.6G IF-ED
18-200mm at 18mm (27mm equiv)		18-200mm at 200mm (300mm equiv)

The Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR is equipped with Vibration Reduction to counteract camera-shake. It’s an optical system, which means you see the benefit through the viewfinder – and like other optical systems, it’s very reassuring to see your composition suddenly become steady as you half-press the shutter release. It also makes framing the shot at longer focal lengths much easier.

Nikon claims up to four stops of compensation for the DX 18-200mm VR. We found it allowed us to handhold shots taken at 200mm as slow as 1/15 of a second, although obviously it greatly depends on the conditions and your own steadiness. This corresponds to the four stops of compensation claimed and is impressive performance.

Nikkor 18-200mm without VR		Nikkor 18-200mm with VR
Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm (300mm equivalent). VR disabled. 100 ISO, 1/15th second		Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm (300mm equivalent). VR enabled. 100 ISO, 1/15th second

To illustrate the effect of VR in practice we’ve presented two crops of a scene taken with and without VR enabled using a focal length of 200mm and a shutter speed of 1/15, reproduced here at 100%.