Nikon Lens or Tamron/Sigma etc? Worth the money?

[RutsCameras]

Hi all,

I am looking for a good walking lens for my Nikon D60. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of money to spend but I also don't want to get a lens that isn't very good.

Is the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens worth the money?

Am I better off saving the money and grabbing a similar range Sigma or Tamron lens? Do you recommend any other brands?

I am not a professional as you can probably tell by my question so I am not sure if I would notice the difference between the results of the different lenses.

What do you think?

Thanks!

 

[LuckySo-n-So]

What is your price range?

The best walking around lens I have is the Sigma 18-50mm EX DG Macro II 2.8. I think it was about $400.

But I've heard good things about the Nikon you are looking at. Nikon glass is Nikon glass. You'll need lots of ambient light, however.

 

[RutsCameras]

Thanks for responding Lucky!

I don't really have a price range set right now. The way I look at it is if the Nikon 18-200mm lens is a much better option than I would hold off until I had the money for it and buy it.

If there isn't a noticeable difference to a beginner photographer(although really enjoying it and getting more and more into it) than it would make more sense to buy one of the cheaper lenses.

I currently use the 2 kit lenses that came with the D60 (18-55mm & 55-200mm). I would like to get one lens that covers the entire range for when I am in situations when I don't want to carry more equipment.

 

[PhotoXopher]

I've had 2 Nikon 18-200 lenses and although they are nice, they both had 'lens creep' which is annoying. I tried a Nikon 70-300 VR and it was great, but I missed the wide range.

I took a chance and went with a Sigma 18-250 and never looked back, to me - it's the ultimate walk around lens.

That said, I'd like to invest in some fast glass and the only way I can do that is to sell what I have to offset the cost (I'm sure you're well aware how expensive lenses can be).

I'm currently selling my 18-250 and it will auto focus on your D60 perfectly since it has the built in motor. It's an excellent copy, like I said - I love this lens.

I paid $529 for it just a short time ago and would be willing to sell it for $490 shipped if you're interested.

Whether you buy mine or not, I highly recommend looking into this lens - I've been nothing but happy with it.

 

[RutsCameras]

Thanks Noyze for the reply!

It may take me a few months to decide(and hide the money from my pregnant wife ) but I may take you up on that offer. I recently started a new website for buying and selling camera equipment(I won't mention the site as I don't want to get banned) so after those bills get paid I am going to buy a new lens.

Certainly don't hold it for me but you may see a PM from me in the near future to buy the lens.

Thanks again for the responses and if more people have opinions or experiences with a great "walking" lens I would love to hear it!

 

[Big Mike]

Nikon Lens or Tamron/Sigma etc? Worth the money?

When talking about high quality (top end) lenses, you will often find that the Nikon (or Canon) lenses are quite expensive...while similar lenses from Sigma/Tamron are significantly less expensive.

So how do they stack up in terms of performance? You really have to look at that on a lens by lens basis...but for the most part, the top end Sigma or Tamron lenses are pretty good...but not quite as good as the top end Nikon (or Canon) lenses.

I like to say that the 3rd party lens might be 90% as good, but only cost 50% of the brand name lens. That's a great value and for many people, it's a very good solution. However, for some people, that last 10% in quality, is well worth the additional 50% in price....and that's one reason why a lot of photographers use top end Nikon/Canon lenses.

For what it's worth, I don't consider any 18-200mm lens to be 'top end'. To have that much zoom, there are compromises made to the quality. Look at the 17-55mm F2.8 and the 70-200mm F2.8 for some lenses that are worth saving up for.

 

[potownrob]

The first lens that came to my mind was the Nikkor 18-105 VR. That would make a very nice walk-around lens (with it's decent zoom range and VR) from what I've heard. Otherwise, if you really want superior optics, one of the faster standard zoom (f/2.8) lenses from Tamron or Sigma (Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 or Sigma 18-50 f/2.8) will do an admirable job for around 400 USD or less. I'm not sure if Sigma has one yet but Tamron has just come out with a 17-50 2.8 with VC (vibration compensation) which would rule in low light. Just make sure you get a lens with the AF motor built into it if you're getting it for the D60.