Sigma lenses ?

As part of the upcoming Arctic Winter Games a program for young photographers to shoot the games is being developed. Where possible we would like to buy rather than rent equipment so it can remain in the communities for student use.

Several D-40 bodies with 18 - 135 lenses are being purchased. The budget would allow for the rental but not purchase of Nikon lenses. Having heard good things about Sigma lenses their purchase is being considered. I'd appreciate any feed back regarding our preliminary selection or Sigma generally.

The thought behind the selection is that the lenses would be useful for a sporting event and after it much of what students might be shooting, given our location, is landscape and wildlife.

Sigma AF70-300mm F4.0-5.6 DG
Sigma AF170-500mm F5-6.3 APO
Sigma AF28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DG
Sigma AF50-500mm
Sigma AF 18-50mm

Any suggestions for a sturdy but inexpensive monopod also welcome!

Cheers,
Dave

Haven't used any of those lenses, but I recently bought my wife the Sigma 10-20mm, based on recommendations here and elsewhere. Gotta say that even at half the price of my Nikkor 12-24mm, it's at least as good overall, and better in some respects. That probably bodes well for the lenses you are considering.

We long ago got an inexpensive Bogen monopod, and have never had reason to upgrade. It's a little short for me, but my wife uses it a lot. Standard Bogen lever leg-lock, so parts are readily available and cheap. She uses her AS B-1 head on it.

I have the Sigma 10-20mm and really like it. It is very solid and optics are good. I've had several images from it published already and more are in the hopper. Have not owned the others but have used the 50-500mm. It's very good--I wouldn't even consider the 170-500mm as it is soft at the long end. The 50-500mm adds HSM too. And that brings me to the point of mentioning something you don't seem to be aware of. The D40 is a nice little camera, but did you know that if you don't have either the Nikon AF-S or Sigma HSM lenses, you have NO autofocus in that camera? The inexpensive lenses you are after are notoriously difficult to focus manually. Only one of the lenses you mention will have autofocus, the 50-500mm HSM.

Here's another idea. Instead of buying the D40 which requires more expensive AF-S or HSM lenses, why not buy some used D50 models? They are quite good and easy to operate. You can buy some excellent inexpensive lenses for that model. I'd suggest the cheap but optically excellent Nikon 18-55mm "kit" lens, the cheap but good Nikon 70-300mm G, and the Sigma 50-500mm HSM.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/207359-USA/Nikon_1928_Zoom_Telephoto_AF_Zoom.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/477230-USA/Nikon_2170_18_55mm_f_3_5_5_6G_ED_II.html

Note the Nikon 18-55mm is AF-S. This lens is far better quality than any of the Sigma wide angles you mentioned. The Nikon 70-300mm G outperforms the Sigma also and is actually less money. While the D40 body is the least expensive currently in production, the fact you have to buy the more expensive AF-S or HSM lenses takes away some of that economy and definitely makes finding affordable lenses more challenging. The fact that there are plenty of lightly used Nikon D50 bodies available on eBay for around $300 has me wondering why you aren't considering them. THe D50 with the three lenses I mentioned would give very good performance at an outstanding price. You would likely even have enough $$ left over to buy a NIkon SB-400 or SB-600 flash, which is great for photos of people.


Kent in SD

Kent,

Thanks for pointing the autofocus matter which I wasn't aware of and also that the some Nikon lenses might be cheaper.

Perhaps I should have mentioned in my original post, one of the constraints is that where possible, we have to purchase through northern suppliers. I would also prefer to buy new for this venture because of our remote location. We sent my wife's 5400 to Nikon in Toronto for repair and it took three and a half months return.

Dave

Dave,

Good morning. I do not know if it will help, but I use the Sigma AF28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DG as my walk around lens on my Cannon XTi & I think it is a great lens. Perhaps if you contact Nikon & Sigma direct they can give you some guidance in the $$$ area.

Good luck.

I have both the 170-500mm, and the 28-300mm Sigma lenses. Both have been very good lenses and no problems with sharpness, even at the long end of the 170-500mm.

Let me suggest another SIGMA lens for your list:

The 100-300 F/4 EX HSM

I'm very pleased with it, very sharp through its range, with a contant F/4 aperature.

One of the highest rated lenses at fredmiranda.com

what are they prices?
also how can I get the best deal? where?

I get behind Jay's recommendation 100%. Of all the lenses you listed, I'd rather have the 100-300 F4 EX HSM if I am taking shots of fast moving subjects. It is sharper, faster, and faster handling than any of the others. The very useable F4 aperture will give you subject-isolating depth of field, and the lens is not a bear to carry. The other suggestions with the exception of the 50-500 will not have the IQ of this lens. It is even sharper at 300mm than the 50-500 at 300mm. As with nearly all Sigma products, their designs are good, the build quality is acceptable to good, but their QC is inconsistent at best. If you buy new, find the best price and plan on sending it back to Sigma for recalibration. I own two Sigma lenses, the 10-20 and the 150 macro. I bought both used. The macro was an excellent copy, but the 10-20 was unusable. I had the previous owner send it back to Sigma under warranty, and now it is easily my favorite lens. I also own a Nikkor 18-200 and I find the sharpness comparable at 18-20mm, with lens distortion and CA on the Sigma.

Bogen/Manfrotto makes decent monopods and represent a good value.