Nikon VR or VRII ? ?

Question

I'm looking for a VR lens to replace my 18-135mm kit lens. My only problem is that i have seen some VRII lenses advertised very cheaply but how would i be able to tell that they are not selling an old VR lens as opposed to a VRII. I mean i have not even seen it state on the lens VRII only VR on both types?

I saw this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/408518-USA/Nikon_2159_18_200mm_f_3_5_5_6G_ED_IF_AF_S.html

I also saw this one for $499, but the advertisement stated VR, but in the specs it said VRII.

Answer 1

The lens you're looking at, the Nikon 18-200mm VR, is a VRII lens.  I have one and love the VR feature.  Nowhere on the lens is it marked "VRII", but that's the only version Nikon makes.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/...

I hope this also helps to end the confusion and reassure you.

http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00KB...

http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopi...

Is it worth it?  Does it work?  Absolutely - yes!  Last summer I used my 18-200mm VR while touring China.  The VRII helped me capture great images while bouncing along country roads in a small tourbus.  It also let me capture great images without a tripod.  Here's a brief example of what it can do.

http://www.odi.ch/weblog/posting.php?pos...

Answer 2

I would recommend looking up the specifics first on the Nikon site to see if a VRII variant is available for the lens, if you haven't referred to the lists already.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/...

If there is a VRII variant, then probably it's best to contact the retailer to confirm. With a reputed retailer like B&H Photovideo, you can rest assured that they are not playing any games. You will get what they are promising you.

Sometimes they would use images from the old product because they may not have received the latest marketing material from Nikon. So don't worry too much about the image. Go with the description.