18-200 VR Zoom Creep
Yes, the Nikon 18-200 VR lens is a real, compact gem, and yes, it suffers from zoom creep after some use. (In other words, if you point the lens straight up or down while at ~135mm, the lens will zoom in or out because of gravity. The best solution that I’ve found (and there are many out there) is a simple silicone wristband (black). These are the same wristbands that have been popularized by Lance Armstrong’s “Live Strong” campaigns.
Don’t stick tape on the lens barrel as tape can come loose or leave nasty adhesive inside your lens barrel. Thin rubber bands don’t seem to stay put very well. The silicone wristbands are prefect except that they end up covering all the focal-length markings. Using a “clear” wristband solves this issue, but the band looks more like a white band, which isn’t as elegant as black. I use a black wristband and mark off key focal lengths with a permanent market somewhere else on the lens barrel.
A silicone wristband costs about $1. It’s a cheap and elegant solution to a problem that probably should have been corrected in Nikon’s original design.