So the Mrs. and I will be globe trotting again soon and I'm looking for thoughts on the 18-200mm lens options out there. For the last two trips we went on, I didn't take an SLR and regret it a bit now. Instead of packing a lot of gear I'm looking for that elusive do it all lens.

It seems an f/3.5 18-200'ish lens is a great option. I might also pack a 50mm f/1.4 for low light stuff.

I'm a Nikon shooter and really dig Sigma lenses. Thoughts or experience with this kind of setup while traveling light?

I am one of those that wants the same quality on my vacas as I do on a paid job...I tried doing a point and shoot and even tho it shot raw,
it just did not me the same punch ... ... in the film days I carried the same gear on vaca as I did for paid jobs also... so I carry 2 bodies and have a film body for back up,
Nikon and 24-70f2.8 Sigma and 70-200f2.8 Nikkor ... ... I love Sigma lenses have shot them over 30yrs...but whn I came back to Nikon Digital, I went for the 70-200nikkor,
but in all honesty for me I do not see enough difference to have warranted the extra in cost between the Sigma and Nikkor (it is a VR1) ...
So if you like Sigma's then go for them they can save you money... ... ... I do not own any Sigmas that have the OS ... ... all mine are just sim[ply DG EX lenses no OS or HSM...
I ditched my 18-200 a long time ago... I'm just not crazy about variable aperture zoom lenses (only one that I currently use the Sigma 50-500 always shooting at f6.3-11 at 300-500mm.
the newish Nikkor 24-120f4 would be a good lens but I shoot the sigmas due to their close focus ability at all focal lengths ...where my Nikkor has a close focus of approx 6 feet, the Sigma 70-210, I sold with my KM kit has a closest focus of around 20 inches ... ... and I very seldom need VR/OS due to the fact I carry a tripod or monopod 99.9% of the time.

Good Luck.

Thanks Art, I've also shot in RAW with my P7000 and Sigma DP1 with fairly good results. But as you say there is no replacement for an SLR. I've dragged my SLR to lots of countries but after experimenting with my nice point and shoots it's time to go back to the SLR. I'm hesitant about the variable aperture as well, but it's better than any P&S.

I usually take my f/2.8 18-50mm Sigma and f/2.8 70-200mm and sometimes 12-24 and/or prime 50. The idea of one or two lenses at most is nice!

Nick,

Nice shots in your slideshow, i think you should just go for the Nikon 18-200 VR its a good walk around lens for your D300. If you could go somewhere to try it and compare for yourself against the Sigma 18-250 and others. Brand is up to you of course, just saying that, i believe you would be pleased with a variable aperture lens in that range for your trips.

IMO, I've tried others but always seem to go back to the Nikon.

And note Art's reply on focus distance, it seems that the 3rd party lens have the advantage over Nikon.

Happy and Safe Travels to you.....

AFTER THOUGHT: I forgot to post why I want my lenses to focus as close as possible....I do my cropping in camera...I started this with film... I cropped in cam so I knew what I had in my chosen aspect ratio of prints...with film I shot and cropped for the 4x5 aspect ratio (4x5, 8x10, 16x20 and so on... ... that is what I offered) and now I mostly shoot for the 3x2 aspect ratio of the sensor (3x2, 4x6, 8x12 and so on) .. ... ... I do not shoot loose so that I can crop in post, so for that I need to beable to get close focus of a few inches a lot of times and I hate changing lenses when working... ... ... shooting.

Good Luck ... ...

I have Canon's 18-200 and adore it! We originally purchased for a Mediteranean cruise. I had just purchased a 50D, and my wife wanted to use the 30D. But she said she wanted only one lens, and wasn't going to lug around a backpack like me. I bought the 18-200, and she thoroughly enjoyed it! I now use it if I take my camera, and just want to be flexible, or don't want to carry extra gear. Also, discovered that Lightroom's auto lens correction does a nice job fixing the widest angle shots.

Thanks for all the input, I just ordered the Sigma f/35 18-200mm. Looking forward to packing light and seeing what this lens can do! I'll report back with travel pics in a few weeks :)

Btw, in Belgium at the moment and enjoying having the lens! This pic not taken with the new lens, but we are enjoying ourselves. More pics to follow soon!

My Travel bag is my D300 or D7000 Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 28-300mm f3.5-5.6(which is far better than my 18-200mm) AF-S50mm f1,8 G Tokina 50-135 f2.8 11-16mm f2.8 Sigma 30mm f1.4 Those will all fit in my smallest Lowepro bag. If I want to lighten it I might drop a couple depending on where I am going and if I need a flash
If I had to go with just one lens it would be the 28-300mm but then I could probably fit in 11-16mm f2.8 or 30mm f1.4