Sigma or Tamron: I'm looking at buying a 70-300 lens but I can't afford a Nikon, so I'm looking at getting either a Tamron or Sigma so I still have money left for a trip. Can you help...

Sansi

I'm looking at buying a 70-300 lens but I can't afford a Nikon, so I'm looking at getting either a Tamron or Sigma so I still have money left for a trip. Can you help me decide which is a better brand? Thanks.

GDRoth Loc: Southeast Michigan USA

I've had both and found both high quality

Sansi

GDRoth wrote:

I've had both and found both high quality

Thanks. If they are both the same quality, then I should just go with the lower price...

Goldwinger Loc: Boynton Beach Florida

Sansi wrote:

I'm looking at buying a 70-300 lens but I can't afford a Nikon, so I'm looking at getting either a Tamron or Sigma so I still have money left for a trip. Can you help me decide which is a better brand? Thanks.

I had the older model 100 400 tamron and liked it very much , I upgraded to the Canon 100 400 L ,and sold the tamron on ebay for 250 , I have seen that lens for nikon for even less , I

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I can't speak to the Sigma, but I have a Tamron (for the very same reason you state--$$$$) and I am thinking about getting another Tamron when I get the $$$$ together. From what I've on UHH, people who use Sigma lenses are generally happy with their choice.

rnichols

I have a Sigma 18-200mm. I like it OK, and also just
purchased a Tamron 90mm Marco which I will mount and try tomorrow, Tamron has very good reviews.

keithmac Loc: Nanaimo, B.C. Canada

I have been using Tamron lenses and have been very happy with the performance. I have a 18-200, 28-200, 70-200 f2.8, 200-400 and a 200-500 and all are good build quality and fairly sharp. I also have a Sigma 500mm f4.5 and find it to be an excellent lens. The third party lenses may not be quite to the image quality of a Canon or a Nikon but they are close and are also a lot more cost effective. I wouldn't have any problem recommending either to someone that was considering purchasing a Tamron or Sigma.

Leonardo Loc: The Garden of England

I have a Tamron 70-300. Sometimes slow to focus, but a great lens.

Currently I'm saving for the 90mm macro from Tamron. Great price, great optics.

glojo Loc: South Devon, England

Just a quick thought..

You have asked a specific question so first off an apology for not giving a specific answer but..

Have you thought about buying a second-hand zoom lens? With my style of photography I tend to look at how quickly any lens can focus. My wild birds are constantly moving so no matter how powerful the lens is... If it does not have fast focussing then it is a paper weight.

Any decent photographic outlet will always have good quality second-hand glass that they should sell with some type of warranty or guarantee, plus the branded, good quality equipment tends to keep its value!

Apologies for not answering the question but hopefully it gives 'food' for thought, or four the spelling pedantics food 4 fault!

Sansi

glojo wrote:

Just a quick thought.. br br You have asked a spe... (show quote)

Thanks for your input. I have been looking at getting a second-hand too but I am just debating on which one to get. I think you're right, the speed for auto focus is the key element here. Thanks again..

snogost67 Loc: dayton, montana

I shot this with my Tamron 200-500mm at 75 yards on a boat, handheld. I did not sharpen this. I think Tamron is a good lens.

Flathead Lake eagle

glojo Loc: South Devon, England

snogost67 wrote:

I shot this with my Tamron 200-500mm at 75 yards on a boat, handheld. I did not sharpen this. I think Tamron is a good lens.

I have read lots of reports by owners of this lens and whilst it gets some nice comments on anything up to 400mm it does not fair so well above that, BUT... and this is a very important issue for those that want to take images of wild birds, especially those in flight, this lens does not have anything like a fast auto focus, so much so that some posters state they have given up on attempting to do this.

These are extracts of comments made by owners, I am not a great fan of reading reviews as the reviewer usually does not like to bite the hand that feeds them.

Quote:

I have almost stopped carrying this lens into the field. I use the 100-400 Canon instead.

The AF is so bad I only use this lens on a tripod.

Quote:

This is a very sharp lens from 200 to 400mm, and e... (show quote)

Quote:

This lens can produce fine results when mounted on... (show quote)

When buying these more expensive items we always want to try and avoid buying 'twice'.. In other words we try to buy the cheapest in the hope it will perform the task we expect of it. Unfortunately I have come unstuck more than once and ended up regretting trying to take a short cut in buying a cheaper product..

Far better to research twice and buy once as opposed to buy twice and review once :(

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Sansi wrote:

I'm looking at buying a 70-300 lens but I can't afford a Nikon, so I'm looking at getting either a Tamron or Sigma so I still have money left for a trip. Can you help me decide which is a better brand? Thanks.

Get this lens :http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-70-300mm-4-0-5-6-Digital-Cameras/dp/B003YH9DZ4/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1338659346&sr=1-5

This is one of the best on the market. I bought it because it was rated the sharpest in its class and there is a $100 rebate that makes it about $350

Photo-Al Loc: Sonoma County, CA

I have a Tamron:
- 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6
- 70-200mm f/2.8
- 200-500mm f/5.6-6.3

I also have the Canon kit lens 18-55 & 70-300, and a nifty 50.

My walkaround is now the 24-135, and my most used for sports and headshots is the 70-200. I love my Tamrons, and recommend them highly. Many say Canon-L is the only way to go, but $$$ is always a factor for me, and the quality of Tamron is very nearly the same as Canon, so .....

nikonesian Loc: Midwest USA

Agree completely with your point glojo. When I bought by Nikon 18-200 I bought it used for under $500. Works great.

Would also add that the optics on these brands are pretty good, but some of their characteristics vary when you research. When I bought my Sigma 70-200 2.8 I went with it because the Tamron was known for hunting. I own a Tamron 90mm as well b/c of its great macro rep. The research will bring this out and depending on what kind of photography you want to pursue you can pick the right one.

glojo wrote:

Just a quick thought.. br br You have asked a spe... (show quote)