Buying a Nikon D80 - do I need to buy VR lenses?

Question

As the D80 doesn't have the built in anti-shake feature how much does this matter? Of course I will use a tripod sometimes but I do more walk around photography. I don't think the D200 has this built in either though does it?

This is the lens I think would be great for most of my photography hence my question about camera shake:
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX

Answer 1

I use the 17-55mm on a D200 and I've never wished I had VR on it. (None of the Nikon bodies have VR built in.)
The maximum zoom of 55mm (effectively 83mm) is pretty short so camera shake isn't that big of a deal. When you're using 200mm lenses etc, every twitch of the camera gets magnified much more, so VR becomes more valuable.
The 17-55mm also produces stunning image quality at f2.8. So low light photography - the other standard reason for wanting VR - doesn't really apply either. For night time street photography I sometimes switch to a 50mm f/1.4 but when I do, it's to reduce the shutter time and freeze the action. About the last thing I need for those shots is a (consumer grade) lens at f/4 with VR.

Answer 2

Ditto what OMG said. Although, at times I do appreciate having the 18-200 VR, such as when attending events when you don't want to worry as much about getting bumped with your primo 17-55 or don't want to mess with changing lenses in less-than-ideal situations. The VR will carry you into the evening hours without worrying about losing too much light as the VR really does let you shoot slower. I'd say it gains you about 3 stops. At 200mm on a DSLR, the rule of thumb would be to hand-hold as slow as 1/300th, but I am satisfied hand-holding down to 1/30th and you can really hold your breath, brace your camera on something, and go a bit slower.