nikon or sigma lenses??

[jwkwd]

But one to remember with the above, Ken Rockwell is, well he is just, hmmm, there are other places to get info. that might be concidered more reliable. Ooops, Fred got that in before I posted. I was not refering to FMW's reply.

 

[Devananda]

ok would theses lenses be better than the cheap kit nikon glass?

Tamron 28-80mm F/3.5-5.6 AF Zoom Lens
tamron 75-300mm F/4-5.6 LD AF Macro Lens
OR

Sigma 28-70mm f2.8-4 HIGH SPEED lens

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Lensthanks Deva

 

[fmw]

Yes they would be better.

I found a pretty good example of the distortion. This shot was taken with the Nikkor 18-55 f whatever kit lens. When we talk about distortion we are normally talking about distortion at the edges of the frame. Not with this lens. Take a look

Take a look at the product name on the lens. Compare the AF at the left with ED at the right. Then move to the edges of the lens on both sides and compare them. That's bad distortion right in the middle of the frame. This lens, theoretically, should be better than the ones mentioned by the OP because it has a less extreme zoom range. And this one is just plain unacceptable unless you want your lenses to adjust reality for you. It is just as bad as the zooms on cheap point and shoot cameras. Hope that helps drive home the point.

 

[Mad_Gnome]

I'm not sure about Nikon lenses, since I have basically no experience with them. If you consider buying a Sigma lens, however, look for the EX line. Those are the upper end Sigma lenses, and are optically excellent with high build quality. In general, expect to get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap lens, expect it to be a cheap lens.

 

[Groupcaptainbonzo]

I agree with most of the posts so far. If you are unbelievably wealthy you will of course go for the Nikkor. But most of us go to a budget. Sigma make some cracking lenses and most of the time you will be unable to tell any difference. The only sure way of telling ,is to borrow / rent one of each and make an image or five with them , print them to your specs and have a look.
To be honest , Id read up waht I can and bear in mind that This side of A3 Prints you would have your work cut out to tell..