Need a 70-200mm lens! [nikon]HELP!

[Do'Urden's Eyes]

Very nice JerryPH. i have a similar philosophy with lenses, if im going to spend that much anyways ill spend a bit more to get the best. However with my current lens collection you wouldnt be able to tell. im just broke.

 

[Pure]

Sincerely, I think that at the point in my learning curve where I am at, once I decide on why I need a lens of a particular focal length, prime or tele, nothing but the absolute current market best will do. It may be an OEM lens or it could be a Sigma/Tamron/whatever, as long as it has proven itself as the market leader in outperforming all of it's competition.

I decided a while ago that I will not sacrifice IQ to save a few dollars. I would rather not have the lens for a few months and save up for the small amount that I am lacking, rather than get a lens of lesser quality and "save" a little money. I would never want to settle for anything less than the best in class of what I choose after my research is completed.

That doesn't mean that I will pay some uber-exorbitant price for a lens that I select... I will still aggressively shop around amongst all the most reliable and secure sources I can find and purchase from the one that will give me the best price for my choice. This is part of my research process for all my equipment. Of course, the lenses that I chose, will not be $100 lenses, they will be expensive... but I am more than OK with that. I consider myself worth the investment.

- I never ask "what lens is good for me"... if you do not know the answer to that yourself, you are NOT ready to buy ANYTHING.

- I do not shy away from doing the research myself, meaning learning everything about the lenses that I want. I can tell you, without exception, EVERY F/-stop of any of my lens' sweetspot and at what focal length.

- I always buy only new with warranty

- I don't mind buying from the USA to save a few bucks

- I don't purchase from eBay and RUN away from people with bad ratings on www.resellerratings.com

- I research thoroughly and read a LOT and when possible, personally test the items I want to purchase.

- I often spend a few dollars talking to owners over long distance over thhe phone to get personal opinions and experiences. I spent near $30 talking to a guy in England about the 18-50 Sigma.

- The moment before I pull out the credit card, I am 100% sure of what item I want and and how much I want to pay. I've made my choice without reservation. At that point, I stop researching, stop price shopping and place the order... and never look back.

I'm 100% happy with all my choices so far and I know that this system works for me in the sense that I will never make a bad choice or get anything less than a fair deal.

Camera bodies change every couple of years... but good lenses last decades.

I just bought the D90 w/ MB-D80, extra battery, and cleaning kit for $1129 on ebay, so I'm happy. Brand new, USA, all brand name stuff.

 

[Do'Urden's Eyes]

I just bought the D90 w/ MB-D80, extra battery, and cleaning kit for $1129 on ebay, so I'm happy. Brand new, USA, all brand name stuff.

with no lens?

 

[Pure]

yea, bought a 80-200 f/2.8 on bh for $915

 

[ksmattfish]

I've been using the new Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 on my Canon DSLRs since May. I really like it. I did not get a chance to compare it to the Sigma, but I did compare it to the Canon L versions. Image stabilization is sweet, and if I had the extra $1000, I would have went with the Canon L IS version. Optically the Tamron easily matches the Canon Ls. I compared large prints, which is the only lens test I really care about, and I pixel peeped. They all looked great. As usual, the weak link is going to be the photographer, not the gear. On the other hand the Tamron's AF is primitive. It's like 1995 AF: slow and noisy. I don't usually use AF at these focal lengths, so that's not a big deal to me, but if you need fast, accurate AF the Canons and probably the Sigma are better. All I needed was a fast zoom that was sharp even wide open, and I was happy to go with the cheap one (approx $500 less than the L non-IS model).