tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

Hello Everyone. I am on the fence about which lens to buy and would appreciate your feedback. In the absence of a good local camera store, there is no way to check them out before buying. The lens will be used on a Nikon D810 and D750. I have an awesome Sigma 2.8 art lens but do not know if the other Sigma's are equal to that optically. The choices are Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G EF VR at $2296.95 (B&H on-line price) or Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM at $1659.00 (B&H on-line price). If anyone has a suggestion for something comparable, would appreciate that info as well. Weather sealing is a big + here in Alaska. I originally was considering the Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens ($1799.00 at B&H) but the weight of it is a major concern. Thank you!

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Get the Sigma contemposry 150-500 ror the Tamron G2 version.


The 50-500 is not optically as good and the Sigma Sport is too heavy.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The Nikon 80-400 is a nice lens, the Sigma 50-500 is a piece of crap!

jcboy3

If you want light weight and weather sealed, your only choice is the 150-600 Tamron G2. I don't have the lens, but have shot with it and like it. I have the Nikon 200-500; it's not weather sealed so I slip a rain sleeve over it if needed.

The Sigma 50-500 is a 10x zoom with all the compromises that entails; I had an early version and did not like it. I also had a Sigma 150-500, and did not like it either.

The newer lenses are significantly better.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

The Tamron 150-600 G2 is NOT weather sealed. It is "weather resistant" which is far less substantial in protection.
The ONLY super zoom lens currently on the market with weather sealing is the Sigma 150-600mm Sport lens.

tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

Thank you for the responses so far. The Tamron is not in the line-up. The comments regarding the Sigma 50-500 are well taken. So it seems the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR may be a good choice. It has excellent reviews at B&H but it is quite $$ spendy ($2296.95 at B&H) especially with filters, etc. added onto that. I have a Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR that was purchased in 2014 and used on the D7100. Have not had it on the D750 and the D810 yet. I doubt it can compare glass wise with the 80-400mm though. Anyone have any thoughts about this? I was originally thinking about a 500 or 600mm but their weight is not practical for me. Given the difference between 400-500mm, is that really a big deal? Your thoughts would be appreciated...thx!

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Consider the Nikon 28-300 if that is the range you want. Outstanding lens. $947 at B&H
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/729950-USA/Nikon_2191_AF_S_NIKKOR_28_300mm_f_3_5_5_6G.html

SkyKing Loc: Thompson Ridge, NY

...there are now two other lenses to consider at 400mm...the sigma 100-400mm and tamron 100-400mm...

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

You should consider the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 and the Tamron 150-600mm G2 and the Nikon 300mm f/4 PF. The Tamron lens at 4.4 lb is about ¾ lb lighter than the Nikon lens. I have owned both and they match the IQ of the Sigma 150-600mm Sport. The best light weight lens I have owned is the Nikon 300mm f4 PF lens. It pairs amazingly well with the Nikon 1.4TC giving an EFOV of 420mm and the combo weighs only 2.1 lb. Even with the 1.4TC the images are tack sharp. Steve Perry has a good comparison of the Nikon 200-500mm and the 300mm:

https://backcountrygallery.com/?s=Nikon+300mm+f%2F4+lens

B&H and Roberts Camera both have a policy that allows you to return a lens (within two weeks) with full refund if you are not satisfied.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The Nikon 200-500 f5.6 is the ONLY lenses I would personally recommend. The others are pretenders. And I do not use pretenders, only contenders.

pbradin Loc: Florida

The only lens that fits most of your criteria and is weather sealed is the Tamron 150-500 zoom. I went to B&H's website to see if the 80-400 Nikon lens was weather sealed, but there is no mention of it. The Nikon will be a little bit better optically, though, than your other choices. Also, the Nikon is a little bit faster at f5.6 at the long end, but that is only 400mm compared to the Tamron at f6.3 at the 500mm long end. I did not see any data on what it is at 400mm. As usual, lens choices are always a trade off on what is more important to you - longer reach vs. slightly sharper vs. weather sealing. The Tamron gives you two out of three, whereas the Nikon gives you one out of three. But, if a "tack sharp" lens is more important to you than anything else, the Nikon would be your choice. Since this is a $2,000 expenditure, I would want to see if there are any real camera stores within a couple hundred miles to see if you can "see, touch and feel" what you are looking to purchase. If you have a Nikon camera body, take it with you along with a fresh battery and a storage card. Most camera stores will let you put the lenses on your body and shoot a couple of shots, but usually inside, unless you can talk a sales person to go outside with you. The other alternative is to rent a lens from one of the camera/lens rental companies and take a weekend to shoot with one or all possible choices. You're spending some decent amount of money, here. Take the time and effort to make sure you will be happy with it.

tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions and comments. Having been spoiled by the fantastic sharpness of the Sigma
Art lens, I hope to find that same sharpness in a zoom lens. I think the Nikon 80 to 400 looks very promising. The 300mm f4 pf with a tele-converter may also be worth looking at. These two seem most promising at the moment. I have ruled out the Tameron as I believe the focus is not tack sharp. The photos I saw taken with it we're very soft. Thank you everyone for your very appreciated comments.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Please check your facts. The Tamron 150-600mm lens is NOT "weather sealed"! It is, in Tamrons terms "moisture resistant" which is far from weather sealed as the Sigma Sport is sealed:
http://tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/a011.html

Tamrons term for their weather sealed lenses is "Moisture Proof and Dust Resistant"! as in their 70-200mm F2.8 VC G2 lens:
http://tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/a025.html

Sealing information is available at the bottom of each product page.

torchman310 Loc: Santa Clarita, Ca.

The Nikon 80-400MM lens is weather sealed, fairly light, has"ED" glass and 1 "Super ED"element. My photos using this lens are awesome. The 70-300 is a good lens and I use it when I don't want to pack my 80-400. But The 80-400 can't be beat. Just make sure you get the current model 80-400, not the 1st. generation one.

cws3

Lenses in this category are usually heavy. You’re either willing to carry them or not. I can only speak for the Nikon 80-400g. Yes I wish it weighed a lot less. But the photos it gives me are phenomenal, even if taken handheld. It also feels well balanced on D810 and D850. Good luck.