55-200mm F4-5.6 AF-S VR DX NIKKOR

Nikon 55-200mm 

On average, its users find the Nikon 55-200mm F4-5.6 AF-S VR DX NIKKOR very praktis.Mereka provide very high value for reliability and sturdiness., Moreover, most of them share the same opinion. If you want to make sure that the Nikon 55-200mm F4-5.6 AF-S VR DX NIKKOR is the solution to your problems, make the most of the help and assistance of other Diplofix users.

Moreover, most of them share the same opinion They find that it is very cheap. You'll find the answers to all your questions on the NIKON 55-200mm F4-5.6 AF-S VR DX NIKKOR in the user manual (information, specifications, safety advice, size, accessories, etc.)

We start from the price of the lens. With the current dollar exchange rate, an artificial lens in 2007 are now sold around the nearly 2.2 million dollars. What do you expect from this lens is worth 2.2 million? Looking at the price of the Nikon 70-200mm lenses that reach dozens of millions, and look at the price of 70-300mm Nikon lens over 5 million, would be reasonable if you doubt the quality of this tiny. But make no mistake, behind the cheap price, this lens has a lot of wow-factor that should be found on the lens expensive class.

• VR: this is the main reason I chose this lens (instead of version 55-200mm non VR). Telephoto lens without the stabilizer (such as the Sigma 55-200mm or Tamron 55-200mm) will not be used optimally.
• ED: expensive lens elements that are useful for maintaining sharpness (although there is only one ED lens, compared with 2 ED glass in the lens AF-S 55-200mm non VR).
• AF-S: that can auto focus on D40, D40x and D60. More importantly, it means wearing the AF-S Micro SWM motor in the lens auto focus so the work feels very smooth, fast and accurate. Compare with 55-250mm lens (or even 18-200mm) from Canon which is not equipped with USM motors.
• IF: the focus is not turning or backing advance the front lens element, but rather fully the process of spin occurs in the lens focus. Want to place a CPL filter? Can ..
• SIC: a special coating to prevent flare and ghosting, rather than no lah
• Many bonus: lens cap, rear lens cap, soft pouch and lens-hood (yes, no need to buy a lens hood again ...)
 

Of course to make this as cheap lenses there are some 'adjustments' to be done by Nikon, and these are the things that a compromise to lower the selling price:

 • f/4-f/5.6 maximum aperture, the lens is clearly not quite fast (you do not expect this petite lens has a constant f/2.8 aperture right?)
• DX format (FX format camera user may not glance at this lens ...)
• mounting and plastic lens barrel (lightweight, just like the kit lens 18-55mm and 18-135mm lens)
• no regulatory diafrgama ring (marked with a code letter G)
• without window focus distance information
• AF-S can not be instant manual focus override, coupled with the SWM motor types that are not as good as the more expensive Nikon lenses
• VR is not for panning (unlike the generation VR II)
• 7-blades diafrgama (though non-VR version had a 9-blades)

Before starting the review, consider first the basic specifications of 55-200mm lens is:
• element lens: 15 lenses in 11 groups
• filter size: 52mm
• Minimum aperture: f/22 (wide) to f/32 (telephoto)
• min. focus distance: 1.1 meters (1:4.3 max. reproduction ratio)
• weight: only 335 grams
Let us start review of this lens, starting from the overview.

This is the Nikon 55-200mm lens, the photo above it appears the three kinds of lens position. On the left of the photo appears in the 55mm lens position (zoom out), does not seem there is a prominent element lenses, lens means positioned shortest. In the middle photo looks to be in a position 200mm lens (zoom in), lens elements and lens protrude into visible longer. The third picture right shows a photo which was equipped with a lens hood (supplied in the sales package).

Build quality
Many overseas reviewer who complained about the build quality of this lens. They generally compare the quality of this lens design-build with other Nikon lenses are far more expensive, the barrel and mountingnya made of metal. However, although the lenses are made of plastic material, yet sturdy and solid impression more or less can still be felt. Zoom round was light but steady, at first glance no different from the kit lens. But the difference is the zoom ring on the lens is more comfortable thanks to a wider grip with a soft rubber coating. As well as manual focus ring on the lens kit, very small and located too far forward. This lens is not for those who like manual focus, manual focus ring because the lens is not precise and wear it too troublesome (because they have to shift the lever AM first). Fortunately when the auto fokusing, there is no element of the lens back and forth and spins (as in a lens kit).

Vibration Reduction / VR
This telephoto lens is equipped with a stabilizer in the VR lens, and there is a lever on the lens to activate this VR. When the camera is on tripod, VR is recommended to be disabled. At the lever in position on the VR, when the shutter button down half way, then the VR system will start working. There was the subtle sound of the lens as a sign that the VR system starts working to stabilize the image. Because the VR on the lens system can be directly in the preview in the viewfinder, then we can see the effects of stabilization before the photo was taken (something that can not be done by a DSLR with a stabilizer system in the body). Nikon VR is claimed by the effective working of up to 3 stops, although in real conditions the results can vary. VR system in this lens is the VR type of old, where VR is not smart enough to recognize the movement that suggested when panning panning VR off course.
It should be noted that in view of this lens has a telephoto 55-200mm range (equivalent 85-300mm), then at low shutter function of VR value was sometimes unsuccessful. Remember, at 200mm position required shutter 1 / 200 second without the stabilizer to get blur-free photos. A slight hand-shake at telephoto focal memotet wear will make everything becomes blurred and wavering.

AF-S, SWM and auto focus
Auto focus performance of SWM motor in the lens is pretty mediocre. True if this sounds a micro motor sounds fine, but the business focus speed is not the mainstay of this lens. SWM motor in the lens is not a top-class motor AF-S lenses like the other more expensive, so it takes patience to wait for the camera gets the right focus (and sometimes the camera occasionally must repeat the process because of the difficulty locking focus AF).

Regarding the diaphragm
This lens has a maximum aperture is only f / 4 at 55mm position and smaller until the critical limit of f/5.6 at the 200mm position. The good news is, with the position of the zoom-out at 55mm, this lens maximum aperture of f / 4 is still larger than the position at the 55mm zoom-in on the kit lens (which is only able to open at f/5.6). As with other lenses, the sharpness of the maximum obtained in the range of f / 8 to f/11, even at maximum aperture even sharpness this lens is still very good. The lens is also sharp at all focal length, with a slight decrease in sharpness at 200mm maximum telephoto position (still within tolerable limits). Compare with Sigma 70-300mm lens is at 200mm and above positions have decreased the sharpness of the picture is very real and very soft. To determine the diffraction limit of these lenses use a small aperture on f/16 and a decrease in sharpness seem more real at f/22.