I'm looking for a cheap 18-200mm f/ 2.8 nikon lens

I own a Nikon D5000, I'm currently using a 18-200mm f/4.5-5.6. With this lens i mainly photograph horses on the move and show jumping.
70% of the time i'm indoors with less than perfect light. I'm having problems with keeping the ISO/ noise low and getting sharp crisp shots!
I don't think a flash could help me that much, correct me if i'm wrong.

What sites are good for cheap lenses?

Thanks

Added (1). 18-200mm f/ 2.8, I'm mistaken. -70-200mm f/ 2.8

Well Becky, I've got bad news for you. I shoot sports, often indoors or at night, under low-light conditions. There's no 18-200mm f/2.8. Period.

My 18-200mm f/4.5-5.6 is a nice walkaround lens, but it stays home when I'm on an assignment. Instead, I carry an Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 as my optics of choice.

Your assumption is correct. ISO noise, fast enough shutterspeeds, and crisp images are impossible indoors with the lens you have. A faster lens or lenses would be your answer. But an 18-200mm f/2.8 hasn't appeared on the shelves and probably won't, unless people are ready for a huge price tag.

There's NO such lens

The 18-200 mm VR lens is a f/3.5 ~ f/5.6 lens

Nikon makes a 70-200 mm f/2.8, $2, 400

Of the two the 18-200 mm is certainly the least expensive

Nikon makes a nice 200-400 mm f/4 lens, but it costs even more

When I shoot basketball, volleyball and other indoor sports, I use a 300 f/2.8 and 24-70 mm f/2.8 and I have to shoot at 3200 ISO to be able to shoot at 1/500th second or faster.

When I process my camera RAW images, I reduce the noise in Adobe Lightroom before I same them as high quality JPEG files

Here is a sample shot taken at night under stadium lighting

Lol

You can look for the Tamron & Sigma 70-200mm f/2, 8 they are the only one cheap out there.

Here is the Tamron
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...Di_LD.html

Here is the Sigma
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...II_EX.html

Another one but more expensive http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...EX_DG.html

Be aware of phishing site on the web, if the prices are to low it should ring a bell to you that something ain't right.

For the D5000, get either the AF-S 80-200mm f2.8G, or the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 EX DG HSM (the one WITHOUT OS).

The one issue you have is without an internally focusing motor on your camera, your selection is going to be limited.

The cheapest one is probably going to be the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 which is about $800 right now. It is the non-VR version. It is less expensive than your 18-200 at least. The price just went down $150, so I'm thinking they are about to cease production, so you may want to purchase one soon.

The VR version is some $1, 500 or so, which is a lot of extra money for VR.

And it won't replace your 18-200 for all purposes, so don't worry about having two lenses and never using them both.

I have a D90 with the Nikon 18-200 and Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8. Unfortunately, you will not be able to autofocus that lens as it requires an in-camera focus motor as it is not an AF-S. However, even if you could autofocus one, a 10 year old Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 is going to probably cost as much or more than a new Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, as good lenses do not depreciate as much as cameras.

Nikon did make an AF-S version of the 80-200 that would autofocus on your camera. But they only made them for a short period of time about 8yrs ago, and even if you can find one, they are about $1, 200 used.

But the 80-200, or even any 70-200 f/2.8 lens, whether it be a Nikon or Sigma is big, bulky, and heavy, so you will only be using it whenever it is necessary.

I use my 80-200 only when I need it for sports or fast action, and otherwise use my 18-200 in normal situations as it is lighter, more compact, and has more wide angle capability.

On vacation, when I want to travel light, I leave the 80-200 at home. But when I go to a hockey game, the 80-200 goes with me. So in a sense, it is a specialty lens for me.

If you are looking for new on a budget, the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 will probably be your best bet.

http://www.althephoto.com