Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 55 mm-200 mm F/4.0-5.6 AF-S DX G ED Lens (2156)

Why I bought it
The standard 18 – 55 mm lens that came with my D60 Nikon camera is ok for general photography, but lacks the zoom ability for close-up photography without extensive editing with additional software. This reduces the resolution of the picture. So I went one step up to the 55 – 200mm zoom lens.
There are several reasons I purchased this particular version of the Nikkor 55-200mm lens. First, since I use a tripod for most of my pictures the VR (Vibration Reduction) feature of the more expensive version of this lens was not applicable. Second, this lens allows me to zoom in to the subject or zoom out for a wide view without changing lenses. Third, the auto focus and aperture controls make it easy to use in many different situations.

What I like most about it
As with all the Nikkor AF-S DX series lenses, the interface between the lens and camera body make using these lenses very simple. And the quality of the Nikon optics is a world wide standard.

What I dislike about it
At this time I do not have anything that I dislike about this lens.

I purchased, this lens as used one. And it work as new one.
Pros: Great quality, Sharp at whole range. Chromatic abberation and fringing is negligible. Auto focus is very fast. Color are natural, no color distortion is seen. Brightness is acceptable, but computer enhancement improve it. VR works well. Low light performance is just OK, at the bottom line.

Cons: VR is little bit noisy, you can listen motor sound clearly. You can not use MF when hood is on, in its reverse position, it covers the focus ring. So take off the hood or put it upright. This does not look attractive, like tamron lenses, they physically look,more expensive and have very facinating construction. The mount is plastic, so after couple of uses, it gives plastic dust, which enters in camera, and sits tightly, I got one on my D5000 focus screen, Hard to remove by blower.
Many people buy this lens for telephoto and portrait, but in my openion this lens is useless for both purpose. The object is not enough close even at 200 mM. You will see it just a little bit closer than what you see with your eyes. SO it is not usefull for the objects which are really far away. Like sports and wild-life photography. For portraits this lens it too sharp, you may need a soft filter. I will rather recommend a 35 or 50 mm prime lens with low F-value. That will give you enough depth of the field, without going 15-20 feet away from the human object.

Bottom line- lens itself is great, but not much useful for a photographer.

Purchased this lens as a refurbished lens for my Nikon D5000 DSLR camera. I needed an intermediate lens that would be a good all around lens for near and far subjects. This lens really fills the bill. It is a perfect partner to the standard 18-55mm DX VR lens that came with my camera, and provides me with the versatility I needed for scenic and wildlife photography. Although not a high end lens, it is very accurate in focus, clarity and function. Pictures are very crisp. Having the VR capability is a real plus when taking those far shots at wildlife or high speed shots in action sports. As with all long lenses, I would highly recommend the use of a tripod when using the far end of the telephoto range with slower shutter speeds for some landscape or wildlife photos, even though this lens has VR capability.

This lens compares very well to a competing lens which I also have, and is a best fit for my style of photography, which is primarily wildlife and scenic photography.

Being able to select manual or auto focusing is a real plus with this lens and its ease of operation is great for the beginner as well as the experienced photographer. Focus speed is pretty good, and very accurate. A very good lens that I recommend to any and all that want a good all around lens for sports and outdoor photographs and not break the bank in order to own. I am very happy with this lens.

This product is excellent. I just finished shotting a wedding and the pictures truned out great. It is sharp and quick focused. The draw backs are that it is completely plastic including the mount and it is not the newer version which has VR (Vibration Reduction, highly reccomended). You must be careful with it because of the plastic mount and cannot pick up the camera with it. It is a DX lens and will not work on film or FX format cammeras. A used in excellent condition lens should run from $75-90. For the Picture quality it is a good deal.

I bought used Nikkor 55-200G ED AF-S DX VR after checking some information on internet, I was very surprised it work perfectly with my Nikon D5000 and produced excellent pictures, it work quick, smooth, accurate with the camera. Night landscape, the focus may be litthe slow but what else asking more for a merely $120.00 used lens.
I work with different cameras, more than 40 years with nikon, because of its natural color and quick response. It is my experiences Nikon D5000 with 18-55 and 55-200 lenses can give you very satisfy pictures for less money