3rd party lenses

Are there any 3rd party lenses that are as good as Nikon lenses? What about the Tokina 80-400?

Depends on the lens more than anything. The reviews on the Tokina 12-24mm lens say it's equivalent quality to the Nikon. The quality of the Tamron 90mm macro is excellent, as is the Sigma 180mm macro. The Sigma 80-400mm OS gets good reviews too. OS is Sigma's equivalent VR system. The Tokina 80-400mm is an older lens and does not seem to be the equal of the Nikon 80-400mm VR.


Kent in SD

There was once a day not too many years ago when the answer was an easy "no." They could not come close, and only Tamrac was a reasonable alternative, due mostly to their offering of specific lenses not available from Nikon.

Now that's changed, as Kent points out. Some specific lenses are equivalent, if not better. My wife recently bought a Sigma 10-20mm. It cost about half ($499.95) what my beloved Nikon 12-24mm cost ($919.95), yet it's at least as good. In some respects and at some apertures it's even better. I've heard great things about the Tokina 12-24 too, but haven't handled it.

The shots I've seen from the 80-400 have been poor in comparison to the Canon 100-400L. My guess is that it won't compete with the Nikon 80-400. The Tamron 200-500 (I think this is the lens) is supposed to be fairly good.

The only non-Nikkor lens I own is the Tokina ATX 12-24, and I have been very impressed with it. From the reviews, I don't believe it is quite as good optically as the Nikkor, but VERY close. At half the price, I couldn't justify buying the Nikkor. i think the build quality is actually better than the Nikkor.

I think the Tokina 80-400 may be another matter however. There again, I don't like the Nikkor 80-400 either. The Tokina is even slower han the Nikkor, and from what I've seen, the build quality is suspect on both of them. The AF on the Nikkor 80-400 is SLOW, and the VR is 1st generation. Don't know about the Tokina in that area.

What I really need is something for wildlife. What about the Sigma 135-400-anybody using it?

I'm not a wildlife shooter, so take this with a grain of salt. I don't know that I would consider any lenses that is only f/5.6 very suitable for wildlife. IMO, that will eliminate many possibilities when the light is sweetest. I know Sigma has a 100-300 f/4, but I know nothing about it. A 5.6 lens may suffice on really bright days, but it low light conditions the AF is likely to have to search more and have difficulty, plus you will have the blur factor caused by slow SS.

Mind you, I have NOTHING to quantify this next statement with, but i would be tempted to believe I would rather shoot my Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR and just enlarge the image more than shoot with a slow 400. It's tack sharp, the AF is screamingly fast, and the VR is outstanding. I would rather enlarge a tack sharp image than try to slide by with a less than sharp image caused by a slow lens with slow AF. Again, I'm not wildlife shooter - just my random thoughts.

I use the Sigma 10-200 and have no quibble with the quality. I just wish Sigma would find an alternative surface finish for their lenses and lens hoods. They use some peculiar matt finish that looks dusty and dirty as soon as you look at it never mind handle it.

Mike--

Look for a Sigma 50-500mm. About a thousand, and they are a great value. They are of the latest generation. Alternately, the Sigma 80-400mm OS is very good and has the "VR" image stabilization that works with Nikon bodies.


Kent in SD

I've been very impressed so far with the SIGMA 100-300 f/4 - all the reviews I've seen rate it equal to or even better than Nikor competition.

I tried the SIGMA 135-400 - not bad for a budget lens, but I had some contrast problems and it got pretty soft at the long end. That, and it was pretty slow and noisy.

I have the Sigma 100-300mm f/4, and rate it quite highly. However, if you plan to shoot fast-moving subjects such as birds in flight with it, I wouldn`t bother - the autofocus is dreadful. 99% of flight shots shot I have taken with it using a Canon 20D are out-of-focus.
The Sigma 500mm f/4, on the other hand, focuses very fast and accurately, and gives the much more expensive Canon 500mm a run for its money in terms of sharpness. Works pretty well also with the Kenko Pro 1.4x TC. I would get the DG version if you decide to buy it.

I`m beginning to lean towards the 80-200 2.8 and use a 2x extender for willife.Does Nikon make an extender for this lens?