Swapping Tamron 70-300 for Sigma APO

simonkit · 03-29-2008, 10:23 AM

After some thought I 've decided to replace my Tamron 70-300 with the Sigma APO equivalent.

Whilst I was quite pleased with the Tamron the annoying CA has made me try the Sigma - fortunately found the Sigma at a very good price too !!

I'll post when I've had chance to compare them

simon

VeijoM · 03-29-2008, 11:06 AM

Originally posted by simonkit

After some thought I 've decided to replace my Tamron 70-300 with the Sigma APO equivalent.

I'll post when I've had chance to compare them

simon

Hi!

I hope you can find some time to compare their sharpness at 300 mm (whole frame). For some reason everyone quote photozone tests and say Sigma is loosing sharpness over 200 mm, and that debate is on always. If you could give something to that discussion :-)

I have the Sigma APO and so far haven't missed the sharpness which "should not be" in that lens at 300mm and wonder if the Photozone sample was good representative of this lens. But as I have no other lens to compare to, I cannot compare...

And I hope you can make the comparisons with subject more than 2m away from camera (hopefully at their infinity), as the lens (Sigma) is quite good when close focused (this is what I do mostly with this lens).

I like the Sigma's colours, which is part of the magic with this lens.

Happy shooting with the lens!

-Veijo-

silverknight · 03-30-2008, 02:19 AM

I am also interested in getting the sigma APO but I am upgrading from a sigma DL macro instead of the tamron.

I am hesitant to upgrade because Im not exactly sure what the benefit is along with the fact that it will be considered a small upgrade?
On the plus side, its an upgrade that is not going to cost much.

jdg · 03-30-2008, 05:58 AM

Should the performance of the sigma 28-300 dg and 70-300 apo dg at 300mm be comparable? co'z the 28-300's sample image @300mm F/8 is much sharper than the 70-300 apo sample image at the same focal length and aperture in ephotozine's review, maybe they got a bad review sample of the 70-300 apo dg.

sigma 28-300 dg @300 f/8
http://www.ephotozine.com/images/Sig28-300-300-f8.jpg

sigma 70-300 apo dg @300 f/8
http://www.ephotozine.com/images/Sig70-300dg-300-f8.jpg

Last edited by jdg; 03-30-2008 at 06:03 AM.

Jodokast96 · 03-30-2008, 09:04 AM

Tom M and I had this debate about the sharpness of the Sigma a few months ago. He said it isn't sharp at all, especially above 200mm, and I vehemently disagreed. Guess what? We were both right. His copy was pretty pathetic, while I can't say enough good things about mine.

Looking at those examples, that is nowhere near indicitive of what my 70-300 can do, and are even worse than what Tom's could do . Quite honestly, it almost looks like the shot was taken handheld at too slow a shutter speed. I've posted this link before, and I'll post it again Re: [Lens] Which lens for K100d S - dslreports.com. They are all unedited and taken wide open at 300mm, and in my first 2 months of ever owning any SLR. Looking at their review, it is now almost 3 years old. I know for a fact there have been changes made to the lens, as it no longer has the AF/MF switch, so maybe their were some optical changes made as well. Or maybe it really does come down to whether or not you get a good copy.

moxfyre · 03-30-2008, 09:20 AM

Originally posted by Jodokast96

Or maybe it really does come down to whether or not you get a good copy.

That seems to be the case... Every time this debate comes up, people will argue back and forth about whether the Sigma is sharp or not. Some copies seem horrible, some seem as good as the Tamron, and everything in between.

Whereas everyone pretty much agrees about the CA/PF on the Tamron...

Seems like the Tamrons are more consistent, while the Sigmas have more sample-to-sample variation.

benjikan · 03-30-2008, 11:13 AM

When I was with Canon, I went through three Sigma APO 70-300 lenses. None of them seemed to be up to scratch. In fact the last one needed to be re-chipped. It still was not acceptable. Too soft at 300mm. None the less, the Tamron not being perfect, is something I can deal with in terms of CA. Three seconds in PS Raw and it is adjusted.

Ben

Last edited by benjikan; 03-31-2008 at 01:07 AM.

kenyee · 03-30-2008, 07:33 PM

Long thread on DPR about this:
Replacing Tamron 70-300 with Sigma 70-300 apo dg: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

but this is a telling crop comparison:
îáçï á-PZ ìèîøåï 70-300 LD Di - d-spot.co.il

moxfyre · 03-30-2008, 09:28 PM

Originally posted by kenyee

Long thread on DPR about this:
Replacing Tamron 70-300 with Sigma 70-300 apo dg: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

but this is a telling crop comparison:
îáçï á-PZ ìèîøåï 70-300 LD Di - d-spot.co.il

Yeah, that comparison is interesting... but so bad for the Sigma that I have trouble believing this is a typical sample.

There seems to be more sample-to-sample consistency with the Tamron.

benjikan · 03-31-2008, 01:25 AM

That comparison pretty much sums up my past experience. Pretty flagrant difference. He even shot the Sigma at f11 next to a Tamron at f5.6 just to highlight the point.

As I said earlier. CA is removed in two seconds on the slider in Camera Raw. I use it on my 16-45, 16-50 and what ever lens needs a slight tweak.

You cannot add resolution that is not there.

Ben

moxfyre · 03-31-2008, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by benjikan

That comparison pretty much sums up my past experience. Pretty flagrant difference. He even shot the Sigma at f11 next to a Tamron at f5.6 just to highlight the point.

I gotcha! All I know is I have seen other Sigma samples that are quite sharp. Could be a back/front focus issue?

Originally posted by benjikan

As I said earlier. CA is removed in two seconds on the slider in Camera Raw. I use it on my 16-45, 16-50 and what ever lens needs a slight tweak.

You cannot add resolution that is not there.

Well... CA is lossy too, it's just not as global as softness usually is. You can't (exactly) recover the lost colors... though you can get it close.

Anyway... I personally am happy with the Tamron. I just hesitate to believe results that seem too good OR bad to be true. There are just too many mistakes that could be made in testing a lens. So I try to look for testers with a proven track record, like Klaus at photozone.

kenyee · 03-31-2008, 08:28 AM

If it's at f11, BF/FF should be less of an issue so I'd guess that part of the test is valid...

simonkit · 03-31-2008, 09:15 AM

Interesting comparison - to be honest though Sigma does seem to suffer sample variation and I've seen comparisons from users when are much closer between the two, these do however show the sigma slightly softer at 300mm.

Perhaps my Tamron is not a great copy either but the CA is just a bit too much for me, I've managed to remove CA from most of the few shots I've taken but it has been very evident.

If the Pentax 55-300 proves decent I may get rid of both & buy that instead !!

simon

benjikan · 03-31-2008, 10:10 AM

Just posted a couple of images shot in to the direction of the sun with the Tamron. One at 133mm and another at 300mm. This last one was focussed on the Grey Wall "White" telephone cable at 300mm.....This is very sharp at 300mm. A bit of CA, but not bad considering shot in to the sun. I did purchase a HOYA HMC UV filter which is 7 layers of Multi coating which may have been helpful under these circumstances. Oh I shot at 200 iso, not intended as I was not in "D Range".

Compressed at 7/12 to get it in to the 1meg limit, therefore some JPEG artifacts.

Ben

User Photo Gallery - Miscellaneous
User Photo Gallery - Miscellaneous

kenyee · 03-31-2008, 01:04 PM

Looks like a good copy to me :-)
If you stop it down enough (roughly 2 stops), the PF is mostly controlled.
Be careful about the evil rear lens cap...

03-29-2008, 10:23 AM	#1
simonkit Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Wales, UK Posts: 645	Swapping Tamron 70-300 for Sigma APO After some thought I 've decided to replace my Tamron 70-300 with the Sigma APO equivalent. Whilst I was quite pleased with the Tamron the annoying CA has made me try the Sigma - fortunately found the Sigma at a very good price too !! I'll post when I've had chance to compare them simon

03-31-2008, 01:25 AM	#10
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308	Flagrant That comparison pretty much sums up my past experience. Pretty flagrant difference. He even shot the Sigma at f11 next to a Tamron at f5.6 just to highlight the point. As I said earlier. CA is removed in two seconds on the slider in Camera Raw. I use it on my 16-45, 16-50 and what ever lens needs a slight tweak. You cannot add resolution that is not there. Ben

03-31-2008, 10:10 AM	#14
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308	Just posted a couple of images shot in to the direction of the sun with the Tamron. One at 133mm and another at 300mm. This last one was focussed on the Grey Wall "White" telephone cable at 300mm.....This is very sharp at 300mm. A bit of CA, but not bad considering shot in to the sun. I did purchase a HOYA HMC UV filter which is 7 layers of Multi coating which may have been helpful under these circumstances. Oh I shot at 200 iso, not intended as I was not in "D Range". Compressed at 7/12 to get it in to the 1meg limit, therefore some JPEG artifacts. Ben User Photo Gallery - Miscellaneous User Photo Gallery - Miscellaneous Attached Images Last edited by benjikan; 03-31-2008 at 10:19 AM.

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03-29-2008, 11:06 AM	#2
VeijoM Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 21	Originally posted by simonkit After some thought I 've decided to replace my Tamron 70-300 with the Sigma APO equivalent. I'll post when I've had chance to compare them simon Hi! I hope you can find some time to compare their sharpness at 300 mm (whole frame). For some reason everyone quote photozone tests and say Sigma is loosing sharpness over 200 mm, and that debate is on always. If you could give something to that discussion :-) I have the Sigma APO and so far haven't missed the sharpness which "should not be" in that lens at 300mm and wonder if the Photozone sample was good representative of this lens. But as I have no other lens to compare to, I cannot compare... And I hope you can make the comparisons with subject more than 2m away from camera (hopefully at their infinity), as the lens (Sigma) is quite good when close focused (this is what I do mostly with this lens). I like the Sigma's colours, which is part of the magic with this lens. Happy shooting with the lens! -Veijo-

03-30-2008, 02:19 AM	#3
silverknight Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 53	I am also interested in getting the sigma APO but I am upgrading from a sigma DL macro instead of the tamron. I am hesitant to upgrade because Im not exactly sure what the benefit is along with the fact that it will be considered a small upgrade? On the plus side, its an upgrade that is not going to cost much.

03-30-2008, 05:58 AM	#4
jdg Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Cavite, Philippines Posts: 85	Should the performance of the sigma 28-300 dg and 70-300 apo dg at 300mm be comparable? co'z the 28-300's sample image @300mm F/8 is much sharper than the 70-300 apo sample image at the same focal length and aperture in ephotozine's review, maybe they got a bad review sample of the 70-300 apo dg. sigma 28-300 dg @300 f/8 http://www.ephotozine.com/images/Sig28-300-300-f8.jpg sigma 70-300 apo dg @300 f/8 http://www.ephotozine.com/images/Sig70-300dg-300-f8.jpg Last edited by jdg; 03-30-2008 at 06:03 AM.

03-30-2008, 09:04 AM	#5
Jodokast96 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Erial, NJ USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,134	Tom M and I had this debate about the sharpness of the Sigma a few months ago. He said it isn't sharp at all, especially above 200mm, and I vehemently disagreed. Guess what? We were both right. His copy was pretty pathetic, while I can't say enough good things about mine. Looking at those examples, that is nowhere near indicitive of what my 70-300 can do, and are even worse than what Tom's could do . Quite honestly, it almost looks like the shot was taken handheld at too slow a shutter speed. I've posted this link before, and I'll post it again Re: [Lens] Which lens for K100d S - dslreports.com. They are all unedited and taken wide open at 300mm, and in my first 2 months of ever owning any SLR. Looking at their review, it is now almost 3 years old. I know for a fact there have been changes made to the lens, as it no longer has the AF/MF switch, so maybe their were some optical changes made as well. Or maybe it really does come down to whether or not you get a good copy.

03-30-2008, 09:20 AM	#6
moxfyre Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 86	Originally posted by Jodokast96 Or maybe it really does come down to whether or not you get a good copy. That seems to be the case... Every time this debate comes up, people will argue back and forth about whether the Sigma is sharp or not. Some copies seem horrible, some seem as good as the Tamron, and everything in between. Whereas everyone pretty much agrees about the CA/PF on the Tamron... Seems like the Tamrons are more consistent, while the Sigmas have more sample-to-sample variation.

03-30-2008, 11:13 AM	#7
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308	When I was with Canon, I went through three Sigma APO 70-300 lenses. None of them seemed to be up to scratch. In fact the last one needed to be re-chipped. It still was not acceptable. Too soft at 300mm. None the less, the Tamron not being perfect, is something I can deal with in terms of CA. Three seconds in PS Raw and it is adjusted. Ben Last edited by benjikan; 03-31-2008 at 01:07 AM.

03-30-2008, 07:33 PM	#8
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Long thread on DPR about this: Replacing Tamron 70-300 with Sigma 70-300 apo dg: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review but this is a telling crop comparison: îáçï á-PZ ìèîøåï 70-300 LD Di - d-spot.co.il

03-30-2008, 09:28 PM	#9
moxfyre Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 86	Originally posted by kenyee Long thread on DPR about this: Replacing Tamron 70-300 with Sigma 70-300 apo dg: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review but this is a telling crop comparison: îáçï á-PZ ìèîøåï 70-300 LD Di - d-spot.co.il Yeah, that comparison is interesting... but so bad for the Sigma that I have trouble believing this is a typical sample. There seems to be more sample-to-sample consistency with the Tamron.

03-31-2008, 08:06 AM	#11
moxfyre Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 86	Originally posted by benjikan That comparison pretty much sums up my past experience. Pretty flagrant difference. He even shot the Sigma at f11 next to a Tamron at f5.6 just to highlight the point. I gotcha! All I know is I have seen other Sigma samples that are quite sharp. Could be a back/front focus issue? Originally posted by benjikan As I said earlier. CA is removed in two seconds on the slider in Camera Raw. I use it on my 16-45, 16-50 and what ever lens needs a slight tweak. You cannot add resolution that is not there. Well... CA is lossy too, it's just not as global as softness usually is. You can't (exactly) recover the lost colors... though you can get it close. Anyway... I personally am happy with the Tamron. I just hesitate to believe results that seem too good OR bad to be true. There are just too many mistakes that could be made in testing a lens. So I try to look for testers with a proven track record, like Klaus at photozone.

03-31-2008, 08:28 AM	#12
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	If it's at f11, BF/FF should be less of an issue so I'd guess that part of the test is valid...

03-31-2008, 09:15 AM	#13
simonkit Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: North Wales, UK Posts: 645 Original Poster	Interesting comparison - to be honest though Sigma does seem to suffer sample variation and I've seen comparisons from users when are much closer between the two, these do however show the sigma slightly softer at 300mm. Perhaps my Tamron is not a great copy either but the CA is just a bit too much for me, I've managed to remove CA from most of the few shots I've taken but it has been very evident. If the Pentax 55-300 proves decent I may get rid of both & buy that instead !! simon

03-31-2008, 01:04 PM	#15
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Looks like a good copy to me :-) If you stop it down enough (roughly 2 stops), the PF is mostly controlled. Be careful about the evil rear lens cap...