Here are a few photos I took this morning with the new D200 and the 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens.

I still have a lot to learn about how to use this lens, but I can say already that it's amazing.



It focuses very fast and acurately. The only problem I have found has more to do with the fact that I sight with my left eye instead of my right. My nose sometimes bumps the 4-way rocker switch, changing the focus zone unintentionally. There is a handy lock switch though, so I can disable the rocker switch to avoid this problem.

This lens is great for close-ups, but it has a much longer minimum focus distance than my little CoolPix 4500. I have to stand at least a few feet from the subject in order to get it in focus.

70mm isn't exactly wide angle, so I have to stand way back if I want to get anything resembling a wide shot. I can see how the 18-200 VR lens could be more convenient than this one, provided you don't need to take photos in low light.

I do love the lens though. It's so much fun to use.









Some of these shots came out slightly blurry, and I'm not sure why. Maybe the focus was off a bit, but I doubt it. Perhaps the blur is just camera shake; if so, then the vibration reduction isn't perfect. Maybe I can get a sharper shot by upping the ISO and using a faster shutter speed. This is my first SLR, so I'm almost completely new to all of these considerations.







That's all for now. More to come.