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Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 29th 06, 12:51 AM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
Bill H.
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Posts: 3
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?


Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG


  #2  
Old November 30th 06, 02:53 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
Cisco Kid
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Posts: 40
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?


Bill H. wrote:
Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG


No idea what all the Di, LD, (IF), APO, DG means but I wouldn't buy
either one - a low f-stop of 5.6 - that is really crappy.

  #3  
Old November 30th 06, 04:02 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
warren montgomery
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Posts: 6
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?


Bill H. wrote:
Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG


No idea what all the Di, LD, (IF), APO, DG means but I wouldn't buy
either one - a low f-stop of 5.6 - that is really crappy.

Equipment is always a compromise. Sure, for quality everyone would love
F2.8 or lower, but for many the cost is a significant factor, and the Sigma
and Tamron lenses cover the range for a lot less cash. Even for those with
the cash, the weight of a great big piece of glass can limit it's
usefulness. I don't have either of these lenses. I looked at them and
ultimately decided to get the Sigma F5.6 400 instead of a zoom because it
reviewed a bit better in image quality and the flexibility of a zoom at that
range wasn't critical to me. I've been happy with that lens, even using it
with a 2X teleconverter and getting images I have been happy to have (though
probably not publication quality). The only real pitfall in these
compromise lenses is that autofocus is marginal. I actually find autofocus
more of a nuisance than a help with my 400 anyway. I use it mainly shooting
birds and animals, and because of the amount of travel in the focussing
ring my camera (Nikon F80) takes a long time to refocus when the subject
moves, so I can more easily stay focussed manually.
--
Warren Montgomery )
http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery
"Cisco Kid" wrote in message
oups.com...


  #4  
Old December 1st 06, 04:24 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
Bill Hilton
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Posts: 244
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

Bill H. wrote:

Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG


Another Bill H. ... this could get real confusing fast ...

Anyway, I think on an earlier post you mentioned having a Canon
consumer-grade digital SLR body (as opposed to the 1D series pro bodies
that will AF at f/8) ... if I got that right then your camera will hold
autofocus at f/5.6 and wider apertures, so with these variable aperture
zooms you might find that once you zoom out to 300 mm and beyond (or
where ever the lens stops down from f/5.6) that you can no longer
autofocus.

To me this would be a deal-killer and I'd look for something no slower
than f/5.6.

Couple of other comments ... the AF is likely to be very slow with
either of these compared to Canon's USM lenses ... the build quality is
suspect in several models of the Sigma line (dunno about the specific
one you mention) and there seems to be a lot of variation from lens to
lens, indicating weak quality control.

So if you get one I suggest buying from a vendor that will let you
exchange it within the first two weeks (like B&H), then copy off Roger
Clark's test pattern (or similar) and shoot test shots as soon as you
get it. If you like it, fine ... if it's terrible then ask for another
one.

On the bright side, if you get a solidly constructed one you can do
some real damage with it ... here are some shots a guy I know took in
Africa last summer (I had given him some tips after he saw my Africa
safari pics from last January) ... he was using one of the Sigma zooms
that go to 500 mm (maybe 100-500 or 50-500 or 170-500 if they make that
one, I really can't remember but I can ask him). I think he had one of
the Minolta digital bodies ... anyway, check the animals - birds (small
and large), antelopes and cats and you'll see some really fine images.


http://cjsmall.home.comcast.net/Tanzania/index.html

Bill (the other Bill H.

  #5  
Old December 2nd 06, 08:18 AM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
cmyk
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Posts: 115
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

Hi Bill Hilton,

Canon AF tends to work all the way down to f9 without too much trouble. I
know from personal experience with an EOS 30 and an EOS 30D, both using a
Tamron 28-300 and a Sigma 50-500 with a 1.4x converter in each case.

Cheers
--

"Bill Hilton" wrote in message
oups.com...
Bill H. wrote:

Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3

DG

Another Bill H. ... this could get real confusing fast ...

Anyway, I think on an earlier post you mentioned having a Canon
consumer-grade digital SLR body (as opposed to the 1D series pro bodies
that will AF at f/8) ... if I got that right then your camera will hold
autofocus at f/5.6 and wider apertures, so with these variable aperture
zooms you might find that once you zoom out to 300 mm and beyond (or
where ever the lens stops down from f/5.6) that you can no longer
autofocus.

To me this would be a deal-killer and I'd look for something no slower
than f/5.6.

Couple of other comments ... the AF is likely to be very slow with
either of these compared to Canon's USM lenses ... the build quality is
suspect in several models of the Sigma line (dunno about the specific
one you mention) and there seems to be a lot of variation from lens to
lens, indicating weak quality control.

So if you get one I suggest buying from a vendor that will let you
exchange it within the first two weeks (like B&H), then copy off Roger
Clark's test pattern (or similar) and shoot test shots as soon as you
get it. If you like it, fine ... if it's terrible then ask for another
one.

On the bright side, if you get a solidly constructed one you can do
some real damage with it ... here are some shots a guy I know took in
Africa last summer (I had given him some tips after he saw my Africa
safari pics from last January) ... he was using one of the Sigma zooms
that go to 500 mm (maybe 100-500 or 50-500 or 170-500 if they make that
one, I really can't remember but I can ask him). I think he had one of
the Minolta digital bodies ... anyway, check the animals - birds (small
and large), antelopes and cats and you'll see some really fine images.


http://cjsmall.home.comcast.net/Tanzania/index.html

Bill (the other Bill H.



  #6  
Old December 2nd 06, 08:19 AM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
cmyk
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Posts: 115
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

Hi Bill H,

Regarding the Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG, I'd say consider the Sigma
50-500mm F4-6.3 APO EX DG HSM or 80-400mm F4.5-5.6 APO EX OS instead. Both
are much better lenses IMHO - and in the opion of many reviewers.

Cheers

--

"Bill H." wrote in message
...

Which of these would you spend your money on?
Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) or Sigma APO 170-500mm F5-6.3 DG




  #7  
Old December 2nd 06, 02:22 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
Bill Hilton
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 244
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

Bill Hilton wrote:

On the bright side, if you get a solidly constructed one you can do
some real damage with it ... here are some shots a guy I know took in
Africa last summer (I had given him some tips after he saw my Africa
safari pics from last January) ... he was using one of the Sigma zooms
that go to 500 mm (maybe 100-500 or 50-500 or 170-500 if they make that
one, I really can't remember but I can ask him). I think he had one of
the Minolta digital bodies ... anyway, check the animals - birds (small
and large), antelopes and cats and you'll see some really fine images.


http://cjsmall.home.comcast.net/Tanzania/index.html

Bill (the other Bill H.


I emailed this photographer, asking which lens he used, and this was
his reply ...
(quote)
"It was the Sigma APO 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG. I also had the 1.4x and
2.0x
matched tele-converters which I used only infrequently. At just under
$1000 I think this lens is a great bargain and I was very pleased with
the
sharpness of the results. Of course, the problem you face is loss of
speed
and the ability to open the lens to throw the background out of focus
to
the degree that you would like since you are limited to F6.3 when
shooting
at the extreme end of the telephoto range. On the plus side, it was
great
to be able to track the animals like the cats as approached the
vehicle,
backing off to 50mm. The manual operation of the lens was smooth, but
there was also more time spent auto-focusing which I did find annoying
as it caused me to miss a number of shots of birds in flight since the
camera took too long to lock onto the subject. However, once my
Minolta
had focus, it tracks very well with this lens in continuous auto-focus
mode. If you use the tele-converters, you must lock the lens for a
minimum
of 100mm rather than 50mm, otherwise the internals would collide with
the
extenders. I would recommend getting the 1.4x extender, but would
probably
skip the 2.0x. Autofocus will not work using the extenders except in
the
brightest light."
(end quote)

I think Roger Clark had one of these (or had access to one for testing)
and thought it was very sharp at the 500 mm end, based on some
resolution tests he ran. Though like me Roger now uses the Canon 500
f/4 L IS, which is a dream lens but about 5x as costly as this Sigma.

I don't know how this 50-500 compares optically to the other Sigma
zooms that go to 500 mm.

Bill

  #8  
Old December 2nd 06, 09:58 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark)
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Posts: 1,818
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

Bill Hilton wrote:
Bill Hilton wrote:

On the bright side, if you get a solidly constructed one you can do
some real damage with it ... here are some shots a guy I know took in
Africa last summer (I had given him some tips after he saw my Africa
safari pics from last January) ... he was using one of the Sigma zooms
that go to 500 mm (maybe 100-500 or 50-500 or 170-500 if they make that
one, I really can't remember but I can ask him). I think he had one of
the Minolta digital bodies ... anyway, check the animals - birds (small
and large), antelopes and cats and you'll see some really fine images.


http://cjsmall.home.comcast.net/Tanzania/index.html

Bill (the other Bill H.



I emailed this photographer, asking which lens he used, and this was
his reply ...
(quote)
"It was the Sigma APO 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG. I also had the 1.4x and
2.0x
matched tele-converters which I used only infrequently. At just under
$1000 I think this lens is a great bargain and I was very pleased with
the
sharpness of the results. Of course, the problem you face is loss of
speed
and the ability to open the lens to throw the background out of focus
to
the degree that you would like since you are limited to F6.3 when
shooting
at the extreme end of the telephoto range. On the plus side, it was
great
to be able to track the animals like the cats as approached the
vehicle,
backing off to 50mm. The manual operation of the lens was smooth, but
there was also more time spent auto-focusing which I did find annoying
as it caused me to miss a number of shots of birds in flight since the
camera took too long to lock onto the subject. However, once my
Minolta
had focus, it tracks very well with this lens in continuous auto-focus
mode. If you use the tele-converters, you must lock the lens for a
minimum
of 100mm rather than 50mm, otherwise the internals would collide with
the
extenders. I would recommend getting the 1.4x extender, but would
probably
skip the 2.0x. Autofocus will not work using the extenders except in
the
brightest light."
(end quote)

I think Roger Clark had one of these (or had access to one for testing)
and thought it was very sharp at the 500 mm end, based on some
resolution tests he ran. Though like me Roger now uses the Canon 500
f/4 L IS, which is a dream lens but about 5x as costly as this Sigma.

I don't know how this 50-500 compares optically to the other Sigma
zooms that go to 500 mm.

Bill

Bill, others,
I have the Sigma 170-500, and rate my lens sharper than the
Canon 100-400 L IS. I replaced the 170-500 with the 100-400
due to the IS. I felt the IS helped more than the slight
loss in sharpness hurt. But then with experience I just was not
satisfied with my 100-400's sharpness, especially at the
long end. I replaced it with a 300 f/4 L IS, which
I find really sharp, even with a 1.4x, it beats the 100-400
in my experience, is lighter and costs less.
For wildlife trips, I generally carry the 500 f/4 L IS,
300 f/4 L IS, 70-200 f/4 L IS, and 28-135 IS, 1.4x and 2x TCs.
When I need to travel lighter, I leave the 500 home,
e.g. I just returned from Hawaii and took the above minus the 500.

See:
A Lens test
Canon EOS 100-400mm L IS vs Sigma 170-500mm vs Canon 75-300mm IS
http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/lenstest1.html

Roger
http://www.clarkvision.com
  #9  
Old December 3rd 06, 01:16 AM posted to rec.photo.technique.nature
cmyk
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Posts: 115
Default Tamron or Sigma Long Zoom Lenses?

If you use the tele-converters, you must lock the lens for a minimum of
100mm rather than 50mm, otherwise the internals would collide with
the extenders.


That depends on whose extenders you use. Certainly this is the case with he
Sigma and Canon extenders, but is not so with the Kenko Teleplus Pro series.

Cheers

--




 




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