18–200 VR is a sweet lens, it just amazes me that you can get something from that wide to that much zoom with so little fringing or anything, I slightly understand glass… but not that much!
55–200 vr is what I have and love it, along with my 18–55 it makes for a perfect package.
Here is where most people go wrong, Ken Rockwell has what he has for the 18–200 VR, but there is one problem with that lens… it isn’t very sharp, I took pictures with a D300 with that lens and the sharpness didn’t even compare to my D40 with my 55–200, even stopping down the 18–200 @200mm it didn’t even come close to my 55–200 wide open.
Same goes at the 18–55mm range, those dinky 18–55 lenses are insanely sharp if you stop them down a few stops it becomes rediculous.
The question is what are you going for, a do it all lens, or do you have the time to switch lenses and do all that mess and have to worry about getting your sensor dirty?
I clean my sensor once every two months or so just from dust coming up onto it (yes i know all the tricks, i hold my camera down etc.) anyways, if you plan on taking ultra sharp pictures of say nature, then deffinitely go for the 18–55 and 55–200 which together are cheaper anyways, but if you need a do it all then get the 18–200 it’s just fine for taking family pictures.
Here’s a good way of putting it, if you take pictures in Auto or P mode.. get the 18–200, if you don’t then get the 18–55 and 55–200