Conclusion

Optically, the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II is better than we expected it to be based on its budget price tag. Centre sharpness, in particular, is good at most focal lengths, although you have to stop down to f/11 to get acceptable results at 200mm. Edge sharpness lags behind somewhat, but that's perhaps to be expected for a consumer-grade lens. Bokeh is attractive, vignetting is well-controlled, chromatic aberrations aren't too bad at all, and cose-up performance is also pretty decent for a non-macro lens.

The picture isn't quite as rosy when it comes to features, though. Yes, the lens offers Vibration Reduction but there are no separate Active and Normal modes as on the more expensive models. Yes, it's an AF-S lens but it's one of the slowest-focusing ones at that. Shooting sports, kids and action in general can thus be a challenge with this lens. Also, focusing isn't internal, meaning the length of the lens changes and the filter thread rotates on focus. Thankfully, there is full-time manual focus override.

In conclusion, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II lens is a fairly good choice if you are looking for an affordable telephoto lens, but if you wish to shoot fast-moving subjects on a regular basis or you want better image quality, you might want to look elsewhere...

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	3.5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	3.5
Value for money	4