The usual online stores are usually sold out on the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens. I heard that local retailers often get a few each month, so I ordered one from San Jose Camera in Campbell last weekend.
To my surprise, I got a call Tuesday morning saying that it was in. That’s fast … about one business day after I ordered it.
San Jose Camera doesn’t charge a mark-up on popular back-ordered items like some stores.
So today I picked it up. It’s smaller and lighter than I thought. It comes with the HB-35 plastic hood and a bag, but takes 72mm filters. It’s nice that Nikon still includes accessories – Canon only does that with their L-series lenses.
We’ll see how I like it on my D200. But then I’ve never had a Nikon lens where I didn’t like the image quality, although some of the AF-S zooms have a weird cam-like feel when you zoom them.
I also played with the Canon Rebel XTi and 17-55mm f2.8 IS lens. (I’ve been thinking of getting a toy DSLR to play with since my 30D with grip is big for grab shots.)
The Rebel XTi body is the same size as the older XT – very small and toy-like. The lens is a big, heavy, fast, pro-like EF-S lens that would block the flash coverage. Randal has this lens and loves it on his 20D – it’s great for flashless indoor candids.