Nikon's most Overlooked Lens: Nikon 55-200vr

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If you are like me, a photographer on a budget, buying expensive lenses are what dreams are made of.

My first lens when I bought my Nikon D80 was the 55-200vr. The picture on the left was taken with it.

This is the cheapest vr lens that Nikon has to offer, and perhaps the least purchased. Many opt for the 18-200vr that costs about 3x more.

Before I purchased this lens, I did some heavy thinking. And these were my thoughts:

The reviews are OK, but not spectacular, and try to point you to the 18-200vr. This is likely to be an entry level lens. Some of the reviews said the focus was too soft. Then I looked at images this lens takes, and was wowed.

Then I started to think counter-intuitively: This lens may not have the lens range that the 18-200vr has, but that also means there will be less compromise in lens quality, concentrating on a shorter range.

Now, after a year of using this lens, it is a favorite. The bokeh (the unfocused background) is superb. In fact, I think it produces the best bokeh of any lens that I have, a stunning bokeh as exhibited in the picture above. I have not seen this in images that the 18-200 produces, and it makes for some very impressive photographs.

If you are the fence about this lens like I was, I can tell you Nikon does not disappoint with this wonderful lens. I love the bokeh, and the colors are so vibrant, and the printed pictures are awesome.



By the way, if you buy this lens through one of the ads on this page, you are helping support this blog and my photography.