Getting a DSLR camera - It's come down to Sigma vs Tamron!

[GilesGuthrie]

70 will be better quality, 135 more useful, is the basic gist of it.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Money has arrived!

My budget is around 1600 dollars, this gives me these options of lenses:

Nikon D80 KIT (Not going to take anything else...)

-Sigma 18-125mm (looks schweet!)
-Sigma 10-20mm (just enough, probably too unpractical as a first lens...)
-standard 18-70mm
-18-55mm II VR (standard?)
-Sigma 17-70mm
-Sigma 18-200mm OS (seems most interesting currently)
-16-85mm ED VR
-Sigma 18-50mm
-18-135mm (standard)


I don't know what the II VR and ED VR lenses are, but some of those Sigma lenses sound very tempting. Out of this list, what kind of lens do you think would suit me best in terms of quality and practicallity in the whole mm range of the lens? The Sigma 18-200mm OS looks magnificent, any people here that own it?


We're almost there

 

[F1GTR]

I have a Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, it's great for low light stuff and pretty sharp. I have a 18-135mm, while it has its drawbacks I find it a good travel lens, though I use my Sigma and 50mm f/1.8 prime more. It just depends on what you like shooting, I do a lot of close range work so a lens that goes to 200mm isn't going to be used at that end much anyway.

 

[Bram Turismo]

True, I like shooting close as well, a fisheye lens will probably be my next purchase. (Maybe around Christmas...)

Therefore I thought a mix of a fisheye lens, and a longer range lens would keep me sweet for close range shooting, and some long zooming? (Hence the 18-200mm idea...)

 

[GilesGuthrie]

True, I like shooting close as well, a fisheye lens will probably be my next purchase. (Maybe around Christmas...)

Therefore I thought a mix of a fisheye lens, and a longer range lens would keep me sweet for close range shooting, and some long zooming? (Hence the 18-200mm idea...)

I would steer clear of the 18-200. It'll be slow on the long end. You would be better with one of the shorter lenses,like the 18-70. There are plenty of budget telephotos out there if you find yourself constrained by the shorter lens.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I would steer clear of the 18-200. It'll be slow on the long end. You would be better with one of the shorter lenses,like the 18-70. There are plenty of budget telephotos out there if you find yourself constrained by the shorter lens.

Hmm, seems like the only 18-70mm lens that comes with the D80 body is the stock Nikon lens, but for an unknown reason, I'd rather go with a Sigma lens than a stock Nikon lense... What about the 18-125mm lens? Will it be as unpractical as the 200mm OS lens?

So, this would make it a tie between these Sigmas then... the 18-50mm, the 17-70mm, the 18-125mm.


What about the 10-20m Sigma though? I've never found myself zooming in much during my Canon G9 period, or is 20mm really short? (I don't think values for the G9 and SLR lenses match...)

 

[GilesGuthrie]

You'll find better images come from zoom lenses that have less than a 4x zoom range. I think that the Canon-fit 17-70 Sigma is reasonably well-regarded, but I'm not a Nikon shooter, so I'm kinda guessing on your behalf.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Well, I've made up my mind, sorta...

I'm going with the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8, but latest over at www.thephotoforum.com reveals that Sigma seems to be unreliable of delivered quality... This has got me lurking towards the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 camp...

What do you guys think? Any experience?

 

[Moglet]

You can always pick up a 50 1.8 for $100 or so just to have something capabale of low apertures.

^One of the best purchases I ever made, the nifty fifty! 👍 Definitely worth the asking price, they're an absolute bargain. My next purchase is going to be an SB400 as my local Dixons have it for about £60 less than RRP!

 

[F1GTR]

Well, I've made up my mind, sorta...

I'm going with the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8, but latest over at www.thephotoforum.com reveals that Sigma seems to be unreliable of delivered quality... This has got me lurking towards the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 camp...

What do you guys think? Any experience?

Tamron's quality control seems to be more consistent, though my Sigma was about the same when I tested it against the others in a shop, so I chose it based on looks. If you can't test them in person then the Tamron is a wiser choice.