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Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR AF-S DX IF-ED  Hot PDF Print E-mail
Lenses Nikon
User rating
4.4
out of 5
Editor's rating
3.0
out of 5
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Reviewed by:
Editor
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Average user rating: 4.4 
328 User reviews
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Lens Summary

Overview

A compact telephoto zoom lens with VR system for Nikon digital SLRs
2007 Release
  • A compact telephoto zoom lens featuring VR and SWM at an affordable price
  • Vibration Reduction (VR) offers the equivalent of shutter speeds 3 stops faster for more flexible hand-held shooting
  • A wide 55-200mm (picture angle equivalent to 82.5-300mm lens in the 35mm format) 3.6x zoom range offers high quality images
  • An ED glass element
  • Compact SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for quiet autofocusing

The AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED is a compact, lightweight 3.6X zoom lens featuring a host of state-of-the-art optical technologies such as the Vibration Reduction (VR), Nikon ED glass element and SWM (Silent Wave Motor). The lens has been specifically designed to complement the D80, as well as the D40 and upcoming D40x cameras. And it delivers outstanding performance at a remarkably affordable price.

The compact zoom lens offers powerful zoom performance of 55-200mm (providing a picture angle equivalent to an 82.5-300mm lens in 35mm format) and is suitable for every type of photography from candid portraits to sports, nature and wildlife photography. The Nikon VR system enables users to take substantially sharper handheld pictures at slower shutter speeds.

Note:

* We do not recommend the use of DX Nikkors with 35mm (135) or IX240 format cameras.

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications
Lens Type: Zoom
IS / VR / OS: VR
Nikon DX lens: Yes
Min Focal length (mm): 55
Max Focal Length (mm): 200
Number of Elements: 15
Element Groups: 11
Max Aperture: 4
Minimum Aperture: 32
Diaphragm Blades: 7
Closest Focus Distance (m): 1.1
Filter Type: Screw In
Filter Diameter (mm): 52
Diameter at widest (mm): 73
Lens Length (mm): 99
Weight (g): 335

Details


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Editor review : Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR AF-S DX IF-ED
Overall rating (weighted)
3.0
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
4.0
If you are looking to add to your basic kit the obvious choice is to go for a lens that takes them a little further, which is precisely what Nikon's 55-200mm lens sets out to achieve.

This range readily covers both the 'ideal' focal length for portraits (roughly 85-100mm) and the 200-300mm focal lengths favored by sports and wildlife photographers. It also has a very useful minimum focus distance of 1.1m throughout the zoom range, and while this isn't a macro lens by any means, you can still get pretty close to your subject at the long end of the zoom. It isn't a particularly 'fast' lens though, with a maximum aperture of f/4 at the 55mm end of the zoom dropping to f/5.6 at the 200mm end.

With its DX designation, Nikon's 55-200mm lens is designed specifically for digital capture and will work on ANY of the company's DSLRs, including both the D40 and the D40x. The 3.6x zoom covers focal lengths from 55-200mm, but taking into account the magnification of Nikon's DX format sensor, this equates to 82.5-300mm in 35mm terms.

Thanks to the Internal Focusing, a polarising or graduated filter may be used, while the Silent Wave Motor ensures that focusing is both swift and quiet. The small manual focus ring will disappoint anyone wishing to focus manually. In keeping with many modern lenses it appears almost as an afterthought, with a mere 45o turn taking it from 1.1m to infinity, and at the wide end of the zoom it's almost impossible to reach with the lens hood attached. A pair of switches at the back left of the lens barrel will allow you to activate either the focus mode or VR.

The minimum aperture varies - from f/22 to f/32 respectively. The slightly slow maximum aperture isn't necessarily a problem though, with the VR stabilisation claiming to give a three-stop advantage over non-VR lenses. This means you can handhold the lens at a shutter speed three times slower than is normally recommended, so a speed of 1/40sec at the 200mm end of the zoom can be used instead of 1/320sec. This is especially useful when using long focal lengths. In terms of its construction, the 55-200mm optic uses 15 elements in 11 groups, including one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element to ensure good image quality. It also comes with a lens hood and pouch, which isn't always so with other manufacturers who charge for these useful extras. Build and handling The 55-200mm AF-S lens is both compact and light, thanks to its all-plastic build, which extends to the lens mount.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: I have borrowed a friends
Where did you buy this item?: N/A
When did you buy this item?: N/A
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Yes
Pros: VR, Price
Cons: Non that I can think of any
Last updated: Tuesday, 27 November 2007


User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 328 user(s)

Overall rating (weighted)
4.4
Sharpness
4.4
Build Quality
4.4
AF Speed
4.4
Value for Money
4.4
 

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Excellent zoom!, Friday, 27 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
After much research online and at various camera shops, I decided on this lens. I have three sons who play baseball, basketball and football. First, I tried it without the auto focus, but figured I liked the lens so much that it was worth the extra money to by the one with the auto focus and I am so glad I did! Also, takes excellent nature pics.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

So So, Thursday, 26 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.5
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
Well, i'm just gonna talk about the negatives of this lens.

1. Image Quality at high zoom (200 mm) is average at best. Under 150 mm this thing is great, tho.
2. At high zooms, the auto-focus doesn't always focus where you want it to. When i have it locked to the center, it sometimes 'misses' and zooms maybe a meter or so away when I'm at 200 mm, making the subject a little blurry :( I shouldn't say sometimes, I should say about half of the time. SO make sure to take a lot of pictures because half of them won't be perfect focus.

Those are my main gripes. This thing is still a steal at 200 bucks tho, but if you're looking for great quality telephoto shots, you may wanna spend a little more $$ and get something better.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

superb!, Wednesday, 25 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
this is an excellent piece of glass for the price. i was able to grab a refurb'd lens from beach camera for about $150 and i couldnt be happier. this lens performs as well if not better than other comparable lenses in the $500 range. the difference the VR makes is like night and day. be forewarned, this is a big and heavy lens, but for a 55-200 with VR technology its to be expected. this lens, combined with a nikon 2x teleconverter, and you should be extremely satisfied for nature shots, sports, etc.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

pleasantly surprised, Thursday, 19 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0

Almost all my shooting is with a 17--70 zoom, but occasionally I need a longer lens. Willing to trade weight for the quality construction of a professional lens, i bought this lens. I also expected to compromise image quality. What a surprise ! Wide open is is very good and two stops down it is outstanding. And the image stabilization works.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Given as a gift., Monday, 16 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
I can't really rate this item as it was given as a gift. I gave it to my 27 y.o. daughter for her birthday to go with her camera she received for Christmas. She says she really likes the ease of use. This is her first SLR-D camera.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great lens at any cost !, Saturday, 14 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Many "officianados" like to say, "A good lens for the price." I say, "This is simply a great lens." I've used Nikon for 35 years. I've used top of the line lenses. This 55-200 with VR only comes off my camera only when I need a wide angle. (And then it's usually the companion 18-55 VR.) These give any serious or not-so-serious photographer on a budget equal footing with the millionaires. Kudos to Nikon !
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Nikon AF 55-80mm lens, Tuesday, 10 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Small, lightweight and fast this lens is just what I was looking for to travel with to make things easier to carry. Just what I wanted and Nikon makes the best! jp
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Good entry telephoto, Monday, 09 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
3.0
This lens is a great complement to the 18:55 kit lens which comes with most cameras. Focus is fast and sharp with only some Blur in low-light. The vibration reduction is a great feature and should be used. A great option for someone who does not mind switching lenses rather that going for a much more expensive 18:200 lens.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great Lens, Sunday, 08 August 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
About a year ago I was using my 55 - 200 mm lens and I must not have mounted it correctly on my D50 because as I was zooming in to take a great photo, the lens fell off the camera body and hit the ground. Boy did I feel stupid! I picked it up and looked at it, everything appeared to be OK. I mounted it CAREFULLY this time and I took photos. I continued to use it for months even though when I zoomed to 200 the whole lens assembly was slightly loose. It wasn't until this June that the lens just stopped focussing. I could zoom, but not focus. I took the lens to a repair center and found out that it would cost more to repair than buy a new lens. So I bought this new 55 - 200 mm as a replacement lens. It is much better than the original and it feels extremely sturdy. Though it does weigh a Bit more than my original lens. The one fantastic feature this new lens has that my old didn't is the Vibration Reduction (VR) feature. That comes in handy.
Over all I am extremely pleased with this new lens.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Fabulous lens - yet to have a better Nikkor!, Monday, 26 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
Sharp and contrasty lens on the D40, superb. Curiously I hardly used it for a year, finding the D40 kit lens covering 18-55mm covered everything and fairly well. Doing a portrait course however and being told to use a zoom at about 100mm to make the sitter feel comfortable, and given we usually have such space in an Aussie home, showed me how nice this lens was. Now its my favourite on the D40. I haven't used it much yet on the D90 (the kit 18-105 has a good range) but should try it...

On the D40 it produces images that need no post PC work something which is only also achieved by the Tokina 11-16mm wide angle on this camera.

Not a snappy focuser and the VR rattles away all the time, the camera does not shut it down unless you turn the camera off so you will find your battery consumption goes up when using this.

For the price these are minor drawbacks given its sharpness. If all Nikkors were this cheap and good....
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

This lens is suprisingly impressive, Wednesday, 14 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.5
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
I bought this lens a year ago to shoot my kid's outdoor sporting events and to also give me more reach as a complement to the kit lens, 18-55mm VR, that came with my D60. At a cost of $230 I got more than I bargained for. The picture quality is tack sharp in daylight conditions. Auto focus is usually on point althout I wouldn't call this a fast lens. The cons are auto focusing can be tough at the long end of the focal length (approaching 200mm) and certainly in low light conditions which will cause you to miss some shots (shooting indoors or in a poorly lit gym which happens more often than you realize until you need AF to work for you). You will still get great shots indoors so long as ample light exists or of course you use a flash. Another con for those shooting sporting events is 200mm may not be long enough for you. I found myself want a little more reach which is why I'm about to swap this lens for the 70-300mm. For those reasons, I took away a star. I really don't want to get rid of this baby but once I get the 70-300, I won't have much use for it. But its still a great lens. I shot an entire vacation trip with this lens and the even more impressive Nikkor f/ 1.8 35mm DX (prime). I don't even use my kit lens any more. Bottomline: this lens loves a lot of light. If the sun is out, you will look like a pro. Regardless at a shade over two hundred bucks, you cannot go wrong.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great Lens for the price!, Thursday, 08 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I'm a newbie to the DSLR world, but I had used a few friends cameras prior to purchasing my own. This lens takes great pictures across the board. It is exactly what I was looking for. For the beginner who is on a limited budget, you can't beat it.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Quality lense, Monday, 05 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Another great quality lense from Nikon. Like the VR (vibration reduction) of this lense. Don't think I would buy one without this feature.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

nice lens. good quality for the money, Saturday, 03 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.5
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0

Using this lens for indoor kids' sports - volleyball and basketball - with a Nikon D5000. This is a cost-effective way to capture action shots at the indoor sports distance. It gives good quality without the more expensive (or less quality) alternatives. I'm happy with the decision to go with this lens.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Fantastic Lens, Sunday, 27 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I had purchased a multipurpose lens that fit into the 18-200mm range thinking that this would be a good alternative to switching lenses. I was really disappointed with the pictures at various focal lengths. When I found this lens I was skeptical about the plastic mount but the reviews all raved about how sharp and lightweight this lens is. I love the picture quality and the lightweight feel when I use it on my Nikon DSLR. The VR works really nice, I just did a wedding yesterday and was working with natural light in the church and hand held shots were no problem producing very sharp results. I have owned 3rd party lenses but this lens is a true Nikon product, the zoom is as smooth as silk unlike the 3rd party lenses that will stick when zooming in and out. The great thing about this lens is the price which is much less than the multipurpose lens that I previously mentioned.
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