■AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED. This lens has been sold
as a kit lens for intermediate amateur-level Nikons, and some retailers with stock
on hand are packaging it with the D7000 body as well. While decent, it’s really best
suited for the crowd who buys one do-everything lens and then never purchase
another. Available for less than $300, you won’t tie up a lot of money in this lens.
There’s no VR, so, for most, the 18-105mm VR lens is a better choice.
■AF-S DX VR II Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED.I owned the orig-
inal version of this lens for about three months, and decided it really didn’t meet
my needs. That version was introduced as an ideal “kit” lens for the Nikon D200
a few years back, and, at the time had almost everything you might want. The new
VR II version is much better, with improved sharpness at the telephoto end, and
David Busch’s Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography352
Figure 11.4 Nikon’s 16-85mm VR lens provides an
excellent range from wide angle to short telephoto.
Figure 11.5 Nikon’s 18-70mm lens, if you can find
one, is very sharp and very affordable.