24-70 f 2.8 alternatives (Page 3): I shoot Canon products, but I also own, and enjoy shooting a Tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 VC USM lens. Be advised, the Tamron is a large, and heavy lens...

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

I shoot Canon products, but I also own, and enjoy shooting a Tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 VC USM lens. Be advised, the Tamron is a large, and heavy lens, but is one of my sharpest lenses. You may after a while, send the Tamron in for calibration, cleaning, and updates to your daughters camera. I did this with mine, and it returned tack sharp, and much faster focusing since the internal memory chip only had the information for my bodies implanted. It was covered by Tamron warranty of 6 years. Keep in mind this lens is of SP quality, which is much better glass than the non-SP lenses.

B

DDJ

Watching this thread with interest. Right now I'm considering on picking up a used Canon 28-70 2.8 L for my 7D.

cpkeith

I use the Tamron version and did some rather strenuous testing. It is a superb lens and is a bit sharper than the Sigma at the extreme ends. The VR is fast and doesn't hunt as the drive is very smooth and quiet. Focus speed from close-up to infinity is quick though not appreciably faster than the Nikon or Sigma version. My experience with Tamron is excellent. I dropped another Tamron lens and it was 5 days from ship to receive back. Tamron turns a lens around in 3 or less days. Nikon repair is all over the map in terms of speed, quality and cost. As a pro photographer, I would highly recommend the Tamron lens.

cpkeith

Don't buy an international version. If you need repair, Tamron and Nikon will simply send it back to you to send it to the country it was built for. With Tamron, a USA version gives you 6 years of warranty.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

rspmd23 wrote:

My daughter wants a 24-70 f 2.8 for her Nikon. Has anyone had experience with any of the off brand lenses (Tamron, Sigma, Tokina ) ? She can't afford the real deal.

I love my Sigma 24-70 2.8, especially for indoor shots of the grandkids. It worked very well taking portraits of all of the kids in a recent school performance. I use it on a Nikon D 7200. B&H recently had a "deal of the day" on it for $599. I paid $749 for mine va few months ago.

joto9d7 Loc: Laguna Hills

I only learned about the "international" lens and that the mfg. will not cover those, even though they are the same maker. I am now wondering if I own any such lenses. I recall buying a lens that said it was made in china. How do you know? Do you just ask?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

joto9d7 wrote:

I only learned about the "international" lens and that the mfg. will not cover those, even though they are the same maker. I am now wondering if I own any such lenses. I recall buying a lens that said it was made in china. How do you know? Do you just ask?

Just ask the "pro" a few answers above. I'm sure he will know!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

rspmd23 wrote:

Follow-up question. Is there a significant risk in buying the international version other than the warranty issue (over $500 cheaper) ?

Warranties don't cover breakage anyway. But NIKON doesn't repair ANY gray market gear. It's their way of holding you hostage for an importer profit margin.

That said, I bought six Nikon lenses gray market in the 1980s. No problems.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

In todays camera stores, or big box stores, you cannot tell if a lens is "gray" or not. You'll have to open the box, and look for the warranty card. It will have the country which will service the lens on the return address. Any other than USA, the lens is "gray". If the store offers a good "in store" warranty, and you trust the warranty company, buy that along with the lens. Make sure the "store" warranty is equal or better than the lens manufactures warranty. Do compare the cost of the warranty added to the lens price against the U.S. warrantied lens. The savings can be eaten by the cost of the warranty. The 6 year warranty on Tamron lenses is always a good deal.

B

Jim Bob

burkphoto wrote:

Warranties don't cover breakage anyway. But NIKON doesn't repair ANY gray market gear. It's their way of holding you hostage for an importer profit margin.

That said, I bought six Nikon lenses gray market in the 1980s. No problems.

That is not accurate. There is a small list of gray market cameras that Nikon authorized repair facilities will repair.

rspmd23 Loc: NYC , now in Westlake, Florida

Thanks to everyone for the great discussion. I think what may be even better for my daughter, considering that she has a D200 might be the 17-55 f2.8 DX which would give her an effective 24-80 and reasonably priced. What say y'all ?

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

rspmd23 wrote:

Thanks to everyone for the great discussion. I think what may be even better for my daughter, considering that she has a D200 might be the 17-55 f2.8 DX which would give her an effective 24-80 and reasonably priced. What say y'all ?

When I had a Canon crop frame, I found the 17-55/2.8 just perfect as an all around camera for my needs.

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

rspmd23 wrote:

My daughter wants a 24-70 f 2.8 for her Nikon. Has anyone had experience with any of the off brand lenses (Tamron, Sigma, Tokina ) ? She can't afford the real deal.

I bought a used Tamron from B&H 24-70 2.8 2 years ago great lens and I got a Nikon 35-70 2.8 used which was given to me. They both are great lens. They are available used at fair prices much less than the Nikon

Joe

Bunkershot Loc: Central Florida

The Sigma 24-70 is my go-to lens for my d7100. Great lens...

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

I had an older Tamron 28-70mm which was lauded and I do have the ED Nikon Pro version. All that money was worth it. Kind of sharp to tack sharp. There is a difference. That said, the way digital cameras create an image has issues. Using a program like Akvis Refocus helps to cure digital from itself. You go from Tack Sharp to analog tack sharp, sort of, and the difference can be striking.