e_dawg
Storage Freak
Anyone have any thoughts on what I should purchase as a single-lens travel solution? I have a Nikon D40 with the 18-55 kit lens. I find the 18-55 is decent when stopped down, and I love how compact and lightweight it is (205 g) -- a definite plus when carrying it around all day. However, I find that I am not getting enough range on the telephoto end.
Lenses I'm looking at:
1. 18-135, $300 US, 385 g (lighter, cheaper, 1 lens, no VR)
2. 18-200 VR, $750 US, 560 g (more expensive, 1 lens, VR, heavy)
3. 55-200 VR, $250 US, 335 g (cheaper, VR, would have to carry 2 lenses)
Optically, the 18-135 is very sharp under most situations, but suffers from a bit more chromatic aberration (CA), vignetting, and distortion than average. The 18-200 is sharp when stopped down a bit, and suffers from an average amount of CA, vignetting, and distortion that one would expect of a wide-range zoom. But what really separates the 18-200 from the 18-135 is the VR image stabilization that is claimed to be good for 4 stops. That and the weight.
So, a couple questions to the gallery:
1. How much success have you had with post-processing the CA, vignetting, and distortion out of your images, and how much time / trouble is it?
2. How much do you think I would miss the VR and extra tele range of the 18-200 if I got the 18-135 instead? I would prefer a lighter lens.
Thoughts? What setup do you use for travel?
Lenses I'm looking at:
1. 18-135, $300 US, 385 g (lighter, cheaper, 1 lens, no VR)
2. 18-200 VR, $750 US, 560 g (more expensive, 1 lens, VR, heavy)
3. 55-200 VR, $250 US, 335 g (cheaper, VR, would have to carry 2 lenses)
Optically, the 18-135 is very sharp under most situations, but suffers from a bit more chromatic aberration (CA), vignetting, and distortion than average. The 18-200 is sharp when stopped down a bit, and suffers from an average amount of CA, vignetting, and distortion that one would expect of a wide-range zoom. But what really separates the 18-200 from the 18-135 is the VR image stabilization that is claimed to be good for 4 stops. That and the weight.
So, a couple questions to the gallery:
1. How much success have you had with post-processing the CA, vignetting, and distortion out of your images, and how much time / trouble is it?
2. How much do you think I would miss the VR and extra tele range of the 18-200 if I got the 18-135 instead? I would prefer a lighter lens.
Thoughts? What setup do you use for travel?