Nikkor 55-200mm G AF-S VR Lens

I bought this lens to complement my 18-55mm kit lens, which came with my Nikon D40. This lens is meant for Nikon DX (crop sensor) format SLRs. This feature makes it useful for shooting wildlife & distant objects as 200mm on this lens equals to 300mm of full format sensor.

The lens is almost okay in sunlight but gets soft in low light. You should not open it to it's largest aperture and keep the shutter speed as high as possible for sharper pictures. Besides this the lens is okay and it boasts a very good feature ie, VR (Vibration Reduction), which is a very good thing as it allows you to go almost 3 stops slower.This feature is also very good for handheld photography. One more nice point of the lens is that it is very light in weight.

Hope this review helps you in making your decision.

NIkon D40 Review

Pros:

Light, easy to use, inexpensive, very good LCD, RGB Histogram

Cons:

Lack of built in autofocus motor, 6.0 mp, no live view, no swivel screen

I bought this camera in late May this year and have shot some 5000 snaps with it. I had owned film SLRs, rangefinders & digital compacts before this.

If you don’t want to pinch your pocket much & also want to keep your family happy by not spending much on a camera, you should buy this as it will quench your thirst for a good interchangeable lens SLR camera.

I have 18-55 & 55-200vr lens, which almost suffice my need of macro, landscapes & wildlife photography. I got all this stuff within Rs.32,000/-.  No other competitor offers anything in this price range.

You can also use DX & Full-Frame lenses on this body. Though keep in mind that only lenses with built in motor will autofocus or you will be left with manual focus only.

It is only (for some people) 6.1 mp, but the images are good even after cropping & I’ve printed some images in 8"x12" size.

The camera is very easy to handle. But new guys to SLR photography should remember that only latest SLR cameras offer live view like digital compacts and this camera lacks it. You can only compose through the viewfinder.

Though for my kind of work i.e., macros, I sorely miss live view & swivel screen.

But of course, I’ve no regrets as this camera offers much more than a simple shooter expects and the results are stunning; which brings smile on the faces of family & friends.