Sigma 24-70 f2.8 or Nikon 24-85mm f2.8-4

[Barney12]

I'm considering a better walk about/every day lens for my D300 but after reading gazzilions of comments and reviews I'm more undecided than ever.

Its between the Sigma 24-70 F2.8 or the Nikon 24-85 F2.8-4.

Some say the Siggy is soft, some swear by it? :shrug:

Before anyone tells me what I already know....I realise that the best option is a Nikon 24-70 F2.8 but my pennies just wont stretch that far

Any advise appreciated.

Barney

 

[AndyB]

I had gear stolen a while back and replaced a couple of Canon pro lenses with Sigmas. I think the problem with Sigma is quality control and not all the lenses leave the factory as they should. When they are set up correctly they are excellent and I think I got lucky.

The only thing with the Sigma 24-70 is the size of the thread. If yo have any filters they are unlikely to fit but for a general walk about you probably wouldnt use them.

I have no particular desire to upgrade my Sigma lenses now so you need to decide if the aditional cost of the Nikon lens is worth it.

 

[Barney12]

I had gear stolen a while back and replaced a couple of Canon pro lenses with Sigmas. I think the problem with Sigma is quality control and not all the lenses leave the factory as they should. When they are set up correctly they are excellent and I think I got lucky.

The only thing with the Sigma 24-70 is the size of the thread. If yo have any filters they are unlikely to fit but for a general walk about you probably wouldnt use them.

I have no particular desire to upgrade my Sigma lenses now so you need to decide if the aditional cost of the Nikon lens is worth it.

Thanks Andy, I hadn't noticed the 82mm thread on the Siggy but as you say for a walk about not a "big" issue.

I have a Sigma 10-20mm and a Sigma 105mm Macro, both are pin sharp so perhaps I just got lucky :shrug:

Barney

 

[AndyB]

Well if you go for the Sig 24-70 do let me know. I was pondering getting one so I am interested to see how it performs. The 50mm 1.4 I got is beautiful and it's pretty much the only lens I use for portraits now.

 

[specialman]

Of course the obvious thong is the changing aperture on the Nikon as opposed to the constant f/2.8 on the Sigma. Both get good reviews, although the Nikon is a much older 'D' type design so doesn't benefit from lightning quick focussing.

I had a quick play with a 24-85 in a shop on my D20 and was impressed with it though; good build quality and good IQ.

 

[Darren9330]

I have the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 and find it produces fantastic quality images, although that being said it tends to hunt a bit in less than perfect light!!!! I too am also looking to try the Nikon 24-85 as a comparison

Darren

 

[Edward Bancroft]

I have the Nikon 24-85 f2.8/4 and it is sharp and gives great colour contrast. The top end 85mm vs 70mm also comes in handy if you need that bit extra on a FX camera. The 24-85 is a good recommendation unless you really want f2.8 across the range.

Ed

 

[Barney12]

Well if you go for the Sig 24-70 do let me know. I was pondering getting one so I am interested to see how it performs. The 50mm 1.4 I got is beautiful and it's pretty much the only lens I use for portraits now.

OK, will do.

 

[Barney12]

I have the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 and find it produces fantastic quality images, although that being said it tends to hunt a bit in less than perfect light!!!! I too am also looking to try the Nikon 24-85 as a comparison

Darren

I have the Nikon 24-85 f2.8/4 and it is sharp and gives great colour contrast. The top end 85mm vs 70mm also comes in handy if you need that bit extra on a FX camera. The 24-85 is a good recommendation unless you really want f2.8 across the range.

Ed

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[Murph]

Hi Barney,

I've got the Siggy 24-70 as a walkabout lens (took over from my 18-200). It is noticably sharper than the 18-200 and I really like it. Was recommended to me by a friend who has one on his D700 and he's produced some cracking images with it. I'd certainly recommend it (no issues with soft pics thus far).

 

[Barney12]

Well I managed to pick up a second hand Sigma 24-70 from WarehouseExpress for good money in their bargain basement section, ordered it Wed 5:45pm and it arrived on the doorstep at 9:30am on Thursday

I was well chuffed as the receipt in the box showed that it had been back to Sigma UK for a full calibration, test and clean only two weeks ago

Wanted it for a "walkabout" and thats exactly what I did with it for the first time today. Not the best shots in the world but I think I'm gona love this lens. Soooooo much better (in terms of brightness and sharpness) than my Nikon 18-200.

Barney

 

[AndyB]

Nice. When you get a chance to do some more please do show them