Headed to Costa Rica soon and have narrowed my lens search to two.

[Arannax]

Hey guys, I've been doing some research for the past few weeks and have narrowed down my lens list substantially. I'll be headed to Costa Rica to do some hiking and need a good lens that will "reach" any howler monkeys I might see along the way. I have a Nikon D7000, and am severely limited to a lens I can snatch for around 600 dollars. I plan to purchase a far better telephoto in the future, but for now, a good amateur lens will suffice.

My choice is between: AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED

OR Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS HSM (Even the 150-500mm is too pricey for me atm)

From what I've found, the Nikon has better quality at both extremes, while the Sigma is a bit choppy at either end. Regardless, it does have a greater reach. Both are similarly priced, but I'd definitely appreciate any outside input.

I'm open to other lens suggestions, but I'm fairly set on one of these. Thanks guys!

 

[goodguy]

Even on a cropped camera 300mm isnt a whole lot of reach but the question you need to ask is.........
1.is reach more important to you then IQ
2.Is weight of glass an issue for you ?

I don't know how heavy is the Sigma 120-400mm but I assume its heavier then the 70-300mm and since you plan on hiking I would advise you to go for the Nikon 70-300mm VR
These lens can be bought second hand anywhere between 250$-350$

 

[Arannax]

Thanks for the reply. Weight is actually of no concern to me. Not so surprisingly, I did find a third option I'm seriously considering: the Sigma 150mm-500mm. The reach is incredible and the IQ isn't terrible either.

 

[Derrel]

The Sigma 120-400 has long been considered very doggy. The 150-500 came after their 50-500.