Hi all, Some of you may have read my post about soon to be purchase of a Nikon D80 with the 18-135mm kit lens. Having read a bit more about the camera, and more specifically the lens on various online sites, I've been given the impression that the 18-135mm lens is a waste of money (people complain about pincushion & wide barrel distortion, plastic mount, etc.) I then started looking at the 18-200mm VR lens, which Ken Rockwell can't stop raving about, however others have a lot less to say about it... Basically, to cut a long and confusing story short, I'm after opinions from any members who have either of the above lenses, or indeed any other lenses which they use with the D80. Also, are there any good review sites which are dedicated to lenses? (I have googled, perhaps not well enough though) Lastly, I am not a pro, nor even a very good amatuer, so I personally believe that the 18-135mm lens would do me great, but I don't want to find myself in a position 1 or so year down the road where I need to upgrade my lens & regretting that I didn't invest in some good glass to begin with.
I have the D200, so while not the D80 , it certianly is in the same lineage. I would say that the 18-200 is a great "do everything" lens that has the limitations that are inherent to that sort of design. It has a great zoom range and, from what I have seen, decent build quality. But I also think that the apeture range is one of the areas where they had to compromise. If they made this a 2.8 lens it would have been a monster. I have also heard, first hand-not just on forums, that there is significant sample variation. So make sure you test the lens before buying it. The build quality is similar to the 24-120, so while it will serve you well, you need to be careful about leaving it extended at 200mm and the plastic "ring" around the front element can chip easily...well more easily then I think it should. The one I used was soft at 18mm wide open, but ok stopped down. I left it at 5.6 and pretended it was constant apeture. I don't think you will go wrong with this lens, provided you go in with your eyes open and don't expect to much from it. It simply isn't a low light lens, nor will the VR stop the motion of your subjects. But it could be a great lens to start building on. to put this into perspective, I have and use the 17-55/2.8, 50/1.4, 50-150/2.8 and the 24-120/3.5-5.6. Having used the 18-200, I think it compares with the 24-120. you just need to keep the apeture stopped down a bit and your shutter speed up. oh and fred miranda has a nice review area for lenses.
That's pretty much what I've read online regarding that lens, the fact that it isn't 2.8 is what keeps the cost down by a huge margian though, which is what I think they were aiming for in the end. I've seen the fred miranda site, but unless I am seriously spastic in navigating the site I can only find reviews for a limited number of lenses. I've read a few of your posts before Jumeira_Johnny, & given that you are one of the more serious photographers around, what are your opinions on the 18-135mm lens for an 'amatuer' like myself, would it be worth while forking out for the 18-200mm VR now? (I'm not asking you to think for me, just interested in hearing a pro's opinion)
Well, I have never used or even held the 18-135. I honestly think that the lenses being produced now (both by canon and nikon) are significantly better across the board then lenses produced.....say in the 1960's. I'm willing to bet that the 18-135 can produce stunning results, when you are familiar with it's strenghts and weaknesses. What I find a lot of, in conversations with people, is that they think because of the sudden dSLR boom that the picutures are easier to take. And that simply isn't true. A dSLR is a more flexible system, yes. But it makes you work. And some of that work is around the weaknesses of your equipment and light, because we can't all spend the queens fortune on glass. TBH, the good P&S cameras today are fantastic, to the point where there are a few war photographers are using them. The D80 is a great camera, and I don't think the kit lens would be a "waste" to start with it. This lens can easily be put on a D40ish camera in the future to make sibling or friend%
