Is the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 50mm f/8.0 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Lens set to 50mm f/8.0 sharper than the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR II Nikkor Lens set to 200mm f/11.0? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.