Traveler needs help

[MS26]

Hello Everyone

New to the forum, looking forward to being apart of this community!

Quick question for everyone, I have a Nikon D90 and was looking at purchasing a 18-300 for a three week trip in Europe.

I was looking at the Sigma, Tamron and of course Nikon.

Unfortunately I have had horrible luck at my local photo shops for any kind of help.

Any suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

MS26

 

[480sparky41 41]

What kind of help do you need?

 

[MS26]

What kind of help do you need?

I trying to decide which brand of lens I should purchase, Sigma, Tamron or Nikon 18-300. I went to several of my local shops and they were no help. They just wanted to give me the prices of the specific lenses and be on their way.

 

[MS26]

Is one brand better than the other, I dont want to invest a chunk of money in a lens that was lower quality to save a few bucks.

 

[480sparky41 41]

Google each lens along with the word 'review'.

Keep in mind who is writing the review. If it's someone who doesn't know about optics, image quality etc., then they really can't be relied upon.

Some here will have those lenses and can give your their opinions on it. But I doubt you'll find much from one person who has been able to do a subjective comparison between all three.

 

[tirediron]

Generally speaking the first-party lens will be slightly better (often only marginally) better than the third-party copies, since the third-party versions are essentially reverse-engineered from the brand-name version. Whether this amount of 'better' justifies the additional cost over a Sigma or Tamron is something only you can decide. Personally, unless there is overwhelming evidence to indicate that a third-party lens is superior, I will always go for the first-party version.

 

[MS26]

Generally speaking the first-party lens will be slightly better (often only marginally) better than the third-party copies, since the third-party versions are essentially reverse-engineered from the brand-name version. Whether this amount of 'better' justifies the additional cost over a Sigma or Tamron is something only you can decide. Personally, unless there is overwhelming evidence to indicate that a third-party lens is superior, I will always go for the first-party version.

Thank you very much!

 

[SCraig]

I've been pretty pleased with the Sigma 18-300 however I don't have another lens of that range to compare it to. It isn't quite as sharp as my other lenses, but the ability to carry one lens with that focal length range is a huge benefit. And that is most likely the case with other 18-300 lenses as well since most lenses with that range are going to compromise somewhere.

If I know for sure I won't need the long end I'll use my 17-70 and if I know for sure I won't need the short end I'll use my 70-300 because both are sharper. If I think I'll need the entire range, or don't know what I'll need, then I'll take the 18-300 because it is an excellent walk-around lens in my opinion and far more convenient than carrying two lenses.

 

[MS26]

I've been pretty pleased with the Sigma 18-300 however I don't have another lens of that range to compare it to. It isn't quite as sharp as my other lenses, but the ability to carry one lens with that focal length range is a huge benefit. And that is most likely the case with other 18-300 lenses as well since most lenses with that range are going to compromise somewhere.

If I know for sure I won't need the long end I'll use my 17-70 and if I know for sure I won't need the short end I'll use my 70-300 because both are sharper. If I think I'll need the entire range, or don't know what I'll need, then I'll take the 18-300 because it is an excellent walk-around lens in my opinion and far more convenient than carrying two lenses.

Thank you, what made you decide to go with the Sigma lens compared to a first party lens or tamron?

 

[SCraig]

I like Sigma. I have 3 of their lenses and have never been disappointed with them. Plus, I wasn't willing to pay nearly twice as much for a Nikon lens that might or might not be any better. Super-zoom lenses are always a compromise and none of them get great reviews.