With the next overseas trip coming up and not wanting to take any heavy expensive lenses, Mongo looked at alternatives. The Tamron 24-135 SP and the Nikkor 55-200 VR came to mind as pure travel lenses. Read really good and interesting things about both. So, Mongo bought both in as new used condition - Tamron $170) and Nikkor $150.


The Tamron is intended as a one lens travel unit for when the D800 comes to be.


In the interim, Mongo is taking his 11-18mm Tamron plus the 55-200mm Nikkor as a 2 lens travel kit with his D200 crop sensor camera. This should give effectively about 16mm to 300mm (with a missing gap between 29mm and 85mm). It will have to do for now.


So testing the nikkor today, Mongo agrees it is a little slow but quite workable. The sharpness it is supposed to have - it has ! Processed the following more or less the same as any other image. Not bad at all for what Mongo needs for the trip and it does not matter if it falls off a cliff in the process - it is quickly and cheaply replaced.


Much more on this lens (and the other one later - post trip). What do you think of the result for the intended purpose ?


Details:- Nikkor 55-200mm VR @190mm; 1/800th @f10; ISO400; D200
test-bird-55-200mm.jpg