Sigma ,Tamron and Tokina: Which optics do you prefer ? I heard that Tokina has better optics and builds than Tamron or Sigma. What are your opinions ?My lenses are Nikon , Canon and...

anhmydo1941 Loc: Texas

Which optics do you prefer ? I heard that Tokina has better optics and builds than Tamron or Sigma. What are your opinions ?My lenses are Nikon , Canon and Sony (In the 50's I also had Leica and Rolleiflex .Their optics were, as you were aware of, among the best)
Thank you for your input.

Al Beatty Loc: Boise, Idaho

I have Tokina 100 mm & a Tamron 90mm macro lenses I use on an old Nikon D700 (Tamron) and a Nikon D750 (Tokina). I THINK the Tokina is a little sharper and I've used it on both the D700 & the D750 but it could just be my imagination. I don't have a Sigma macro to make a comparison but have other Sigma lenses and all I can say is, "They do a good job." Take care & ...

anhmydo1941 Loc: Texas

Al Beatty wrote:

I have Tokina 100 mm & a Tamron 90mm macro lenses I use on an old Nikon D700 (Tamron) and a Nikon D750 (Tokina). I THINK the Tokina is a little sharper and I've used it on both the D700 & the D750 but it could just be my imagination. I don't have a Sigma macro to make a comparison but have other Sigma lenses and all I can say is, "They do a good job." Take care & ...

Thank you Al,
Have you compared them with Nikkor 105 F2.8 Micro ? I have a friend who used a Tokina lens and claimed its sharpness superior to the Sigma one.
MAD

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Have you looked at comparison reviews? Maybe at DPReview?

I have a Sigma and am happy with it, but I've no similar lens to compare with on the same body.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I have Tokina lenses that I use with my Nikons, D850 and D500 and like them very much. One thing I cannot recommend is Tamron big zooms. I have had two of them for use with the same cameras and they were GARBAGE compared to my Nikon big zooms. 200~500 mm class. If you have an opportunity to buy one, DON'T!

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I have a few Sigma and Tamron lenses for Nikon f mount. All are providing more than acceptable results. IMHO, if you know how to tune a lens to a camera using either the Sigma USB Dock or Tamron Tap-In, then their glass is a good value. If not, then stay with OEM glass.

As one example, I have a Tamron 150-200mm f/5-6.3 G2. Was very soft at the longer focal lengths. Even sent it back to Tamron for calibration to my camera. Came back no better. Got into tuning and am now getting excellent results with it, especially on a DX body as the lens is a bit soft in the corners on an FX body. I also have a Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6. The G2 and Nikon are equally sharp in the center at all focal lengths, but the Nikon is sharper in the corners. I had a similar experience with the Tamron EX 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3. On the other hand, my Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2 is very sharp at all focal lengths right out of the box.

anhmydo1941 Loc: Texas

Thank you, Ret. CPO .
I learned that Tokina has good reputation for its sharpness compared to Sigma and Tamron.
Please, UHH give your opinions if you have experience with these lenses.
Thanks.

Bill_de Loc: US

I have a lot of Nikon lenses and one Sigma. The Sigma is a 100-400mm. It is a bit heavy for its small size, but handles well because of the compact size. I had a Tamron 150 - 600 G2 for a week and returned it. Could have been a bad copy, because most of the reviews have been very good.

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anhmydo1941 Loc: Texas

Bill_de wrote:

I have a lot of Nikon lenses and one Sigma. The Sigma is a 100-400mm. It is a bit heavy for its small size, but handles well because of the compact size. I had a Tamron 150 - 600 G2 for a week and returned it. Could have been a bad copy, because most of the reviews have been very good.

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Thank you Bill_de
I have a friend who has won several awards in bird photography. He switched his Tamron 150-600 to a Nikkor 500 F5.6 and has been very pleased with its sharpness.

Bill_de Loc: US

anhmydo1941 wrote:

Thank you Bill_de
I have a friend who has won several awards in bird photography. He switched his Tamron 150-600 to a Nikkor 500 F5.6 and has been very pleased with its sharpness.

Since I got that 500mm F/5.6 Nikkor, my 200-500 F5.6 gets very little use.

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Orphoto Loc: Oregon

Results will vary by model.

Comparisons between 3rd party manufactures are not what they used to be. Sigma's Art series upped their game tremendously.

Within any given focal range you will need to do your research rather than ask a hopelessly broad question.

George Limle

I have a Tokina 11 to 16 mm and get good results!

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

I have only had two non-Nikon lenses, both Tokina, an older 80-200 f2.8, very good lens, the only downside was that auto-focus (screwdrive) was slow, and hunted a lot
I now have the Tokina 100mm macro, an excellent lens, very sharp, and the fastest "screwdrive" autofocus I have ever seen, although I usually use manual focus (primarily used for macro)
Ps:
I almost forgot, I had a Sigma 70-300, not a very good lens at all, slow focus, not very sharp but I don't judge Sigma by that lens, it was the bottom of the line at that time.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Orphoto wrote:

Results will vary by model.

Within any given focal range you will need to do your research rather than ask a hopelessly broad question.

I agree. You get very different third-party lens lineups depending on mount and format (APS-C vs. full frame). To compare across mounts and formats is meaningless.

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

anhmydo1941 wrote:

Which optics do you prefer ? I heard that Tokina has better optics and builds than Tamron or Sigma. What are your opinions ?My lenses are Nikon , Canon and Sony (In the 50's I also had Leica and Rolleiflex .Their optics were, as you were aware of, among the best)
Thank you for your input.

Nikon, Canon, and Sony are still the best. You need to know nothing more!
Without my Sony 200-600, I could not have taken the following.