nikon or sigma lenses??

Devananda · Jan 9, 2007

Hi all I am new the the whole DLSR thing and going to be getting a Nikon D80 soon!
the question is should I go with Nikon or sigma lenses.
any feed back would help.
thanks

Sw1tchFX · Jan 9, 2007

I just assume Nikon personally

dewey · Jan 9, 2007

Of course money rules here... buy what you can afford.

That said... I would suggest you save up and buy the better Nikon lenses a little at a time. Good glass will stick around for decades while the bodies come and go. Don't underestimate the d80 kit lens - it does very well for a kit lens.

Nikon rocks - good choice ma friend! :afro:

Mad_Gnome · Jan 9, 2007

Both companies make great lenses. If you're willing to spend beaucoup bucks, the high-dollar Nikons are nearly impossible to beat. Don't underestimate Sigma, however. They make some extremely high-quality lenses, and there are a lot of professionals who swear by them. Their dollar-performance ratio is tough to match. I've got two of the higher-end Sigma lenses, and I'm very impressed with the quality and construction of both. Granted, they're not the equal of Minolta G glass (or Nikon's high-end lenses) but then again, I only paid $240 for my 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG and I picked up the 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 APO for $100 barely used on eBay. The 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG can be had for $750. A 28-70mm f/2.8 G lens typically runs around $1300, and a 70-200mm f/2.8 G is around $1900.

For my money, cost vs. performance held a lot of weight, at least for now. The lenses I have can make me the money to buy better lenses down the road. I'd say pit the lenses against each other with a few tests and decide for yourself.

fmw · Jan 9, 2007

That would depend on the quality of what you buy. Nikon has some terrible cheap Chinese made zoom lenses. I would sure pick Sigma over those. On the other hand Nikon has some truly wonderful lenses and I would choose those over Sigma. The answer to your question is not that simple. You need to give specifics.

The lenses for my D80 are all Nikkors and I recommend all of them as good quality lenses. Where to start? Well, I would recommend the Nikkor 17-55 f2.8. It is a high quality lens that performs well and is fast as zoom lenses go. It covers a range of focal lengths that are useful most of the time. Here are my Nikkors. The one I recommend as a starter is in the back row right.

Jeremy Z · Jan 9, 2007

Read every lens test you can get your fingers on.

www.popphoto.com is a good place to start. Often, you will find that Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina perform as well as the Nikkors for a lot less money. Or sometimes, the Nikkors perform 5% better for 50% more money.

My advice, in general, is to buy Nikkors where you can afford it, Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina where you can't. (Tokina is my favorite, but they don't make quite the variety that Sigma does)

Keep an eye out for good used deals second-hand.

For most of us, who aren't making money with our photography, we just can't justify the price of the higher-end Nikkor glass.

clarinetJWD · Jan 9, 2007

Here's an excellent review site for Nikkor glass. Don't trust it in Nikon vs. Canon debates as he is...err...really biased

but his lens reviews are quite good.

Pyrex · Jan 10, 2007

IMHO The best example of quality to come from Sigma was their 100-300 f/4 telephoto lens... fantastic piece of glass.. but I disagree with some of the above posters.. It's very few and far between that Sigma has anything to offer when price isn't an issue.

ironsidephoto · Jan 10, 2007

i agree with jeremy z
i have nikon and sigma, and can't really tell the difference, but i'd get nikon if i were rich

Devananda · Jan 10, 2007

thanks every one for the feed back!

are all nikon lenses created equal??
I am going to buy a kit and was thinking these would be good starter glass for me.

Nikon 28-80 F3.3-5.6G AF Zoom Nikkor

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom-Nikkor any thoughts?
thanks
Deva

fmw · Jan 10, 2007

No, the kit lenses, as an example, are the cheap Chinese lenses to which I referred above. They are not part of the regular Nikkor lens line. They are contracted out to be cheap lenses to include with a new camera at a price. The Sigma lenses would be superior and more expensive.

Devananda · Jan 10, 2007

humm so how do I know what nikon lenses are the cheap ones? any marking things that set them apart form the good ones?

Devananda · Jan 10, 2007

OH and what about sigma does that company make cheap Chinese glass too?
can any one tell me more about these cheaper nikon glass are they really that bad? I mean I don't need the best glass out there but I would like to get a nice set up so I don't have to upgrade down the road.

Pyrex · Jan 10, 2007

Devananda said:
OH and what about sigma does that company make cheap Chinese glass too?
can any one tell me more about these cheaper nikon glass are they really that bad? I mean I don't need the best glass out there but I would like to get a nice set up so I don't have to upgrade down the road.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm

there you go, READ READ READ.

fmw · Jan 10, 2007

No don't do that. Ken Rockwell is anything but an authoritative source. You can tell by the price. If good ones cost $600-1500, then which ones cost $150 or $200?

These lenses have severe distortion -at least the two of them that I have do - as well as serious softness in the corners and light fall off. They are also quite slow. They do work and they may be fine for a beginner that doesn't know the difference. But they aren't good lenses.

I'm not aware of Sigma making anything that cheap or bad but it is possible, I suppose. My experience with the Sigma, Tamron etc. brands is that they are normally just fine optically and weaker than the Nikkors physically without fit and finish and feel like the Nikkors. Generally, I consider them good values. I don't consider the Nikon kit lenses to be good values. Value is a subjective thing, so that is an opinion. The distortion in the lenses, however, is easily demonstrated. It is not an opinion. Good luck.