nikon 105 V sigma 105 explain please !!

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johnny diamond

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bit of a noob making a return to photography after many years,basicly i like to know i have the best i can afford,and just spent close to £1,200 on gear......the wife is getting a bit tetchy regards added cost of a lens for my itch to try macro,
but with £300 differance beetween these two lenses and the quality reviews i am seeing for both, I have to ask what extra bang for my extra £300 do i get with the nikon choice ????
 
I've had both and as soon as I picked up the Sigma I thought it was awful (personal view...) as the AF is enabled and disabled by pushing and pulling the focus ring, and the thing extends massively when 'going macro'!

Sent it straight back from where I bought it and found a second hand Nikon for £200 extra.

Quality wise the Nikon is built like a tank, has AF-S so can manually focus even when using AF and doesn't extend - but does have focus breathing instead - not that I'd worry too much about that.

You r other option is to get a 60mm macro as they are much cheaper!
 
maybe your right regards 60mm although i have an inclination towards macro it would be a small part of my intended photographic spectrum ( scuse the pun )
and my brain is beginning to hurt with the potential options out there so stuck it on here to help me decide,thanks for your help and the new avenue of thought;)
 
Get a secondhand Sigma 105mm / Tamron 90mm to try out macro - If you like macro and want to upgrade to the Nikon or don't like macro you will be able to sell the Sigma without losing much if any money,
 
thanks paul, must say at this point if theres a booby prize to be won im usualy the candidate;) .....what i mean is i dont have much luck with new stuff let alone secondhand,and over the years ive learnt to buy new if only for the warrenty,
the sigma 105 keeps coming up and appears to be a great allrounder for this subject, and as jimbo said earlier the 60mm would suit the budget and the
60mm f/2.8D AF Micro NIKKOR is available for around the £300 mark. as most of my work would be in a macro studio/tent/box, maybe the 105 is more than i need,
although im still open to all suggestions:)
 
Just bought a 90mm Tamron from the classified - this thing is so sharp its unreal. Seeing that as most of the stuff you're gonna be shooting will be done on a tripod, VR is no big deal, plus just crank up the shutter speed and get some external flashes to light up the area :) Second hand gear can be a bargain if you choose properly, and I seriously doubt that the Nikon is much sharper than this. Very impressed.
 
I have the AFS105mm f/2.8 and you could hammer nails in with it (although I hasten to add that I have not done this, just in case I ever sell it :)). It IS a lot more than the Sigma equivalent and I cannot give a direct comparison because I have not used the Sigma but the Nikon is a superb 105mm prime lens that also happens to be a decent macro. It will auto focus quite close but then it will focus even closer after you switch to manual. All in all a top lens and although I do not use it much I would not get rid of it.
 
The main problem with a smaller focal length macro lens are there small working distances (MWD) which is the distance from the end of the lens to subject you need to get 1:1 magnification.

The 60mm MWD is about 48mm

The Nikon 105mm is around 150mm

The sigma 105mm is around 122mm

The Nikon lens has a better build quality and IQ that the others if you have the budget you will not regret it.
 
right!! ive discussed it with wife and realisticaly i have £400 to spend given i have othier items to get, dont think uptill today i have ever been more indecisive,exept for the wedding day of course;) anyhoo! im going for the sigma and will consider secondhand if somone within the forum has one ( not keen on ebay purchases)
once bitten twice shy,!!. many thanks for all your advices it is very much appreciated givan the amount of times you must get asked the same silly questions,best regards to you all, J.
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
Get a secondhand Sigma 105mm / Tamron 90mm to try out macro - If you like macro and want to upgrade to the Nikon or don't like macro you will be able to sell the Sigma without losing much if any money,
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I did, got the Sigma 105 to see if I liked Macro.I very rarely use it as it turns out.So glad that I didn`t splash out on the Nikon version.

each to thier own though..........:thumbs:
 
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