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After one month of shooting (about 2000 actuations) on an assignment in Japan the zoom stopped working smoothly, then stopped working at all. It's more than annoying to spend almost $1000 on a lens that fails. That should have been my first clue.
I'm sending it to Nikon's repair facility tomorrow and we'll see what happens. This is the first Nikkor lens I have had in 26 years of shooting that has given me any sort of trouble. Hopefully they will repair it quickly.
When I bought this lens I noticed that it was made in Thailand. I have a lot of other Nikkor lenses that are much more solidly made, but some of them can only be used in the manual mode on my digital cameras. I guess I was do.
Like all the "newer" Nikkors it is made with a lot of plastic. It also will not stop up or down.
When I bring the camera up for a shot, the lock is easy to switch off with my left thumb, so it's just one small adjustment among many I've had to make to accommodate a more complex and more capable camera.I would say to those new to dSLRs, buy whatever Nikon camera body you like and get this lens at the same time. I need a lens that can do it all and do it well.I agree that the lens-creep issue is a problem, but it is a manageable one. When I'm not shooting, I lock the lens, even though at 18mm the lens doesn't creep yet. I'm not a pro, but my hobby requires me to take a lot of pictures. Yeah, it's not cheap, but it's a lens that will more than meet your needs until you become a more sophisticated shooter and beyond. I have no regrets.For someone who used an image-stabilized, super-zoom point and shoot, the D3000 and this lens is the perfect upgrade. I've been working with point and shoots in the year I've been involved in this activity and I just couldn't deal with the shutter-lag and other limitations of the cameras I was using, so I made the jump to a dSLR, the Nikon D3000.It was an excellent choice, but the 18-55mm kit lens, while a good lens in it's own right, just didn't have the flexibility necessary to get the shots I need and frequently changing out lenses is just not an option.Almost every professional reviewer has lauded this lens, while noting its compromises, so I bought it even though it was a stretch for my monthly budget. I can see that eventually I will want a wider lens for special purposes, but until that time comes, this is the perfect choice.
The only complaint I have is that when I point up or down the lens will start expanding or pulling back on its own based on the gravitational force. Nikon's VR technology is also really good. I expected to be able to set this lens to a certain barrel length and have it stay there until I changed it. When pointing straight, this lens is a fantastic zoom. It's good with focusing and is relatively quick.
I wanted faster lenses, Prime lenses, etc. When I first started with DSLR photography I was stoked about this lensI got it and could not be happier. If i wanted zoom I wanted something further.Also since i will be moving up to the FX body soon this lens will be useless since it is a DX lens.As a customer decide if what you plan on doing is moving up in photography and taking it to another level,or being happy with prosumer DSLRs with DX lenses.If it is the latter, get this lens Otherwise invest in fx lenses that will grow with you and this expensive hobby Since then this lens has sat in my bagI got a feel for how I like my pictures to be taken and what I needed was something faster. 18-200mm fast, take it with me everywhere. It sat on my D40 then my D200Then as a photographer I began to grow.
Buy it NOW. Sorry for the short review but I have had this lens for 3 years and it is hands down the best investment I have made for my camera. you will need no other lens.
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