Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. 55-200mm zoom Nikon lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture for Nikon digital SLR cameras 2 extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass elements for minimized chromatic aberration and superior optics Silent Wave Motor produces quick and quiet high-speed autofocusing; weighs 9 ounces Measures 2.7 inches in diameter and 3.1 inches long; 1-year warranty White box(bulk packaging)
As a f/4 maximum aperture and not Nikons fastest lens, it still gives great results as hand-held images are near tack sharp at close and medium distances. As with any zoom lens beyond 150-200mm, you will need a monopod/tripod or have the camera resting on a stationary object to eliminate as much blurring as possible. Depending on your lighting situations, you will see some edge aberrations with high contrasting objects in your shot from time to time with images when you are shooting near or at 200mm. The aberrations are minimal and are typically at the edges of the frame. That being said, I have had my best results thus far Sunday morning at the Oakland, CA Lakeshore Garden with this lens coupled with the 6-Megapixel Nikon D70s.
CDHenderson
3
This is an okay/average lens at best, which may be exactly what youre looking for in this price range, in which case I say go for it... its cheap, gives you a decent focal range, the vibration reduction feature works great, and its capable of taking pretty good pictures as long as the light is good. This lens doesnt perform well at all in low light, and the auto-focus can be pretty slow if youre trying to shoot anything in motion (i.e. a bird in flight, sports action, etc). The sharpness decreases as you move towards the long end and lower apertures, but this is to be expected at this price range. If youre a casual photographer who just wants to have a budget lens with a decent reach to photograph everyday things, this is probably a great option for you. If youre an amateur photographer with ambitions to really work on getting quality photographs, I would recommend saving up a couple hundred more dollars and go with something thats going to perform better and last longer as your skill set grows. As for me, I bought this lens as a beginning photographer to supplement my 18-55mm kit lens. Ive since sold both of them to upgrade to better equipment, but they were good first lenses to learn on. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have skipped this lens altogether and gone with a higher quality telephoto... but everyone is different and has different goals.
Michael P. Gutierrez
4
I have only purchased Nikon lenses for my camera because Im not sure how well the other name brands will work as far as focus and such. This lens has good range and produces some nice clear images once you get the hang of the lighting and zoom. My wife and I dabble in photography as a hobby but this lens has definitely broadened our abilities in the little time weve had it. We have a Nikon D3300 and the auto focus works just fine and the twist to zoom in and out makes for quick response for your target.
Blueberry789
5
I just purchased this lens a week ago to compliment my also recently purchased D3100. I was enticed by the deal currently running through the end of September which gives you $100 off the price, and I have to say, even at full price, this lens is great! The zoom range means that you can do everything from basic portraiture to capturing subjects from a moderate distance. I took my D3100 and the 55-200 to a wedding this weekend, where I shot about 300 photos, 169 of which ended up being "good enough" to "incredible" (by which Im giving my subjective interpretation of my shooting ability, not necessarily an objective review of the lens quality). Outdoors during the ceremony, the lens focused fairly fast, and I was able to get decent shallow depth of field at full zoom so that I got some great candid portraits from afar of the couple (approximately 40 feet away), with pleasingly (though not amazingly) blurred foreground and background, and a few turned out well enough that I feel they could be printed and framed and while not professional level, would definitely be eye catching. During the evening, and inside the banquet hall where the lighting was not so great, the lens had some trouble with moving subjects too far away to light up with the built in flash. However, portraits of people who werent moving much, and action shots within range of the on board flash, came out just fine. The lens does give decently sharp images across the frame, Im sure there are better lenses out there but for the money Id say this one is a solid buy. The auto-focus is decently fast and quiet, the zoom range makes it great for anything from portraits to capturing subjects from afar, and the construction is decent enough that you dont feel like itll break just from normal use. Overall, Id buy this lens again (and again, and again...). Oh, and as an added bonus, 55mm on this lens has max. aperture of 1/4.0, which is twice as big as on the 18-55 kit lens (which has max. aperture of 1/5.6 at full telephoto). What that means is that you get a bit more light through the lens to the sensor with the zoom lens, if I understand optics correctly. That *should* make this lens better suited for portraiture and moderate lighting situations at that focal length, than the kit lens. Sorry, not the most technical review, but I have to admit, for $150 this lens let me capture some amazing moments at a dear friends wedding, and you cant really put a price on that!!!
Alison D.
4
I ordered this item used to save a few bucks and its still a solid product. As soon as the package arrived I ripped open the box and put this puppy on my Nikon D3200 camera and tested it out. The image quality looked great and I had no issues with the focus of the lens. All of the functions seem to work without an issue, and even after a few months of fairly constant use I see no signs of wear, tear, or problems. My only problem with this lens, and with all the cheaper lenses is that the motors are noisy and take a few moments to adjust the focus. If you are trying to capture a shot of an animal that is easily scared this may be a problem. However for the average user and/or a beginner looking to build up their lenses and experiment I say its a good quality product.
Hanbit Kwon
5
I wasnt too sure about buying lens from a third party seller on Amazon but Ive received the item without a problem and the lens it self worked well during a test. I use this zoom lens on my Nikon 3300 along side Nikon 35mm prime lens. Even though Im a professional photographer I often carry and use my DX camera with these two DX lens for landscape and street photography. I only bring along my FX (full frame) camera on an assignment. If you have a good compact DX camera like the latest Nikon D3300, you will enjoy using it with an inexpensive but good VR lens like this paired with the 35mm prime lens. I used to have a 18-55mm VR II and a 18mm-200mm VR II lens but this one seems to be sharp and perform just as well as them.
TechN
5
This one is a fantastic lens for its price. I bought it four years back along with Nikon D40 , my first entry into DSLR. It had 18-55mm kit lens and as a beginner, I didnt wannna spend a lot of money on additional lenses. I thought this would complement the kit lens to take nice Bokeh effect pictures and zoo animal pictures. Im glad to tell that this already gave me many wonderful shots to cherish for ever.(Check out my uploaded pictures to have an idea about what this lens can do) Remember that this is good for well lit environment and hence indoor photos may not come great unless properly lit. Cranking up ISO would requite a lot of post-processing of the image to improve the look. VR for high zoom is very helpful since I can use a slower shutter speed to increase the exposure. The main problem I face is the inconvenience of carrying and changing lenses. But I do recognize that a 18-200 mm lens would cost much more (more than 4 times the cost of this for Nikon brand and quality. Also it supposedly wont give as much quality as individual lenses). Bottom line: If you are a budget photographer and not into hi-fi photography, this would be sufficient to take nice pictures in well lit environments. Buy a bigger bag for carrying it around with your camera.
pm444
5
I bought this lens when it was on sale for $149. As of this writing, the lowest price is $159 from an Amazon partner, and Amazons own price is back up to the full retail of $249. For $149, this lens was a great buy and Im very happy with it. I dont know if Id spend $249 for it, though. Nikon has offered this lens in the past at $149 when purchased with a new Nikon camera, but this was the first time I had seen it sold separately at that price. What I like about it, besides the price: its light for a telephoto lens, its not much longer than the 18-55mm Nikon kit lens, and the zoom action is smooth. It comes with a lens cap, rear lens cover, lens hood, and a cloth case. As others have pointed out, its mostly plastic, and it has a plastic lens mount, but at this price point, thats to be expected and it is part of the reason that the lens is so light. What I dont like: as expected, low-light performance isnt the best. Be prepared to crank up the ISO and/or use a flash for inside shots. Of course, a lot of people wont want to use a telephoto for interior shots, although Ive used this lens for some portraits and macro shots. Outside, in brighter light, there arent any issues. Image quality is quite good for what is basically a kit lens, and when combined with the 18-55mm lens, youre ready to cover a range of distances. Id eventually like to get the 18-200mm Nikon lens, but at almost $900, thats not on my list of immediate purchases, so this lens was a good way for me to get telephoto ability without breaking the bank.
Bill McNeil
5
Ive had this lens for a few years and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I am consistently impressed by the results. Its sharp with great color and contrast. Theres something about it that makes for excellent photos. This thing just rocks. I use this lens mostly for taking photos of my kids sports activities. You have to crank the ISO a little to get the shutter speeds fast enough to freeze action, but that isnt much of a problem. If you cant afford a $2,000 high-speed lens, this is a darn good alternative. Ive gotten tons of great action shots. And its MUCH lighter than the lenses with a larger aperture. Size-wise, its pretty much a go-anywhere lens. The focal range is very useful for capturing targets at a distance. Since it only goes down to 55mm at the close end youll probably find its not well-suited to indoor use or anywhere else youll be in close quarters with your subjects. But thats not a flaw, its just something youll keep in mind when deciding when to use the lens. Thats not to say the lens is perfect, but it IS perfect for the price. The autofocus is a little slow, but its perfectly acceptable. Its good enough that I havent missed many shots because of it. You cannot go wrong with this lens. If youre disappointed with this lens, the problem is not the lens. To get near-professional quality results from a lens that costs $200-something is ridiculous.
James OBrien
4
First off, I do not use zoom lenses very often in my photography. I was looking for something that could reach out in the case I needed to get a shot of something far away. In terms of image quality, I am completely satisfied with this lens. The pictures it takes are perfectly sharp, with nice contrast and color, not to mention fairly nice bokeh. For what I paid, I couldnt ask for better image quality, and from what I have read you cant get much better without dropping $1000 for a lens. My main gripes are the build quality and manual focus. Yes, this lens retails for only $250, but it would still be nice if Nikon had worked a little more on the build quality. I am the sort of photographer who likes to focus manually, and though I am fine using the autofocus on this lens (which is very good), I wish the focus ring was better. The ring is so small and so sensitive that focusing manually on this lens is near impossible in most circumstances. Youll be forced to feather the ring to within a fraction of an inch to focus on the right spot. In short, I love the image quality and feel satisfied that this lens will do the job if I need to reach out to a far away subject. The only reason I cant give it 5 stars is because of the awful manual focus.
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