Nikkor 55-200 vs 18-200mm - weight & balance difference ?

Hey folks,

My first post, so "Greetings & Salutations" to y'all !!

I'm also new D5100 owner and have 2 lenses 18-55 & 18-200 VR AF-S. I was looking to switch to an 18-200mm lens for convenience, but noticed soe reports stating that, although a few mm shorter than the 55-200, it is by ~230g heavier. The 55-200 feels well balanced and I was wondering if anyone has tried both on the D5100 and whether they felt a significance difference in handling and whether the 18-200 is well balanced on the D5100?

Thx

rockblock said:

Hey folks,

My first post, so "Greetings & Salutations" to y'all !!

I'm also new D5100 owner and have 2 lenses 18-55 & 18-200 VR AF-S. I was looking to switch to an 18-200mm lens for convenience, but noticed soe reports stating that, although a few mm shorter than the 55-200, it is by ~230g heavier. The 55-200 feels well balanced and I was wondering if anyone has tried both on the D5100 and whether they felt a significance difference in handling and whether the 18-200 is well balanced on the D5100?

Thx

Click to expand...

I have the 18-55, 55-200 18-200.and 50-1.8f I am finding the 18-200 in on camera most of the time. For me it does all the two kit lens do without having to change around all the time, not that there anything wrong with them.

The 18-200mm is indeed a heavy lens compared to what's in your arsenal at the moment.
The question really comes down to, do you 'really need' it (aside from the convenience), or maybe you could spend that money on a prime and maybe a flash instead?

The convenience alone makes it a very good appeal though, and depending on your budget, you may even want to consider the newer 18-300mm instead?

Hi Folks, thx for your feedback

Yes, only reason I was looking at the 18-200 was convenience...but it does come at a price (more expensive), as well as my biggest concern is the extra weight that the 18-200 will put on the D5100, which is a rather small/light camera - if the 18-200 won't balance well on the D5100 and will tend to tip forward when fully extended, I might pass

I did also look at the 18-300, but again, this would be even heavier than the 18-200; also I've heard that I won't be gaining much, as anything between 200-300mm range will not produce sharp images