It's not going to outperform a prime lens, but I might have to assume that anyone even investigating a zoom lens like this one understands the optical compromises which must be made in order to produce a lens like this

Last week (and believe me I don't use this lens a lot) at a very important event, as I twisted the zoom, the lens broke into a million pieces.

Was not too impressed with the grainy photos, but love the zoom and I must admit it was great for every day shots, just not great for portraits.

If you have the $$$ and need a versatile and flexible super zoom lense, go for this one.

good zoom

It's still a zoom lens, and a zoom lens that's pushing limits as well

AF motor is virtually silent and image quality and sharpness is quite good for a super zoom lens

The zoom barrel is relatively smooth when zooming from one focal length to the other

I like it because I can get so many candid shots of people from far away with this crazy super zoom

Sure, zooms are not always as sharp, but the best picture is the one you actually capture

I love this lens!...incredibly flexible zoom for a DLSR...been using since NewYear

My copy of 18-200mm lens doesn't have the "zoom creeps" problem.

Versatile, zoom, good quality photo, wide angle to telephoto, replace all lens (no need to carry any other lens, almost!), hand held good quality photo because of VRBad: Heavy (your hand will get tired), not ideal for low light (too much

But, if I was going to take longer shots, I either had to switch up to my Nikkor 55-300 mm zoom (and lose any wide area opportunities that came my way) or I would have to carry both of those lens in my pack and swap them out in the field

It won't be as good as primes or professional zooms, but it is significantly less to carry around and deal with

I chose this lens because it gives the use of a broad lens as well as the flexibility of a good zoom without the need to change lenses, thus reducing the risk of dust getting in the lens.

I like it because I can get so many candid shots of people from far away with this crazy super zoom

great lens. not long enough to limit the light to the point everything is too dark, but enough zoom to get nice and close on that far away stuff.

The zoom is smooth and precise and the auto focus is quick.

Nikon did a great job on this lens, Great zoom range from 18- to 200 mm

AMAZING LENS -- cannot say enough -- get this over any other if you need a good zoom.

what you'll encounter once outside, then you'll appreciate the 18-200, which lets you do indoor photography as easily as outdoor, and zoom in when needed for a decent portrait or macro shot

So what lense would be the best?You can probably live with some minor distortions but nothing gives you as much freedom as a wide range zoom

The zoom is AMAZING

The small size and great zoom range are fantastic

A bit less sharp than other not as drastic zoom lenses, even with low F stop

After that, I refi-ed my house to get the "pro" Nikon 70-200 f2.8 zoom and again, great sharp, clear images

A little heavy, but so are other DSLR super-zooms

It's very versatile, going from as little as 18mm to a good zoom of 200mm, which is pretty good for amateur usage of DSLR

Auto-focus is quite fast for a super-zoom lens (although not in absolute terms, say compared to fast prime lenses) and the optical stabilization works very effectively, allowing you to work with slower shutter speed than otherwise possible without VR (Nikonspeak for optical stabilization)

Another way of putting it is optical zoom gives far better results than digital zoom

It does also have a loose zoom

The zoom is fairly smooth

Pros: Great zoom range (18-200), autofocus, vibration reduction

This is an excellent zoom lens for vacationing / traveling, even when considering the f/3.5-5.6 limitation

This is perfect for taking pics of sports games, zoom is amazing!