Help, what lens is better.

Graham

Graham

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Graham
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Hi all,
I`m hoping to get some new equipment in the next week or so, so i`m looking at several lens, your help is needed, I dont really care about the cost :-)
Im looking at various lens with a middle of the road zoom.
Here are the lens that i`m oh so not decided on and one other that could come with a new camera (as that makes it doubly cheap)

Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF Standard Zoom Lens
Sigma AF 24-105mm F/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens
And one that could come with the cameras package deal is
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR
With the nikon im really not too sure about it, is it a good lens, give sharp detail and what not?

Your veiws are greatly appreciated
 
I just got the Sigma Art 35 1.4 and love it - I know that's not on your list - but the Art series is supposed to be very good. A highly recommended lens is the Sigma Art 24-35.

Check out the FB page for Sigma Art - Lots of knowledgeable supportive people there. They helped me a lot when I was looking for my new Sigma lens. I would post a link but this is only my 2nd post here and was warned not to post links yet. :)
 
melangeonline said:
I just got the Sigma Art 35 1.4 and love it - I know that's not on your list - but the Art series is supposed to be very good. A highly recommended lens is the Sigma Art 24-35.

Check out the FB page for Sigma Art - Lots of knowledgeable supportive people there. They helped me a lot when I was looking for my new Sigma lens. I would post a link but this is only my 2nd post here and was warned not to post links yet. :)
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As you said its not on my list and as the zoom is not that great is the reason for wanting something with a bit more reach.
Thanks for the tip on the sigma FB page/group, ill take a gander at that.
 
My sigma 70 -200 is my go to Lens for outdoor portraits and lots of other things- it's pretty good but I need to calibrate it just haven't gotten there yet
 
Graham said:
Hi all,
I`m hoping to get some new equipment in the next week or so, so i`m looking at several lens, your help is needed, I dont really care about the cost :)
Im looking at various lens with a middle of the road zoom.
Here are the lens that i`m oh so not decided on and one other that could come with a new camera (as that makes it doubly cheap)

Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF Standard Zoom Lens
Sigma AF 24-105mm F/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens
And one that could come with the cameras package deal is
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR
With the nikon im really not too sure about it, is it a good lens, give sharp detail and what not?

Your veiws are greatly appreciated
Click to expand...


Sigma 12-24 can be very effective on an FF body but is a completely different animal to the rest of the lenses listed, not an equivalent!

A good copy of the Sigma 24-70 is a good lens but poor copies apparently exist, so try the actual lens you'll be getting before parting with your hard earned cash! (This might apply to the 12-24 as well.)

No personal experience of the other 2 lenses listed. If money was absolutely no object, the Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 and the 24-70 f/2.8 would be contenders too.
 
Graham said:
Hi all,
I`m hoping to get some new equipment in the next week or so, so i`m looking at several lens, your help is needed, I dont really care about the cost :)
Im looking at various lens with a middle of the road zoom.
Here are the lens that i`m oh so not decided on and one other that could come with a new camera (as that makes it doubly cheap)

Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF Standard Zoom Lens
Sigma AF 24-105mm F/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens
And one that could come with the cameras package deal is
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR
With the nikon im really not too sure about it, is it a good lens, give sharp detail and what not?

Your veiws are greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

None of those as are as good as the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 or the Nikon 24-120 f/4 if money doesn't matter get one of those.

In regards to the super wide I have a Nikon 16-35 which I love and have previously owned the Nikon 14-24 which I didn't love so much. Have no idea if the Sigma is any good though as haven't owned that lens. Would absolutely avoid the Sigma 24-70, terrible performance wide open.
 
You haven't really given much clue as to what you want to use it for. You've got the 12-24 on your list but then say that 35mm is too short.:thinking:

Before we can help with what's good, we need to know what it needs to be good for. :D

This is like; 'I need a car, can't decide between a 3 series beemer, a golf or a Range Rover, help me choose?'
 
Good point Phil, it's one main element I forgot to mention.
More day to day stuff, landscape/portrait type of shots, I'm waiting for a super wide to come on the market soon so I don't want / need a lens that's too wide in this category so maybe I don't need to be looking at the sigma 12-24 for the moment.
 
Do I take it that the nikon nikkor 24-84 is just meh just like kit lines are OK but meh, as it's not been mentioned yet.
 
I've got the 24-85, it's not bad. It's not in the same league as my Nikon 24-70 but it is smaller, lighter and has VR.
I've previously had a Sigma 24-70 which I sold as soon as I could - it wasn't the sharpest of lenses. A mate has one and that's similarly soft - unless you're sure of getting a sharp copy I'd stay well clear.
I've no experience of the Sigma 24-105 Art, but if it's as good as the 35mm Art then it'll be a cracking lens - it's one of my favourites on full frame.
 
OK so nikon are either cheapish and meh quality or overly very expensive for some good glass.
What about Tamron, looking at their price they could be worse quality than cheap nikon?
 
I've got the sigma 24-105 f4 art and I think it's a great lens. Decision for me against the 24-70 is only if you need the extra stop for shutter speed or there's a bokeh issue. I'm mainly landscapes and f11 is my default
 
Graham said:
OK so nikon are either cheapish and meh quality or overly very expensive for some good glass.
What about Tamron, looking at their price they could be worse quality than cheap nikon?
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You can't decide based on manufacturer.

Ford make the Ka and also the Focus ST.

Nikon make good and bad lenses and so do Sigma and Tamron.

So, picking a lens if you have a decent budget?

What focal length?

Then look for a fixed aperture lens (2.8) rather than variable aperture, read some reviews, none are bad, but some are better than others.
 
The 24-85mm is a very good lens, especially for the money. Lighter than the others too.

The Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 is the pick of the bunch when it comes to short zooms. Renders nicer, better bokeh (ymmv) and annihilates the competition when it comes to AF speed, the AF speed is insane. That being said it's expensive, heavy and 24-70mm isn't a large range.

The 24-120mm f4 is another great lens. Sharpness wise I can't really tell the difference between my 24-120mm and 24-70mm, plus the extra 50mm makes quite a difference. AF isn't as fast though, and bokeh is not as nice (but still decent). I do find for general walk about I tend to pick the 24-120mm over the 24-70mm due to the flexibility. I use the 24-70mm more for low light and for wider angle sports shots due to the AF speed.
 
Out of your list, I'd go for the Sigma 24-70. Which body is it for? Assuming something with a full frame sensor?

I may have been unlucky but the two Sigmas I owned weren't overly amazing, image quality wise.

My main lens is the Tamron 28-75 f2.8. Absolutely brilliant!

Had mine for nearly three years, and performs faultlessly, even being my main lens for two weddings I shot. I did some research and went for the older non BIM (built in motor) version. Reviews varied but it seemed the later, albeit, supposedly faster focusing BIM version struggles to focus in low light.
 
Graham said:
OK so nikon are either cheapish and meh quality or overly very expensive for some good glass.
What about Tamron, looking at their price they could be worse quality than cheap nikon?
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, the 24-85 isn't a bad lens, it certainly gets some good reviews out on the internet, it just isn't in the same league as the 24-70 which is widely regarded as one of the best lenses you can buy. I bought both of mine second hand which certainly made the 24-70 more affordable as it's very expensive new, especially the latest VR version.
The Tamron 24-70 is well regarded, but there are reports of some quality issues.
 
Shak said:
Out of your list, I'd go for the Sigma 24-70. Which body is it for? Assuming something with a full frame sensor?

I may have been unlucky but the two Sigmas I owned weren't overly amazing, image quality wise.

My main lens is the Tamron 28-75 f2.8. Absolutely brilliant!

Had mine for nearly three years, and performs faultlessly, even being my main lens for two weddings I shot. I did some research and went for the older non BIM (built in motor) version. Reviews varied but it seemed the later, albeit, supposedly faster focusing BIM version struggles to focus in low light.
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Which sigmas did you have that you were not happy with?
 
melangeonline said:
Which sigmas did you have that you were not happy with?
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Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8. This is going back a while, though.

The good images were fantastic. But others suffered IQ issues too often.
 
Shak said:
Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8. This is going back a while, though.

The good images were fantastic. But others suffered IQ issues too often.
Click to expand...
I had issues with both Sigma 70-200mm f2.8's I tried.
 
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