Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Nikkor Zoom Lens Bulk packaging (White box, New)

Comment

An upgrade of Nikons original digital-only tele kit zoom, this new 55-200mm f/4-5.6 ($250, street) adds Vibration Reduction and a number of optical improvements for only $70 more. A 3.6X 82-300mm equivalent zoom, its not expected to be bundled in Nikon DSLR kits any time soon. Hands on: The barrel, when contracted, is nearly an inch longer than the earlier 55-200mm non-VR DX lens, but is still extremely light as a result of all-plastic construction, including the lensmount. The large zoom rings slightly uneven and underdamped turning action is what youd expect from a lens at this price. The narrow manual-focusing ring is even-turning but also underdamped, with a very short turning radius for fast, if coarse, manual focusing. AF action on our test camera, the D40x, was adequately fast and quiet, thanks to Nikons Silent Wave Motor in the lens. In the lab: SQF tests found Excellent sharpness and contrast at all focal lengths -- an improvement over the earlier, non-VR version of this lens. DxO Analyzer 2.0 tests found Imperceptible barrel distortion at 55mm (0.08%), and Slight pincushion distortion at 105mm and 200mm (0.24% and 0.19%, respectively). All three are also improvements over the earlier lens. Light falloff was gone from the corners by f/5 at 55mm, f/7.1 at 105mm, and f/8 at 200mm. At the uniform close-focusing distance of approximately 43.5 inches, tests of close-up ability found maximum magnification ratios ranging from 1:14.25 at 55mm to 1:3.8 at 200mm, about an average magnifying power, and not up to the 1:3.4 turned in by the non-VR 55-200mm. DxO Analyzer Blur tests of the lens first-generation VR system (at 200mm) showed an improvement for three users of about 3 stops of extra handheld sharpness at slower shutter speeds; 4 stops are possible with Nikons VR II system. Conclusions: Even though its the earlier version of VR, to get any VR at this price is a steal.

Show more

Comment

I bought this lens to compliment the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my D5000 before a recent trip to Europe. I am so happy that I decided to make this investment. I feel like this lens really opens up the range on my camera, allowing me to zoom in more on far away items such as architectural detail on buildings, action in sporting events, nature and wildlife, etc. I got some really amazing pictures in Europe, like close-ups of the London Eye and shots of the top of the Eiffel Tower that just would not have been possible without this kind of zoom. The vibration reduction is great because it allows you to take handheld pictures at 200mm zoom without blurring on the image. The lens also provides great color and sharpness, just like you would expect from a Nikon lens. Now some things to consider before you purchase. If youre someone who doesnt like to switch lenses, or doesnt really like to think about what you want to shoot with, this might not be for you (but then a DSLR might not be right for you either, you might just want to shoot on something with a big time optical zoom). Because this lens reduces your field of view (the smaller the mm the larger your field of view) you cant use it to taking sweeping panoramic shots. You also have to be several feet away from an item to get this lens to focus, so you cant use this lens as a stand in macro where youre just trying to get more detail by zooming. You also need to think about what you want to focus on taking pictures of before you go out to shoot--for me, making a conscious decision to go out with this lens and only shoot distance really makes me notice different things. And leads to some great and different pictures. If youre looking to expand your range at a reasonable price, I cant recommend this lens enough. I feel like its completely worth it!

Show more

Comment

As most say this item arrived ahead of the published delivery date. The external box was good sized. There was an inner box that was well isolated from the inner box. The inner box contained the lens and it too was well isolated and protected. As for the refurbished lens, it was exactly what I ordered. I ordered this lens for my older Nikon D-60. It fit perfectly. I am well pleased with its operation. As well it came with a carrying case for the lens (but will live on the camera) and a non-petal lens hood. As for being "refurbished," I could not be happier with the quality of the lens, its packaging and added accessories. Would I buy from these people again? You bet. It was a good price, good quality, good delivery...

Show more

Comment

Very nice lens. I wanted something lightweight w/ decent optics in the 70-200 range for those times I didnt want to carry my stellar. but much bigger and heavier, 70-300VR lens. Overall am very happy with this lens. Optics, as you can see from the 2 pictures I uploaded, are quite good especially coming from such a cheap lens. Only negative is that it is all plastic and pretty fragile. The AF is decent, but not great, and the VR is pretty buzzy. Even the lens mount is plastic so be careful not to pick up your camera by the lens unless you have a very lightweight body like the D3000 or D40/60. Handle the lens carefully and itll last you a long time and you will be rewarded with a nice focal length and sharp photos. I sometimes put a 52mm Canon 500D close-up filer on the end so that I can focus really close (about 16 inches instead of the normal 3 feet minimum focal distance) and that works very well too. I originally purchased this thru Amazon but it came in a large box w/ virtually no packing material. Box, and lens, got fairly beat up in transit so I returned it to Amazon (no problem w/ the return, great customer service) and purchased it from another vendor. This isnt the first time Amazon has shipped me delicate electronics/optics w/o sufficient packing. I do wish they would put more effort into better packaging. Books and CDs dont need much but delicate electronics and optics should always be packed securely so they dont get damaged or knocked out of alignment during transport.

Show more

Comment

This certainly is not the 70-200 f/2.8. Another poster commented that you should go for that instead. If you have a couple grand to spare and are using this professionally, hes absolutely right. In fact with $500 I would go for the (also consumer) 70-300 f/4-5.6 VR which has VR-2 and a decent focus motor (though I havent tested one so I cant comment on anything else about it). For a mere $200, though, this is a fantastic piece of glass. The focus motor is so slow they would have been better off using a normal AF mount and having the camera do the focus work, but then they couldnt sell this for use with the D40/60. It has acceptable sharpness in all focal lengths at most apertures. It has slight vignetting at all lengths, but not enough to be noticeable unless you like shooting plain walls. Also it has slight barrelling at 55 and cushion at 200, but not enough to be a problem unless youre using it for architectural shots (why would you want a telephoto for that?) The biggest plus on the lens is the VR. Despite some negative comments about it having cheapo VR, it preformed beautifully for me. I tested it shooting 8, 4, and 2 pixel separated lines at 12 feet and 200mm and I could tell no noticeable movement distortion with VR on in about two thirds of the shots down to 1/8s. At 1/6s I got no usable shots, but without VR Id get maybe 10% at 1/30s so this is a 2.5ish EV gain on no VR. If youre going to use the lens at all without a tripod I would highly recommend springing the extra $50 to get this lens instead of the VR-less version.

Show more

Comment

I bought this zoom lens as an additional lens for my wifes Nikon D40 camera. The thought was that it would enable her to get some better closeup shots depending on the situation. While it is true that the lens is great for that, functionally its not as versatile as her stock lens due to the fact that you dont have the ability to not zoom in on something. The interesting thing is that the camera has high enough picture quality that you can take almost any image taken with the stock lens and zoom in on it digitally, but I digress. This last weekend we took an outing to the National Zoo in Washington DC and my wife put this lens on her camera. For the task of taking pictures of the various animals in their enclosures, this thing was great. We wound up with some images of animals that look like they were professionally done and that would not be out of place in a wildlife book. The lens is easy to install, easy to use, and gives very good picture quality thanks to the vibration reduction feature, all for a reasonable price. For an amateur photographer or someone who just likes to take a lot of snapshots, whats not to like?

Show more

Comment

I bought this lens as a backup for my 80-200 f2.8 lens. I shoot a lot of sporting events with my 80-200 lens, but I also coach sports. When I coach, I dont want to hassle with the extra weight and the monopod, so I picked up the lightweight 55-200 vr lens for easy carry. I was very pleased with it for this application. Yes it is very plasticy, but the optics are fine, and I wanted a simple lightweight rig that would function well in sunlight. Most of my shots are taken from between 70mm and 180mm which is probably the sweet spot of this lens, but I havent tested it scientifically, because I dont want to spend the time testing a $160 lens. I crop all my sports photos, so any ca or fall off at the edges is irrelevant. Yes, the VR works well, which means I dont need my monopod when I use this lens. I have had excellent results and now carry this all the time. For portraits, landscapes, and other critical artistic work, I still use my primes and a 35-70mm f2.8 lens, but for everyday use the 55-200mm vr works great. I got mine refurbed, and it arrived in "like new" condition. I have had zero problems with this lens. For the money its a super buy.

Show more

Comment

Purchased the Nikon 55 to 200mm after carefully researching. It is to augment the capability of my D 60 Nikon camera. Physically the lens body is very light weight plastic. After having rather heavy SLR lenses over the years this was a little bit of a surprise. Not as rugged appearing as some of my old lens. However I dont think that is much of a concern...no lens holds up well to mishandling. Have already taken numerous images with this lens and results were very sharp, great color and no appearance of flare. I would rate this on a Par with much more expensive SLR FILM camera lens. The zoom mechanism is very smooth. The price of this lens is really a bargain compared to past equipment I have purchased. At this point in time I believe NIKON to be manufacturing some of the best digital SLR lens on the market. NIKON is also extremely competitive on pricing. The main reason I decided to go to NIKON lens system over Canon is the competitive pricing, excellent reviews, and actual posted images I have seen. All of my other digital cameras have been Canon. Bottom line: if you are looking for excellent "reasonably" priced optics...buy NIKON.

Show more

Comment

This piece of glass is alright. Its just good enough for people who are now starting off with photography and they need a decent lens to get started with. Its not for people who are professionals to make a lliving by. I have had this lens for 8 months now and my thoughts is that its not useful for my professional needs. 1. Its quite slow .....it hunts to much, most times i just miss the shot while doing shoots at night but no problems with daytime shots. 2. Its not as sharp as I would like (nothing spectacular) but it is sharp enough if its just photos around the house. The bokeh that this delivers is decent. All in all this lens is alright for the price a good deal. I received mines on time. I would recomend this lens to the average Joe who just wants to take photos of the kids or their family during the day. If you are a professional then youre probably looking at one of those higher end glass like 70-200mm vr2, 24 -70, 14 -24 or a good prime lens that opens up wide around f1.8, 1.4 , 1.2.

Show more

Comment

This was the second lens that I have for my D40. I almost bought the D40 package that comes with an 55-200mm lens, but I am very glad my buddy pointed out that it did not have VR like this lens. This is a great lens. I was taking great handheld shots in daylight at 200mm and noticed that I had not even turned on the VR! I wish I could afford to buy the 18-200mm VR lens, but if your camera like my D40 already came with an 18-55mm lens, getting this one for $400 less definitely makes sense and is alot of fun. Now, this lens wont do miracles so if youre trying to take handheld 200mm action shots at night or dark lighting, you wont be impressed, but thats not what this lens if for. For that, youd need to shell out a few grand to buy a nice f/2.8 zoom lens that will do wonders, but for this price, you cant beat this quality in decent lighting. I really think that Nikons marketing department is great because they are giving amateurs and beginners to the DSLR world a taste of what they have by offering the D40 and lenses like this at such low prices. I am sold and Im sure over the years will continue to buy nikon products as I can afford them and learn how to use them!

Show more