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08-08-2014, 12:43 PM   #1
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Thinking about replacing my telephoto

so ive been using the tamron 70-300 vc usd for the last few months. Its an ok lens, except it leaves something to be desired in terms sharpness. I mostly use my telephoto at the 200-300 focal range and so with that in mind, ive been thinking of switching to the sigma. Ive heard it does better at those focal lengths and dx0mark seems to support this although im not sure i really trust them anymore lol
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS Nikon on Nikon D800 versus Tamron SP 70-300 F/4-5.6 Di VC USD Nikon on Nikon D800 versus Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED on Nikon D800 - Side by side lens comparison - DxOMark

Thoughts?

08-08-2014, 12:50 PM   #2
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If you like the long end I'd almost go for a longer lens, whether it is the Sigma 150-500 or the Tamron 150-600 based on you saying you mainly use it at 200+, of course you can fill that 70-200 void in with either a Tamron or Sigma 70-200 f/2.8.
08-08-2014, 01:11 PM   #3
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I've had both Tamrons and Sigmas in that range (bought used in Pentax mount)) and there seems to be a lot of variation from lens to lens. I would agree with the Voice and save up for a longer zoom, or a 300 prime.
08-08-2014, 01:18 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by neostyles Quote
so ive been using the tamron 70-300 vc usd for the last few months. Its an ok lens, except it leaves something to be desired in terms sharpness. I mostly use my telephoto at the 200-300 focal range and so with that in mind, ive been thinking of switching to the sigma. Ive heard it does better at those focal lengths and dx0mark seems to support this although im not sure i really trust them anymore lol
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS Nikon on Nikon D800 versus Tamron SP 70-300 F/4-5.6 Di VC USD Nikon on Nikon D800 versus Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED on Nikon D800 - Side by side lens comparison - DxOMark

Thoughts?
Over the years, I've owned 4 copies of the Tamron 70-300 (not the VC, though), 2 copies of the Pentax 55-300 and 1x Sigma 70-300. In my experience, the Pentax and Tamrons are comparable in terms of sharpness @ 300mm, with the Sigma a little softer.

My Takumar 200/4 @ f/5.6 is sharper enough than the Pentax 55-300 @ f/8 that I can crop the Tak's image and have at least the same amount of detail.

So yeah, save up for a longer zoom (if you want to deal with the size and obtrusiveness of such a lens) or the DA 300.

08-08-2014, 01:23 PM   #5
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You might not get much direct feedback here as the Tamron SP 70-300 is not available in Pentax mount. From all I have seem and heard the Tamron will be better than the Sigma. I don't take anything DxO rates on lens at face value. Rather look at wwww.photozone.de or similar that actually compares useful qualities of lenses.

They seem to rate it fairly highly on Canon APS-C for consumer level price. Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP Di VC USD (EOS) - APS-C Format Review / Lab Test - Analysis
08-08-2014, 01:30 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by KevinR Quote
You might not get much direct feedback here as the Tamron SP 70-300 is not available in Pentax mount. From all I have seem and heard the Tamron will be better than the Sigma. I don't take anything DxO rates on lens at face value. Rather look at wwww.photozone.de or similar that actually compares useful qualities of lenses.

They seem to rate it fairly highly on Canon APS-C for consumer level price. Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SP Di VC USD (EOS) - APS-C Format Review / Lab Test - Analysis

I'd also suggest lenstip.com. Great reviews.
08-08-2014, 01:52 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by neostyles Quote
Thoughts?
What in particular are your shooting requirements with a 200-300mm lens? What things or events are you using it for?
That matters as to recommendations.

Two of the key attributes of a longer telephoto zoom are sharpness and AF performance. In my experience shooting with several long tele-zooms on both Pentax and Canon cropped and FF bodies, third party lenses can have very good optics (approaching the quality of OEMs) but their AF tracking capabilities are their weaknesses, for understandable reasons.

If you are not shooting much action (sports, birds, wildlife) then this may not be a primary requirement.

Please enlighten me.

M

08-09-2014, 05:30 PM   #8
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Ahhh color fringing at 300mm. Not sure whether I want to shoot with this lens anymore lol. Also pretty soft as well. :/
08-09-2014, 06:57 PM   #9
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Ahhh color fringing at 300mm. Not sure whether I want to shoot with this lens anymore lol. Also pretty soft as well. :/ Tried bumping up the aperture to f8 and even f11 and i noticed small improvements in sharpness but still too soft for my liking. And then there is the issue that, at f11 my shutter speeds dropped to around 1/50th sec, and this might be a problem given that i want to get into sports and it would be a bit hard to freeze motion with those kinds of slow shutter speeds. Plus, there is also the general rule that you are supposed to shoot with a shutter speed that is one over your focal length.

I mean, granted it does look. pretty nice at its low ranges, but i already have a 24 - 85 that is quite a bit lighter. Yeaah, i think ill go for the sigma 150-500.
08-09-2014, 07:03 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by neostyles Quote
i think ill go for the sigma 150-500.
Great choice! I really like mine.
08-10-2014, 12:15 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by neostyles Quote
Ahhh color fringing at 300mm. Not sure whether I want to shoot with this lens anymore lol. Also pretty soft as well. :/ Tried bumping up the aperture to f8 and even f11 and i noticed small improvements in sharpness but still too soft for my liking. And then there is the issue that, at f11 my shutter speeds dropped to around 1/50th sec, and this might be a problem given that i want to get into sports and it would be a bit hard to freeze motion with those kinds of slow shutter speeds. Plus, there is also the general rule that you are supposed to shoot with a shutter speed that is one over your focal length.

I mean, granted it does look. pretty nice at its low ranges, but i already have a 24 - 85 that is quite a bit lighter. Yeaah, i think ill go for the sigma 150-500.
You might have similar SS issues if sport your objective. Not sure 150-500 character (my 170-500 performs best at about f/9.5 and higher) so suspect you will need to bump up aperture at the long end to get good IQ. But at 300 it should be pretty good and AF speed seems fairly good. But it is a monster in size...

I remain a little surprised at your SP 70-300 performance experience, as reviews have put it in same or better class than DA55-300. The Tamron SP lens are usually at a high standard. I have standard Tamron 70-300 and while that is quite sharp, it's purple fringe CA was a complete killer for me outdoors in bright light. I thought the SP new version also sorted out the CA front. But all a bit moot for us Pentax shooters if they don't do it in K mount...
08-10-2014, 11:17 PM   #12
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I have thei VC USD
Amazon.com : Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras : Camera Lenses : Camera & Photo

Is this the version you are referring to?
08-12-2014, 10:17 AM   #13
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I've been shooting with a Sigma 70-300 for years. It came with the original kit package with my K10D. It's sharp stopped down to f/8 - f/11, not so good with wider apertures. It's also better on the shorter end of the zoom. There have been plenty of comments where folks say the Tamron 70-300 is better but I've never used the Tamron. I wouldn't ditch the Tamron for the Sigma. A lens I have used on my daughters D200 is the Nikon 55-300/4.5-5.6. You can pick one up for $250 and I think it's better than either but that's based on my own limited use but I've seen a lot of her stuff and it's pretty good. A better move would be to save up for the Sigma or Tamron 70-200/2.8 models. You have a lot more telephoto options available for Nikon.
08-12-2014, 12:39 PM   #14
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Thing is though, if i went with a longer telephoto, the 300 mm that i need would just be in the middle of the focal range. I used to have a 500mm for my k20d actually and while it was far from the sharpest lens (Im pretty sure it dated back to the 1980 something) i was amazed at how close i could get in on things. I found this on nikkons site and i thought it was pretty nifty
Nikon | Imaging Products | NIKKOR Lens Simulator

Does a pretty good job of showing you the differences between focal lengths imo
08-12-2014, 01:54 PM   #15
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I've owned a number of telephoto lenses MF and AF. My advice would be to buy some inexpensive long telephoto prime lenses. Since you're on a budget ( fast telephoto primes cost too much nowadays) I'd rule out the possibility of attaching teleconverters to your lens. After some time you'll come to the conclusion that 300mm is not long enough for birding and small wildlife pictures. I'd recommend to look for a 400mm prime f5.6 prime (MF or AF).
Here's my personal experience:

The Tamron SP 300mm f5.6 adaptall isvery small, good IQ, bad CA, needs to be stopped past f8 for acceptable results.

The Pentax-A 400mm f5.6, MF with smooth long focusing throw, very good IQ, horrible CA (lingers past f10)

Tokina AT-X AF 400mm f5.6: Good IQ (not as good as Pentax-A) fast autofocus, horrible CA, needs to be stopped past F8 for acceptable results

Sigma APO 400mm f5.6 MF, small form factor, surprising good CA control, IQ comparable to Tokina AT-X 400mm. I think for the reach this is a real winner with good IQ (needs moderate post-processing)

Sigma EX Dg 100-300mm f4: A real gem, extremely hard to find nowadays (sold for over a grand on the used market)

Sigma EX DG 300mm f2.8: Sharp, Expensive, good with 1.4x and 2x converters.

Legacy lenses:
Pentax-F/FA 300mm f4.5 are excellent performers.
Sigma APO Macro 400mm f5.6. I've never seen this lens on the used market in Pentax mount. Tested one some time back on a Nikon D300, its every bit as good as people say.
Tamron SP 400mm f4 Adapall. A monster of a lens, hardly seen on the used market, expensive.

Last edited by Mirton; 08-12-2014 at 02:04 PM.
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