New Lens - AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm

I am so excited! It is Christmas in November for me. I picked out and ordered a new lens for my camera (Nikon D40x) and Tom brought it back from the US yesterday. The lens is a AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm. I waited until this morning to open and explore. I thought I would capture some thought here about the new lens. Please keep in mind that these comments are from a total AMATUER. I only know a little about lenses, but maybe this will be helpful to someone who find the professional reviews of lenses a bit too technical.

So why this lens? I have three lenses already, but this is what photography does to you! Tom bought the camera for me several years ago, and it came with a Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm and a Nikkor AF-S 55-200. Then I bought a AF-S FX Nikkor 70-300mm that I took to New Zealand which was awesome for the kind of "big and far" travel shots I was taking. However, the vast majority of my picture taking is during our walks/shopping/site seeing trips here in Shanghai. Which means my shots vary between the 10-20 feet shots that happen when I walk by something that attracts my eye (have you SEEN all the laundry and broom shots I have?) and shots where I am trying to capture a person or item which is farther away and I am trying to be unobtrusive.  Since I lack the pro photographer ability to go right up and take pictures of interesting people/things without feeling self-conscience, I require 30-60 feet between myself and my photo subject. Initially, I just carried both smaller lenses and changed when I needed to. Truth be told, the vast majority of my favorite shots I have taken were taken with the Nikkor AF-S 55-200. I checked.  The problem with these two lenses was that the Nikkor AF-S 55-200 just didn't get wide enough so I couldn't use it easily on my local walks. If I got closer than 20 feet, I had was stuck with more of a "micro" shot on something specific. That lens took (still takes) awesome pictures and it was my preference if going to a known location where people shooting was to be the focus.  But after awhile I got tired of 1) carrying the extra weight and 2) stopping and changing the lenss.  So after some thought (lots in this case) I decided to attempt to replace my two lenses with a single one. My plan is to sell the Nikkor AF-S 55-200 if the new lens works out.

That being said, I researched and found that the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm was the way to go. Many pros recommend it as a great option for a "single lens" outing. I ordered mine from Amazon. This lens has the Nikon Built in Vibration Reduction (VR) that I also have on my larger Nikkor 70-300mm. That is nice when trying to shoot at night or when you are trying to get a shot off quickly. This is not a light lens, it weighs 19.9 oz. Compare that to the weight of the AF-S 18-55mm which is only 7.4 oz! This weight is what initially made me hesitate. But my desire to be able to capture better shots pushed me into this lens.

And better shots they are. I opened the box this morning and after many ews and ahs, I took the first picture.

ISO 400  1/40  f/3.50 FL 18.00mm

Natalie volunteered for my first pics, but she was not much for hanging around. Initial feeling was that the weight, though obviously more, was not too bad. Good sign. I was lucky in that today there is actual sun to use for some photo comparisons. Didn't spend much time as I was getting ready to head out in less than an hour. But did get a feel for the zoom, the aperture, and exposure.

Zoom
I wanted to get a sense for the zoom capabilities. So you can see the the changes in the zoom below. I was using the Programmed setting (which I use 90% of the time when shooting) with Auto ISO. I really like the way 200 mm shots as this is the type of picture I loved taking with my AF-S 55-200. Note that I was standing about 4 feet away from the flower pot.

ISO 400 1/400 sec f/11 FL 44.00 mm

ISO 400 1/800 sec f/7.1 FL 120.00 mm

ISO 400 1/1250 sec f/5.60 FL 200.00 mm

Aperture
So, aperture is something I have only been playing with for 2-3 months. May sound like a long time, but I am definitely not an expert. For those of you not that familiar, here is the official definition:
Aperture is how wide the lens' iris opens. The wider it opens the more light gets in. It's exactly the same thing as the iris of your eye which opens as the light gets darker. The wider it opens for the same subject the shorter the shutter speed will be to get the correct exposure. This is because the camera chooses shutter speed based on how much light gets into the camera. A brighter subject or wider aperture lets in more light. Big apertures have smaller numbers, like f/4. Smaller apertures have bigger numbers like f/16. These are fractions, so 1/16 is smaller than 1/4. Big apertures like f/4 will tend to have just one thing in focus. A smaller aperture like f/16 will tend to have everything in focus. How much is in focus is called depth of field.
But I do know that for certain shots, I want to control the aperture. I struggle a bit with this on my smaller lens, so was interested to see the impact if it felt different. It did not feel different. In the two shots below you can see the different settings and how the lens reacted. I didn't post them here, but can tell you I achieved similar results with both other lenses.In the first picture, which is the smaller f-stop, the bigger aperture shows more focus on Mao and less on the bushes behind him. The second picture, the smaller aperture of 10, widens and shows more detail behind the statue. The colors are slightly different, with the larger f-stop showing a bit more warmth. This is primarily due to the combo of the aperture size and the exposure length. Frankly, this is where the whole camera thing gets harder and using the automatic settings available on almost all cameras is much easier! I recommend taking a picture and then looking at it in the camera and adjust only if the automated settings cannot get it right.

ISO 400 1/500 sec f/5.60 FL 38.00 mm

ISO 400 1/160 sec f/10 FL 38.00 mm

Exposure
Speaking of exposure, this was also fun to play with on the new lens. Not the general exposure length, but the bias that I use with the programmed setting. In the programmed setting, I use a -.3 or -.7 (one or two steps) Exposure Compensation to reduce the automatic exposure that the Nikon D40x generally calculates. The Nikon D-series are known for their overexposure and I generally found that to be true.  Please do NOT confuse my comments as expertise related to The Zone System developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. I am not nearly that smart nor do I want to be. This compensation is just something that easily reduces the amount of exposure. To test whether or not this lens made in any difference in this exposure and if I still required some level of reduction, I took more pictures with the compensation adjusted or off. You can see why I keep it two stops reduced. The 2nd picture, with no compensation, looks almost too bright. So, this lens will still require the under exposure setting in most situations.

ISO 400 1/250 sec f/8 FL 46.00 mm   Exp Comp: -.7

ISO 400 1/250 sec f/8 FL 46.00 mm   Exp Comp: 0

Summary
Well, I am very pleased after playing a whole day with it. It is heavier than either of my two, but I think the weight is worth it. I can now completely ditch the idea of taking a camera bag with me. And even on vacation, I can get by with this one lens. So much easier for carry-on trips!!!  The focal length and the vibration Reduction are well worth the investment. I didn't do any comparisons to show how much better the shots are with the VR technology since my little Mao statue is not very active, but it really makes a huge difference with the longer lens length and also in dim light. I can keep a longer exposure time (we are talking hundreths of seconds, not whole seconds here!) which helps in Shanghai a lot.  I plan on selling at least one of my other lenses, so the net cost will be a little less than $400. Oh, and I had considered a macro lens as I love close shots of things (who doesn't need 247 pictures of a green caterpillar on a red maple leaf???). Now, no need. I can get as close as 8 inches to items! I couldn't do that with the Nikkor AF-S 55-200. So think of the extra money I saved not buying yet another lens. I figure I only have to take 2-3 great pictures and then print myself to save the money of buying professional photos. Ok enough justification. Back outside to take some pictures...

THANKS TOM! YOU ARE A SWEETIE!