Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Review Round-Up

nikon-55-200mm-f-4-56g-ed-af-s-dx-nikkorIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon:Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

Photo Zone

The Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX delivered a more convincing performance compared to its kit companion (18-55mm DX). The resolution is very high throughout the zoom range (best at 55mm) and there’s only a slight decrease in contrast at large aperture settings (200mm). Vignetting at large aperture is quite pronounced though and there’re very pronounced distortions towards the long end of the zoom range. CAs are very low. Corresponding to its price tag the build quality is quite a bit less impressive due to the extensive usage of rather cheap plastics and accurate manual focusing is next to impossible. All-in-all it is a good choice for casual users but the rather small max. aperture is a limiting factor for creative tele photography. READ FULL REVIEW

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Reviews

SLR Gear

Another lens designed specifically to appeal to the D50 owner, the Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm telephoto lens is an excellent complement to the consumer shooter’s bag. Though built with plastic components rather than metal, this lens includes Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass to minimize chromatic aberration. It is a compact and light design, bringing Nikon quality down to the price level of the consumer photographer. The bottom line for the Nikkor 55-200mm DX is that it’s a surprisingly good performer for its price point. Used in conjunction with the 18-55mm “kit” lens on the D50, it offers an excellent range of focal lengths with only two lenses, in a compact package, with decent optical performance, all at a very attractive price. READ FULL REVIEW

Photo Review

Purchasers of Nikon DSLR cameras that come with 18-55mm or 18-70mm lenses will probably want a long zoom to extend their shooting capabilities. The recently-released AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED has been designed specifically to meet this need. Available in black or silver (to match the D50), it can be used for subjects as diverse as candid portraits, sports, nature and wildlife photography. READ FULL REVIEW

Thom Hogan

We’d forgotten about vignetting when we moved to digital SLRs, as the older lenses had much larger image circles than necessary, but with a small DX lens that barely covers the APS-sized sensor, it’s back. Variable aperture, the big issue is that at 200mm this is an f/5.6 lens, which means that autofocus in low light can be compromised slightly. Build quality doesn’t exceed the price point. What happened to AF-S? Much slower to focus than most AF-S lenses, and you can’t manually override the focus. No distance scale. Very good optics. Other than that vignetting, no fatal flaws worth mentioning, actually. Considering the price, good performance, and probably well-matched to the D40, D40x, D50 or D70s, or even D200 purchaser. The VR version is preferred, but the original is no slouch (and now an excellent value). … If that’s what you want with your DSLR, this is a lens you should consider. Just don’t expect 70-200mm type autofocus performance.   READ FULL REVIEW

Pop Photo

Even though it’s the earlier version of VR, to get any VR at this price is a steal. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

VR, Vibration Reduction, is critical. I’d suggest the new Nikon 55-200mm VR instead. This non-VR, and the 18 – 55 mm lens, together are a much better choice optically than a do-everything lens like Tamron’s 18 – 200 mm. The Nikon two-lens combo has none of the heinous distortion of the Tamron, also both Nikkors together would cost the same as a do-everything lens. Of course if distortion doesn’t bother you and you’d rather never change lenses, then have a look at the Tamron. For half the price you can get the 70 -300 G, which is more lens. I’d probably get the 70 – 300 G instead, since I want the longer zoom range although the 70 – 300 gets soft at 300 mm. READ FULL REVIEW

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