That's a fine lens. I very briefly considered it over the much less
expensive 70-300 ED. I wouldn't have missed very much the last 100mm
that the 70-300 offers, and would have loved to have the VR and the
speed of that bad boy. But ultimately, I wasn't willing to schlep
around a lens with that much bulk to it and wasn't in the mood to lay
down that much dinero either. But this new 18-200 hits a sweet spot
for me. Perfect walkaround range, high quality, reasonably compact,
and a reasonable price point between the budget-priced 70-300 ED and
the $1,000+ higher end lenses. It's not blazing fast, but with VR and
the D70's ability to shoot well at higher ISO ratings, it's fast
enough. Nikon's gonna sell a boatload of them.