18-300mm lens that’s light weight but sharp?? Tired of struggling with heavy, bulky lenses on long trips. I see 18-300mm lenses out there that are much easier but do any give you...

drmjp429 Loc: CT

Tired of struggling with heavy, bulky lenses on long trips. I see 18-300mm lenses out there that are much easier but do any give you sharpness that’s printable at size???
I shoot with Nikon D500 and do landscape and some wildlife. Suggestions welcome.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

drmjp429 wrote:

Tired of struggling with heavy, bulky lenses on long trips. I see 18-300mm lenses out there that are much easier but do any give you sharpness that’s printable at size???
I shoot with Nikon D500 and do landscape and some wildlife. Suggestions welcome.

I use the Sigma 18-300. I got the following photo with it. Note the watch on the man's hand. The watch and face photos are a blow up from the full photo. The lens was at 300mm for the shot. I didn't focus on the watch, but on the musician.

Isn't this sharp enough?

(Download)

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Not bad at all! How does the wide end look?

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Retired CPO wrote:

Not bad at all! How does the wide end look?

Here is a shot at the wide end. Unfortunately, with available light it required a high ISO.

(Download)

mcmama

Retired CPO wrote:

Not bad at all! How does the wide end look?

Here’s a shot using it on a D7200 close to the wide end. I love this lens, and use my DX camera more than my FF because of it.

This shot is SOOC. No editing at all. Shot in RAW.

(Download)

drmjp429 Loc: CT

This is impressive. And good at both ends too. Thanks for showing what it can do!! I will definitely consider this one.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I've been looking for something in this range too. I'm impressed with these results. I've never owned a Sigma. How is the build, hand feel and use-ability of this lens? I think I will have to take a close look at this.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

drmjp429 wrote:

Tired of struggling with heavy, bulky lenses on long trips. I see 18-300mm lenses out there that are much easier but do any give you sharpness that’s printable at size???
I shoot with Nikon D500 and do landscape and some wildlife. Suggestions welcome.

I've used the 28-300mm and am happy with it. You might go to DXO to compare the 18-300 to it. I just loaned the 28-300 to my daughter for a vacation trip and she loves it as much as I do. Being an fx lens shooting on a dx camera, you shoot through the center portion of the glass missing abnormalities of the edges which you wouldn't miss with the 18-300. I use a Tamron 10-24mm for wide angle shots.

bleirer

You can also get a look at test images from different lenses on the same camera side by side at different focal lengths here https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx

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

drmjp429 wrote:

Tired of struggling with heavy, bulky lenses on long trips. I see 18-300mm lenses out there that are much easier but do any give you sharpness that’s printable at size???
I shoot with Nikon D500 and do landscape and some wildlife. Suggestions welcome.

The Nikon 28-300 and the 18-300 give 30X40 sharp prints in the hands of a CAPABLE photographer. And, yes, it always comes down to the Skill and Knowledge of the photographer.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

PHRubin wrote:

I use the Sigma 18-300. I got the following photo with it. Note the watch on the man's hand. The watch and face photos are a blow up from the full photo. The lens was at 300mm for the shot. I didn't focus on the watch, but on the musician.

Isn't this sharp enough?

No complaints there!

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

If you are looking for a camera that has small lenses and goes easy on traveling you sound to me like a candidate for a mirrorless camera. Zooms with such a big span of focal lengths will have optical compromises but even so sharpness depends more on us than on the camera or lens.
I use Nikon cameras and lenses and I have seen excellent results from the Nikon 28-300 used on a Nikon D750. The Sigma counterpart seems as a reasonable option but I will not make any further comments because I have no experience with Sigma lenses except for a 60mm f2.8 NG Art that I use with my Olympus mirrorless cameras. The quality is excellent.

Nikon1201

With my D 7100 I had the sigma 18-200 and loved it . I now have a D 610 and a Tamron 28-300 , a little ( very little ) than the Nikon but Avery good at an affordable price.

reindeer Loc: London U.K.

I wonder if someone has used/ compared Sigma 18-300mm withTamron 18-400, both on the same camera, which would give better evaluation. Thanks.

issa2006.

My 18-300 lens is my most used since it covers most situations I shoot for the newspaper.I am 77 years old and do not find it too heavy. I think you would love it. Occasionally it is a little slow to focus but that is when I am trying to get action shots at the long end.