Tamron VC USD Vs. Nikkon VR (70-300)

[Cookie Man]

Hey all,

I'm in the market for a 300mm lens kit to use on a D90 and I could really use your expertise, help and experience here. The lenses, I have narrowed down to in effect, are the following:

Nikon AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED

Vs.

Tamron SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD

Bit of a confused situation here really - both of them around the GBP 300 - 400 ish range? What do you think?

Which one is better (or a better investment), in your opinion and why?

If you think, there are better alternatives - please feel free to suggest so.

Many thanks for your time.



Cheers,

 

[scottthehat]

the tamron uses a micro motor so is slower to focus then the nikon, both are very good optically, go try both and see, my self i would go for the nikon as it gets very good reviews and is highly rated on here.

 

[gad-westy]

I've not used that particular Tamron. I bought the Nikon the back of some rave reviews. Definitely not disappointed. I suspect it'll hold its value well too. I paid £300 for a used one from FFordes. They seem to consistently sell for £285 still.

 

[damianmkv]

i'm going to go for the NIkon ( am still saving )...Argos sell it at £300 via their ebay outlet evey few months or so if you can wait

 

[Cookie Man]

Cheers guys! Thankyou for your input...

Yeah, I'm not particular of getting a brand new one and I'm not in a rush as well. My 18-105mm is serving me well too - so I could afford to keep an eye out for a good deal.

The thing with nikon is they have already established themselves as a brand and have proved to be good on many an occasion. it's just that somany people have have told me that nikon don't tend to hold properly when going over 200mm and ironically, random does!

Anyways...

 

[amnesia]

I love my 70-300 VR II...

I took this set the day after buying mine : http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielsutton1974/sets/72157626358605482/


img32 by dsutton1974, on Flickr

FWIW most of them were taken at 300mm, handheld with VR on.

 

[Cookie Man]

Cheers Daniel for that input.

What would you, from your experience, say are the practically implied differences between the nikon 70-300 VR and VR II. The VR II delivers stunning results and have read all good reviews of them. They seem to be considerably more expensive than the former as well?

 

[amnesia]

Have a read of this link... http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-nikon-vr-and-vr-ii/

I have not seen (or used) the older version, but I REALLY like the VRII version.


Best prices on camerapricebuster... http://camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod203.html

Don't worry about a UV filter, the lens hood is MAHOOSIVE

 

[Manxmaid]

I haven't used the Tamron but would never hesitate to recommend the Nikon 70-300mm VR. I'm fortunate to also have the 70-200mm f2.8 VR2 in my bag but the little 70-300mm comes with me where weight is an issue and definitely punches above its weight.

 

[squishy]

the tamron uses a micro motor so is slower to focus then the nikon

Not the USD VC version (USD = Ultra sonic drive, tamrons only recently implemented version of the ultra-sonic motor)

 

[scottthehat]

Not the USD VC version (USD = Ultra sonic drive, tamrons only recently implemented version of the ultra-sonic motor)

i stand corrected, thanks for pointing that out to me.

 

[Dadooron]

Well for what it's worth I went down the Tamron route. I'm very pleased with the lens. Very solid, very effective VC and good results.