[TIM]

My D200 is on it's way, but I don't want to put one of the ****ty D50 kit lenses on it, so looking for a high quality piece of nikon glass, nothing that will need a bond from the bank, but still nice, about equal value to the body, with preferably about 200mm. Anyone got anything or suggest anything in this range?

[Dave]

Well if you want to go up to 200mm I would suggest looking at the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm VR f/2.8G IF-ED . At the wider end of the scale, the Nikon AF-S 17-55mm DX f/2.8 G is supposed to me amazing linked up to the D200. Looking forward to trying mine on the D200 when it arrives in the post

For me I couldn't justify the cost of the Nikon 70-200 lens above, so plumped for the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM , which I am very impressed with.

Of course if you want to show off the maximum image quality , you can't go wrong with the £70 (from HK) Nikon 50mm f/1.8 ...have a look at comparison shots here :- Budget prime vs Premium Zoom vs Pro Zoom lens

Hope this helps

[VikingPhotography]

The best general purpose lens for the D200 is the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 - particularly if you're intending to use your camera outdoors in reasonably good light. The only issue you'll have at the moment is getting a hold of one; it's an incredibly popular lens and is on backorder at most retailers.

If you're looking for better performing glass, then any of the following come highly recommended

17-55mm f/2.8G DX
28-70mm f/2.8D
70-200mm f/2.8G

Hope you find what you're looking for.

[Dave]

VP, I did manage to get hold of a 18-200, but look at the results from my test above. Decided to sell mine straight on, as couldn't justify that lens on top of the others I had just purchased at the time.

[VikingPhotography]

Dave,

I know that, optically speaking, the 18-200mm VR lens doesn't really hold a candle to the mighty 17-55DX... but it does allow for a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to everyday shooting - especially if you only have one camera body and don't want to be switching lenses all the time.

As much as I have a fairly hefty lens lineup, I'm still tempted to get an 18-200VR to bolt on to my D2X as a general purpose lens - especially for holidays and everyday PJ work.

I probably wouldn't use it outside that scope since I have both the 17-55DX and 70-200VR for professional work, but it would be nice for me to be able to take a small bag around with just one body, one flash and one all-purpose lens from time to time

[Dave]

Agree as a walkabout lens it would be hard to beat as a one stop solution