13. In Practice, Continued

As for the Nikon 18-200mm VR, it performed very well at all apertures and all focal lengths, though it can't really compare with a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom at the longest focal lengths. The latter has better overall sharpness over the full frame and very low chromatic aberration. The strong point of the 18-200 VR is naturally the stabilization system, which proved really effective at producing clear images at speeds you wouldn't have thought possible. Bear in mind, of course, that image stabilization only reduces blurring due to camera shake; it won't help at all if you are trying to freeze in place a moving subject.

Shot taken with the 18-200 VR at 1/20 s and 200 mm (300 mm equivalent!) focal length - without a tripod or other support!

The 18-200 VR can produce some remarkably sharp images; this is a RAW image converted with Nikon Capture.

Naturally, it's possible to use older lenses without much difficulty. Of course it's not ideal with the most common focal lengths, where the absence of autofocus will be a handicap for many types of shooting. But it's quite worthwhile when you need to use special, non-standard lenses.

Architectural detail shot with a Tamron 500mm f/8 (750 mm equivalent), hand-held.

Again with the Tamron 500mm f/8, a contemporary sculpture that would have been inaccessible with standard focal lengths.