zoom lens Nikkor vs. Sigma vs. Tamron??

hi, i am a new owner of nikon d-70 (body only).. and hv owned my f401 for
yrs.
i am shopping for zoom lenses... and wud like to hear about people's
comments on these 3 brands.. Nikkor, Sigma, and Tamron... thks/will

 

You have a great camera. It needs the glass to do it justice. Stay
with mid/high range Nikkor - don't even think about anything else.
I have a Sigma 20mm f1.8 in my collection. It is nowhere near as
robust as my Nikkors and has two serious design faults, one of which
could damage the camera. The lens can be very easily slipped into
gear and the focus ring is loose and not sealed against grit.

Graham

 

It is generally best to use the lenses made by the manufacturer of your
camera, especially with newer bodies like yours. Third party lenses are
usually not quite as good, and there can be chip compatibility problems.
Stick with the Nikkor glass.

 

By all means get the Nikkors if you can afford the focal lengths you
want. They're spectacular at their best, and even the "lemons" (old
43-86, for example) are usable.

That said, I've had a lot of good experience with Tamron, especially at
the long end. I love my current 200-400, and they're coming out with a
new 200-500 to replace it.

Sigma? I've never used one for long, and wasn't impressed during short
trials. They have a reputation for interface problems (especially the
Canon mount)

 

If you waste your money on anything but Nikon lenses, you will be
disappointed, especially if you go with Sigma.

 

Not true. There are some very good Sigma lenses in the collection - the
70-200/2.8 and 12-24 spring to mind. These offer an excellent
alternative to someone wanting something better than Nikkor's budget
offerings, but not able to afford/justify the premium VR lenses.
Certainly with both these Sigma lenses the majority of reviewers regard
the optical and build quality as excellent. The vast majority of Nikon
D70 owners would be delighted with these lenses. Nikon lenses are
great, but don't let brand loyalty blind you to other excellent
alternatives. This does not apply to all Sigma lenses - as always, do
your research - but there are some gems in the collection, perfect for
those looking for a mid-price lense (ie. around $1000 rather than $300
or $3000).

Paul

(D70 owner, with Nikkor 18-70, 50/1.8 and Sigma 70-200 HSM)

 

This is not true of all Sigma lenses. I have the 70-200/2.8 HSM and it
is a fantastic lenses and can't be matched by any Nikkor glass at the
same price range (sure, the 70-200VR is better in low light, but it's
$1000 more). The Sigma 12-24 is also an excellent lens.

You need to take each lens on a case-by-case basis and do careful
Internet research. Choosing blindly by brand name is a bad choice
whatever the brand, unless money is no object.

 

Don't buy the D-70 body only; the kit lens that's available only with
it is an excellent buy, and you'll want it.

 

"Only with it"??? If you're referring to the 18-70 f/3.5-4.5, it's available
all over the place, at least in the US and Canada. All by itself, no camera
attached. And yes, it's a good buy, whether or not you buy a D70.

 

You should take a look at Tokina, too. Possibly ahead of Sigma...

 

You should have got the original 'boxed' lens, it's quite good, and has a good
wide range considering the 1.5 crop factor. It can also focus quite close, about
1 foot I think.

I also use the Nikor 70-300 f4 cheap lens, it's not bad.

And I have the Sigma 28-300 f3.5 that I use as a general purpose snapshot lens,
it does a good job, but only focus at about 4 feet.

 

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STOP! STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE

 

but Michael, what's better Ha, Hee or Ho ;-)

Nick

 

Oops; I appear to have been misinformed. Was it initially advertised
as only available bundled, or something?

 

Moe, Larry, Shemp, or Curl(e)y?

 

You may be confusing this lens with the EF-S 18-55mm lens that is only
bundled with the Digital Rebel/300D.

Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

 

Putting Shemp before Curly shows that you are only a pretender.

Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

 

Oof. Probably. Now *that's* embarrassing.

 

Tamron lenses are good for making 4x6 prints but they're way too low-end
for anything better. Blurry regions will become painfully obvious in
larger prints.

 

He said he already had the D70 body.

I agree that the 18-70 lens is a great lens, and well matched to this body.
It would be the 'main lens' for this camera ... the one that stays on the
camera most fo the time.

This is a very interesting thread since I too would like to especially know
which of the aftermarket lenses come out on top. Nikkors are the best as far
as image quality go, but they are expensive. Having a lens that is much
cheaper and that gives almost as good results is, in my mind, sound
thinking, especially when there is so much that can be done with talented
post-processing.

The D70 also is capable of a lot of post-processing in the camera as well,
so all you really need is a lens that is fast enough and sharp enough to get
a great starting image. The rest can be done on the computer.
--

Regards,
Wayne
Nikon D70
18-70 Nikkor
70-300 Nikkor