Which Zoom Lens for a Nikon D40

Hey All, I Have A Nikon 105mm Vr For My D40x. It's The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread!!! I Didn't Want To Pay The Price But That Vr Is Well Worth It For Me. I'm Old And Getting Very Shakey. Without Vr I Must Use A Tripod All The Time, With Vr I Am Able To Hand Hold Most Of The Time. I Assume Vr On A Zoom Works As Well As On A Fixed Focual But What Do I Know. As To A Non-nikon Lens, I've Always Used Nikon Lenses And Been Happy With Them. Well, Except For The Price But Then I Can't Get Any Lens For What I Really Want To Pay. Another Thing To Consider In One Word - Used. Just My Two Cents Worth.

Well after a lot of thoughts, I've gone for the Sigma APO 70-300. Hope its the right choice. Think I may invest in a fixed length telephoto at a later date aswell once i have a bit more knowledge and experience to see what i need.
Thanks for the advice.
Tony

Hi All

I bought the 55-200 but now wish I'd up it a bit more but there you go.

I'll have to save the pennies.

Len

I'm late to this post but i have a 70-300 VR Nikon. The vibration reduction works very well. As was stated earlier, if you are using a tripod you don't need VR. The times you do need VR you will be glad you spent the extra for it. Len, you can sell that 55-200 for a good price on Ebay after you saved some money. Then go for the VR.

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Nikon D8o Nikkor 18-135 f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR Hoya circular polarizer

I have just bought a Sigma 18-200mm 1:3.5-6.3 HSM with optical stabilizer for my D40X today.

The test will come at dusk when I shall zoom in at a distant subject with no tripod.....

The camera weighs twice as much now

We will look forward to hearing how you got on.

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Nikon User
Beacon Images - last updated 29th June

After a very short test I will say the following.
Under normal circumstances you can zoom in with the optical stabilizer on and capture an image that you might otherwise miss if you had to set up a tripod. It seems to be good if you were to take photos of sport or wildlife. It's usable in failing light up to a point, beyond that you need a tripod.
You can't beat a tripod if you have the time to set one up.
It's another tool to have in your bag, good to have if you need it, but not essential.

The lens is quiet with the OS off, a little noisy and jumpy with it on.
After using the kit lens I find that I tend to move the focus ring unintentionally. It can't be doing it any good when it's in AF.

I reserve the right to change my mind as I get used to it