Nikon 55-200 VR is the Best choice for 2nd Lens for under $250

AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 55-200mm f/4-5.6G DX and DX VR Lenses

Excerpt from Thom

Performance

What do you expect from Nikon's least expensive telephoto zoom? Not much, probably. Fortunately, you get much more than that expectation, though perhaps not as much as you might expect from the AF-S designation.

On the original version, sharpness is quite good throughout the range, with f/8 or f/11 being the point of maximum sharpness on my sample pretty much across the entire focal length range. At f/4 (or 5.6 at the tele end) the corners get a teeny bit soft--but optical performance is still far better than you'd expect for the price. I'd be more comfortable about using this lens wide open if it weren't for the visible vignetting in the 55-135mm range, but if you're a Capture user and shoot NEF, you can safely ignore that comment, as Capture's Vignette control handles this lens well. The VR version improves slightly on the optics of the original, in least in my samples. Center performance is excellent throughout the range, with again corner softness just starting to be visible at the longer focal lengths at the maximum aperture. I doubt anyone will be complaining about sharpness with these lenses--the center is well controlled throughout the range, and having a slightly soft corner (and I do mean slightly) is generally a preferred attribute on telephoto lenses.

By f/8 at 55mm there really aren't any issues to worry about on either version. Chromatic aberration is almost completely missing; I expected to see it on my D2x and didn't (and the VR version is even better than the original in this respect)..

.Full Review by Thom Here