DSLRUsers.com

this is [sort of] post number two on 'quality control' theme:

...a number of years ago, I bought an 18-200 direct from Nikon, and always thought the zoom movement was a bit stiff, but put that down to the exceptional focal range i.e. wondered if the reason might be something to do with the 'magical' 50mm transition point - ie that somehow the lens movement would have to work hard going from wide-angle range [ie <50] to telephoto range [ie 50+] and that this would explain why it always seemed pretty stiff, however IQ was also never great and this lens ended up spending a lot of time in the cupboard...

Ok, so fast forward a few years [actually about 5-6], to a week ago, when I read an article from a super scientific guy [multiple PhD's etc] who owns one of the major lens rental companies in the US for pro-photographers - talking all about manufacturing tolerances and the cost/quality 'trade-off' that camera co's/lens makers have to make...

Decided to take said 18-200 into a high-quality photo repairer - senior technician took one look at it and pronounced pretty much 'stuffed' ie no, "movement should never feel like that" [final diagnosis upcoming but presumably lens barrel] - and remember this one was bought direct from Nikon!

Bear in mind that I've been an exceptionally loyal Nikon user for years, right from early Nikormatt, so no personal axe to grind.

Thoughts?

Let’s face it feldy, lenses come in two flavours - consumer and pro.

The price point of the 18-200 puts it very much into the consumer bracket. One also has to consider the focal range of this lens - very ambitious. This is not to say that there should be inherent problems with any purchase but is does come down to the old adage - you get what you pay for.

I'd agree with Chris. The 18-200 was a budget lens but they weren't all bad. I've used a couple and they were optically pretty good but did feel a bit ordinary when it came to build quality. Try and avoid lenses with huge zoom ranges as they are more complex to construct. Suggest you try and pick up an 80-200mm F2.8 Nikkor zoom second hand on Ebay. Built like a tank and optically excellent.

It does sound strange, I have yet to encounter a Nikkor 18-200 with this sort of movement, but I have definitely seen it in other makes (where a bit of stiffness is normal at the transition point). But consumer grade is consumer grade unfortunately.