Hi Jan,


Thanks for your reply and kind words!


You have asked very pertinent questions for background that I should have included in the original post, but left out because I thought I was already saying too much!


- What kind of photographer are you? occasional shooter or more
serious plans?
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]For all intents I am a newbie. Back in high school I had a Pentax K1000 and then a Minolta XG-7 (am I dating myself?) and had an active interest in photography. I even had my own dark room. After college I switched to point and shoots, and didn't look back at SLR's until recently. Let's say I am an ambitious amateur who has basic knowledge of how SLR's work and wants to grow.


- What are the subjects you'd like to take photos of?
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]At this point, mainly be a recreational photography (vacations, landscapes, my kid's ballgames, etc.)


- What do you expect from a lens? Sharpness? Zoom and versatility?
Strong back- and foreground differentiation? (wide aperture) etc etc
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]Sharpness is important, but I don't have a L level budget. I'd like to have a fairly strong zoom capability (hence the 18-200mm), but might be willing to sacrifice the longer range, knowing that I could do some decent cropping with 18mp images (is that right?).
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]At this point in my development, I don't really want to carry multiple lenses such as a 15-85mm and a 70-200mm. From what I understand though, the 18-200mm is not very good at producing sharp images at the full 200mm. Also, as I mentioned before, the angle of view change from 135-200mm, isn't that dramatic to my eyes.
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]I really like the idea of strong back and foreground differentiation, as I've been learning about bokeh and how when done properly, with a good lens, you can get beautiful results. I may at some point get a fast 50mm prime.


- Have you got problems with post-processing and editing your
photos(cropping etc)? Or do you expect clear results straight from the
camera? (speaking of composition, not image quality)
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"]I have a basic knowledge of post-processing. I don't trust myself at this point with adjusting color, sharpness, vignetting and such, but don't have a problem with cropping. Ultimately, I'd like to develop my composition skills so that minimal cropping is needed to get a nice result.


I hope that provides a bit more context on my situation. I'm feeling a strong pull toward the 15-85mm for the better quality build, USM, and sharper images, but I'm concerned about loosing the extra focal length that the 18-200mm provides. Currently my budget is for only one lens (in addition to the kit lens).


Thanks again for any suggestions or thoughts!


Randy