Originally posted by Buddha Jones Well, truth be told, I'd be more inclined to buy the DA* if it were under a grand, the IQ of it compared to the Tammy don't really compare IMO. That is where the real premium come in.
very good point...it comes to IQ and speed over other factors for me. Hoooowever, there is one seller, one of the Canookian sellers I think, on eBay selling the DA* 60-250 for something like $880 (might even have a best offer too). Yet even with the BING cashback (I think it applies for Canadian sellers on the IS eBay site??) it brings the price to a very reasonable $809 with free shipping. I have been tempted but I really want the extra stop over the sealing, well, fine!...I want both...
I'll be honest is was in my quest to upgrade my glass in this exact range which led me to the K7 and eventually to eschew Canon and go all-in with Pentax. I saw no reason to pay a $1000 premium to Canon for an f2.8 70-200mm lens with IS when going Pentax I could use the Sigma model mk II version for $719 shipped and with a 4yr warranty with IQ extremely close to the Canon L. But now folks here have me spying the freaking Tammy....d'oh!!! hehehehe...I guess I have a huge LBA issue...sigh...I must accept it as fact and learn to live with it I suppose.
For the most part people here really like the Tammy so I think I need to visit Samy's or Cameta in Santa Barbara and see of they have a Pentax mount copy I can get a feel for. I have been a Sigma fan for ages and never really used Tamron lenses, but have friends that shoot Canon who love them so, the points are piling up for the darned thing.
Having used a Canon EF-S 55-250 IS that even though it was variable aperture lens, was about as sharp a lens as one could ask, especially at about $250. I would say I reached for that lens more than anything except my Sigma 24-60...I definitely do not want a zoom with a zoom factor significantly higher than that or the DA*....but it is an excellent nature, hiking, zoo and even walk around lens range.
For how I want to use the lens, the faster the better as I live near the coast and want to spend more time shooting some of the truly scenic areas we have tucked away around here. But not at the expense of my gear and the constant exposure to the associated environment PLUS some days are just dreary yet very shot worthy...f4 will leave me to miss a fair number of shots...been there with other f4's and even at higher ISO to get close to a good shutter speed, it is just not quite enough...still learning though...
I love my DA* 50-135 though...I could care less that it's no focusing speed demon...it takes exceptional shots and does give me the sealing. But, I need more reach and see no reason to plunk down $600 on a Pentax TC, which, is that even sealed?
EDIT: Cripes I just realized when I posted about a seller with a 60-250mm for a BIN of $880 I was remembering a seller using the 50-135 and not the 60-250mm....d'oh!!!
Egg splattered all over my face...what will I do... Funny things come to mind when heading off to sleep I guess. Again sorry for the inaccurate price info...still for $1200 the 60-250 f4 needs to perform at least as well as the Canon 70-200 f/4 IS, which is probably the sharpest zoom Canon makes though the f/2.8 version is an eyelash behind.