My D3200 came with the 55-200 and I have to say that it’s a pretty good lens and yes, the VR does help…but don’t expect perfection (pictures can/will still come out blurry).* I took some pretty decent pics of a show (darker lighting) and a parade (outdoor, indirect sunlight) at Disneyland where I tried out different settings with that lens.* I wish that I could tell you definitively that the VR makes a big difference but I can’t because I only shoot with the VR on (no non-VR pics to compare against).* However, I can’t see how the VR wouldn’t help.
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I also have the 55-300 and I have to tell you that even with the VR I do get very mixed results (even with a tripod).* The 300 is pretty good in direct sunlight on a clear day without a tripod (I set the camera on my bent knee for support while sitting on a chaise lounge)—but not magazine quality for sure.* In an opposite situation, I had a difficult time taking pics of my 5 y/o daughter in a gym during her basketball class even with VR and a tripod because there just wasn’t enough light and the lens doesn’t seem to be fast enough (but I’m only a beginner so it could be that I suck). But in either case, I’m pretty sure that it must be difficult shooting with a 300 mm zoom in those conditions without a tripod or VR. *What situations are you shooting in?
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Yes, autofocus helps a LOT but I was surprised to see that the AF can stutter in mediocre light (the gym situation for me).* The 300 struggled to focus when the aperture was small in the gym—even when the ISO was set to 6400.* I can’t remember exactly but I don’t think I was able to go above 10 without the AF going nuts.
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There’s a pretty significant difference in reach between the 55-200 and 55-300 so be prepared if you go to the 200 because you might be disappointed to see how much zoom you lose.
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