Tamron 24-70 v Sigma 24-105

Suomi

Suomi

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Ok, after nearing two months of scanning review and reading peoples opinions (juggler's thread on here was particularly helpful) I again arrived back more or less where I started. I am looking to replace my 28-105 Nikon lens with something newer. Originally it was a choice between the Nikon 24-120 f4 and the Sigma 24-105 f4 Art lens, then I started to read about the Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC so that got fed into the mix.

A number of times I have almost pressed the button on buying one of the above lenses only to read more reviews and then change my mind again. I know that some people will think why is he not getting the Nikon 24-70 F2.8 instead, well for me even the second hand one are too expensive. I have a big trip coming up towards the end of the year and want to use the lens for that (Landscape, scenic and walkabout style). I think that I am over reading and possibly over thinking this but this lens is more than likely my one big photography expense this year.

While I do not know which is better I do know that in my mind at the moment the Nikon 24-120 f4 is in third place. While the price both new and second-hand Nikon tend to be cheaper than the others I am not sure the 15mm more reach over the Sigma will be missed as I can always crop in. So this leaves the two in the heading, both of which do not seem to come up to often as second hands and which a lot of people rate highly.

So the pro and cons seem to be

Tamron a faster bit of glass but shorter than the Sigma and very sharp (if you get a good one, and how do you know if you have a bad one?)
Sigma a longer reach but slower than the Tamron and also very sharp.

If anyone has both, or used both I would appreciate your further thoughts on comparison of the two lenses.
 
In the end I went with the Tamron as at the time of ordering it Amazon had dropped the price by a hundred pounds (now since gone back up). It arrived this afternoon, I am hoping to give it a try tomorrow. As it was not very well packed by Amazon I want to make sure that the test cover all bases. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do on first using a lens to make sure every thing is ok that would be appreciated.
 
Best test is to go and take some pictures exactly as you normally wood only start looking for problems if the results are not up to it.
 
Suomi said:
Ok, after nearing two months of scanning review and reading peoples opinions (juggler's thread on here was particularly helpful) I again arrived back more or less where I started. I am looking to replace my 28-105 Nikon lens with something newer. Originally it was a choice between the Nikon 24-120 f4 and the Sigma 24-105 f4 Art lens, then I started to read about the Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC so that got fed into the mix.

A number of times I have almost pressed the button on buying one of the above lenses only to read more reviews and then change my mind again. I know that some people will think why is he not getting the Nikon 24-70 F2.8 instead, well for me even the second hand one are too expensive. I have a big trip coming up towards the end of the year and want to use the lens for that (Landscape, scenic and walkabout style). I think that I am over reading and possibly over thinking this but this lens is more than likely my one big photography expense this year.

While I do not know which is better I do know that in my mind at the moment the Nikon 24-120 f4 is in third place. While the price both new and second-hand Nikon tend to be cheaper than the others I am not sure the 15mm more reach over the Sigma will be missed as I can always crop in. So this leaves the two in the heading, both of which do not seem to come up to often as second hands and which a lot of people rate highly.

So the pro and cons seem to be

Tamron a faster bit of glass but shorter than the Sigma and very sharp (if you get a good one, and how do you know if you have a bad one?)
Sigma a longer reach but slower than the Tamron and also very sharp.

If anyone has both, or used both I would appreciate your further thoughts on comparison of the two lenses.
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Awesome lens that Tamron. Big old beast of a lens
 
Lower cost and more reach for the Sigma, but also higher weight and that 82mm filter (which is the biggest issue for me since all my filters are 77mm). My recommendation would be to rent both and then pick the one that you like better.
 
Initial impressions are, its big and heavy (as rightly pointed out), it is sharp. The silent motor is quiet (I may need to think about putting the beep back on the camera). It focus is quite close. I need to knock the exposure back a bit more in light room. Negatives so far, need a new filter. I need to change my style a bit to suit the lens, but that may be a good thing in the long run.
 
You'll love it! I bought one as well. Decision was between the non VR Nikon version (wasn't out yet) and the Tammy. Chose the Tammy as it was several hundred dollars cheaper and I liked the warmer colour tones it produced. The bonus was that it had VC whereas the Nikon didn't.
 
I found the Nikon zoom ring is much smoother. But the image quality of the Tamron is awesome. The vc is a huge bonus too. Oh and the price.
I can smell GAS..
 
I have nearly the same dilemma as you @Suomi, but on a Canon rather than a Nikon. If I hadn't read about the "if you get a good copy" issues of the Tamron, it would have been bought by now. The Sigma 24-105 f/4 does appeal, but the f/2.8 of the Tamron would probably be more useful to me than the extra reach of the Sigma.

Have you found any issues with the Tamron? All good?
 
Mine appears to be well sharp, and is a nice bit of kit. But given pressures of work and the weather, since I got it, I have not been able to take the number of shots that I have wanted. Hoping to get more next weekend and have a good go with it then. So far though definitely glad I got it.
 
Suomi said:
Mine appears to be well sharp, and is a nice bit of kit. But given pressures of work and the weather, since I got it, I have not been able to take the number of shots that I have wanted. Hoping to get more next weekend and have a good go with it then. So far though definitely glad I got it.
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That is great to hear. Thanks.
 
Both Tamron and Sigma have suffered quality issues, but they do appear to be getting better and better nowadays. Your choice should really depend upon what you consider to be most useful, one-stop more light or the additional 70-105mm range.

Personally, I really like my Tampon 24-70 VC. It is very sharp, focuses fast, has excellent image stabilisation, and leaves me with no regrets for having sold my Canon 24-105. 24-70 is the range I use most, and F/2.8 comes in very handy. If I need to get closer to my subjects I can usually step forward a bit or crop.
 
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I find the Tamoon 24-70 to perform flawlessly between 24mm to about 60mm. There's a bit of a sharpness falloff at 70mm

For video the lens is incredible.
 
Ok, ok, I hear you ;-)
Creatively, an aperture of f/2.8 is more important to me than the 105mm focal length of the Sigma, so I agree with you (thank you for sharing your experiences) and the decision is made. Next, the painful part!
 
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