Thanks, Reg. I guess I'll just keep my 70-200 VR lens and put up with the
added 2lbs. I appreciate the link.
--

John, I would hope you would make your decision on some better source than
the laughable "test" done by the original poster to the Nikonians forum. If
you read all the posts in that thread, you would see a common theme that
there was something seriously wrong with either the "tester's" technique or
his lens. The 18-200 shots of the card file he uses for his analysis are a
complete disaster, and not indicative of a number of 18-200 photos posted
later in the thread by others, or certainly of my own experience. Geez,
even Harry admitted that the boat in the Breezy Point photo was "sharp as a
tack", and I would agree. No sane person would ever try and put the 18-200
at the same level of the 70-200 in terms of optical quality or build
quality. Of course they're not at the same level of price and bulk, either.
If you really research this lens, you'll find that the vast majority of
owners are quite happy with it. Personally, I find the freedom offered by
the extended range of the lens to be quite liberating. But then I shoot
photos simply for the personal joy of it. I don't make my living with
photography, and I'm not looking to win any technical awards. So anything
that makes the experience more enjoyable is a positive. The 18-200 is
simply a delight to shoot with. Mine hasn't been off the camera since I got
it. Well worth the $692 I paid for it. I would think that lens on your
D200 would be a nearly unbeatable combination. I'll be giving the D80 a
hard look later this year.