Which zoom lens to buy for Nikon D3100?

[tava]

I have two lenses Nikkor 18-55 and 55-200 and don`t want to carry and change the lenses every time. So, I`m thinking about to buy a 18-200 or 18-250 or 18-270 zoom lens instead of two seperate lenses.

Nikkor 18-200 lens seems quite expensive. Do you recomment a Sigma or a Tamron lens? And which lens do you most recommend.

Thank you for your help.

[TCav]

None of the lenses you've mentioned will give you image quality as high as the lenses you've got. If what you want is more convenience, the Tamron 18-270 is probably the best choice.

[SIMON40]

I recently had the Tamron 18-270(for my Canon 20D) and was pretty impressed...
A pretty darn good all rounder- and the image stabiliser was superb.

[Photomiser]

I went the opposite direction. I carried the Nikon 18-200 for a year; it was nice, but expensive. I traded it in for two lenses, the 18-55 VR and the 70-300 VR and a little cash left over. The 18-55 focuses closer that the 18-200 could. And I found myself always wishing for more on the long end for wildlife.

[tava]

What about buying a Nikkor 18-200mm then?

[TCav]

It's still not as good as the lenses you have.

[tclune]

Originally Posted by tava

What about buying a Nikkor 18-200mm then?

TCav is exactly right -- all of the superzooms have lower IQ than the lenses you have now. However, of the superzooms, the Nikkor 18-200 VR generally tests as the best of the lot in terms of IQ. FWIW.

[Wingman]

Will add my endorsement to the Tamron 18-270 VC..great walk-about lens for my D90 with good image quality at a reasonable price. While I use a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 for much of my aviation photography, here is a sample with the Tamron at 270mm zoom.

[deadshot]

I dont know how well these are going to come through but they are very good at my end.
I have had the 18-200mm a lfew years now and I think it's a great all rounder if you want to travel a bit lighter and not be forever swapping lenses and missing good shot moments.
The fly past shot was at 200mm the bike is 26mm .I have won awards with this lens, it might not be perfect under close scrutiny, unless you spend a lot I doubt if you will get perfection but it's good enough for me.