Jack of all trades?

[Deleted]

My 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 VR Nikkor arrived today. Ot's probably not as sharp as my primes or the Nikkor Pro Lenses but for what it is I don't think it's half bad. The two attached shots were taken within 20 minutes of unpacking the lens. The apple shot is at 200 mm from on a few feet away. The other shot is at 18mm. Now all I need is a 72mm UV protective filter for it. I doubt I will be taking it off the camera very ofter, especially on our China trip in October.

The other shot of the red switch plate indicates it doesn't have the greatest "bokeh" in the world but I'm more interested in what's in focus, not out of focus.

By the way, here in the States it's hard to beat Amazon.com on prices and speed of shipping. Amazon was $30 less than B&H and it got to my door in 2 days, (Yes it's a U.S. warranted lens, not gray market).

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Shot at 112mm, ISO 400 f11, 1/500

[GeneW]

Wayne, I've been intrigued by the 18-200 VR ever since I first heard about it. Last summer I ran into a vacationer who had one and was surprised that it wasn't as large as I imagined it. Not that it's small, but for the broad range it's quite reasonable. These images look pretty good to me. I don't think there's any question that this might be the most useful travel lens you could get. For travelling I might supplement it with the very lightweight, small, but excellent Nikon AF 50/1.. Everything else could stay home.

Gene

[Deleted]

Here's a couple more shot tonight. I Photoshopped the RR station a little to straighten things up.

The 18-200 is almost identical in size to my 18-70 Nikkor--just a little larger in diameter.

Gene:
I have the 50mm f1.8 AFD Nikkor and the 18-200 and it may be the only things in the bag on the China trip. I have a feel there woulf be some uses for the 12-24mm Tokina, however. Well, I have a couple of months to figure it out.

[renaldo]

Two shots do the most for me in showing the quality the lens has.

The electrical pole and the musician.

Today...it is sometimes hard to fault Canon or Nikon lower priced lenses keyed for the majority of us.

[nikonbob]

Wayne

I think that it is a great lens especially for your China trip. It is really versatile and the last thing tour groups need/want is to wait for someone putzing around changing lenses etc. You may give up some IQ overall but it is more than made up for ease of use. I had a 2nd model Tamron 28-200 AFD years ago and it prove quite good.

Bob

[PeterW]

Wayne,
I haven't really had much chance till this evening to look at the picture content - as distinct from the lens quality - of the pictures you've posted on this thread. There are some cracking shots here so, if I may, I'll comment on them as they come. Never mind about test shots, most of them are good pictures in their own right.

First the apple. I love the way the group comes down out of the top right hand corner. It gives a great sense of hanging there. I think maybe I would have removed the darkish area at the lower left, but that can be done anytime.

In the third shot, the one of the railroad sidings, I like the perspective with the vanishing point offset to one side and slightly below horizontal centre. I thought at first there was too much sky - but there isn't. It helps to bring out the general feel of spaciousness. probably common to folks who live in country districts in the US, but very rare here in the south-east UK. You'd have developers fighting for every quarter-acre.

The picture of the overhead power lines pole is intriguing. No doubt it's carefully planned, but it looks very Heath Robinson to me. Makes me glad I'm not a lineman for your county!

Next the RR Station you say you straightened a little in PS.
THAT's a railroad station?! Oh my! Even at the height of the railway boom in the UK in the nineteenth century the old railway companies reserved that grand sort of architechture for the big city 'show-off' termini. Even on the main lines the smaller stations were very much the poor relations, and the ones on the branch lines were little more than wooden shacks.

Lastly the guitarist. Very nice composition with good eye lines: - the hunched shoulder, the tuning heads on the guitar and, rather surprisingly, the microphone intruding from the left. They all bring you eye to that wonderful expression which you've caught just at the right moment. Love it!

The guy isn't any spring chicken, but from his general attitude and the angle of the guitar I'll bet he learned to play back in the days when, if you wanted to be a guitarist, you accepted that you had to learn about music, keys, modes, harmonic progressions and the like. Unlike some of todays young thrash merchants some of whom don't seem even to realise that their instrument is out of tune (or is it meant to sound like that?).

To my mind, Wayne, you've got a better eye for a picture than you give yourself credit for. I guess it comes from learning your photography, like me, in the days of black and white when all you had to turn any subject into a good picture was composition and lighting. It was drummed into us so much that it became second nature and still gives a sound platform for colour as well.

PeterW

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Peter:

Thank you for the praise. Coming from you makes it even more appreciated. My favorite id the shot of the old rocker. The face has character.