[HoBykoYan]

Dear All,

Am planning to buy a zoom lens primarily for portrait and weddings, any recommendations? (old and new lenses are all welcome).

Price: max 500usd

Thanks in advance

[twitch]

With that budget I'd suggest the Tamron or Sigma 24ish to 75ish f2.8 zooms.

[SpecialK]

The Tamron 28-75 has excellent reviews, probably the best in that focal length and price range. I do not have one...yet.

[Ash]

Whilst I agree the Tamron 28-75 is the best all-around lens for both portraits and weddings, I use it indispensably with Tamron's own 70-200 f/2.8 telezoom. The 70-200 I find to be simply second to none as *the* telephoto lens for weddings. I get great results with the 28-75, and memorable results with the 70-200.

Yes, I do end up taking a 16-50 and 12-24 for wider angle shots, and like the results from the 16-50 more than those of the 28-75, but I have no hesitation shooting with the 28-75 exclusively in this focal range.

[wlachan]

That's a tough one. By portrait & wedding, do you mean people photographed with tele and blurry backgrounds? Or do you really mean a single zoom for the entire wedding? With $500, I would probably get the Tamron 28-75/2.8 for the former, or 17-50/2.8 for the latter.

[HoBykoYan]

It seems only tamron 28-75 f2.8 here. are there any link comparing it with sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 macro?

[hcc]

It seems only tamron 28-75 f2.8 here. are there any link comparing it with sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 macro?

A review of the Tamron 28-75 at Photozone.de:
Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) (Nikon) - Review / Lab Test Report

Another review at Slrgear.com:
Tamron Lens: Zooms - Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF SP AF (Tested) - SLRgear.com!

In the latter, a discussion is included about the Sigma17-70:
"Sigma has two lenses in this particular range available for about the same price and weight as the Tamron. Again, we haven't tested either yet, but readers give the 24-70mm good marks for build quality, image quality, and bokeh (rendering of out-of-focus elements in the scene), but readers were divided over its wide-open sharpness. The average user rating was 8.14 out of 10 points. Only one reader had reviewed the 28-70mm as of this writing. He liked it well enough, but was disappointed with the softness at f/2.8."

A review of the Sigma 17-70mm is at Photozone.de:
Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC macro - Review / Test Report

Considering the comparative verdicts at Photozone.de, a site widely accepted for its fair and objective assessments, there is not much between theTamron and Sigma.

But like many things, you might consider to try both lenses first to ascertain which one fits you best.

[snostorm]

It seems only tamron 28-75 f2.8 here. are there any link comparing it with sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5 macro?

Hi HoBykoYan,

I had bought a Sigma 17-70 as a possible replacement for my Tamron 28-75/2.8 for my 40th High School Reunion. I figured I could use the extra width for larger groups, yet have about the same long end for head shots and busts, and I could get away with f4.5 at the long end indoors. The Sigma was fine at the shortest FLs, but it loses f2.8 pretty fast when you start going longer. The lighting inside wasn't good enough to get satisfactory AF with the K10 (this was a couple of years ago) for most of the range of the lens. After a few minutes, I ditched the Sigma and shot the Tamron and the DA* 50-135 for the rest of the event.

But it was a good thought. . .and the Sigma is a very nice lens. . .

The Tamron was the first lens that I added when I got my DS in '05, and it will remain in my kit forever. Considerably smaller (67mm filter) than the competition in fast constant aperture zooms and sharp wide open throughout the range. I have heard that at one time there seemed to be a QC issue with these, but when I got mine, it was pretty universally praised as at least one of the best in class, including the majors.

Scott

[summonbaka]

As I only used the tamron i can say that it's a really nice lens for all-around portraits even if it's a little heavy, for your budget I would recommend the tamron 28-75 or the 17-50 and with the spare get an old fast prime for the really small DoF shots and/or darker places. Just beware the LBA :P