Posted by Basil Greber on April 24, 2006 at 3:37 PM
Hello everybody!
I need some advice on a new lens for my Nikon D50. First thing - I'm on a tight budget (I've seen that some people here consider 3000 dollars as being on a budget - I'd like to be on a budget like that, too ), so I've already set up a list of candidates:
New:
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG
Nikon 70-300 f/4-5.6 G
Used:
Sigma 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 APO Macro
Nikon 75-300 f/4.5-5.6
So far, from all that I've read, I would guess that the old Sigma f/4.5-5.6 is optically the best lens (seen that at various sites). The old Nikkor offers a tripod mount, but seems to be a little worse optically. After some eBay-ing, I finally got the used Sigma for a low price, but it seems like the CPU is not working on my D50. Seller had said otherwise - but now he states that he did test it only with the D70. Anyway, this is not so nice and I'm pretty upset...
The Nikon G-zoom gets quite bad ratings, cheaply built, not good optically, so actually that one is out of the game.
Currently, I'm seriously considering the Sigma 75-300 f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG. Does anybody have first hand experience with this? Many reviews say that it gets soft at 300 mm, which is exactly not what I want, since I want it for its extended range compared to the Nikkor 55-200 DX I already own. But - those guys used it hand held at 300 mm, so I really don't know if the blur comes from the lens or from hand shake...
Also, a 70-300 APO Macro (but not DG) lens gets horrible ratings at photodo.com, much worse than the older Sigma. Is it really this lens, or is the latest version better?
And finally - does it perform better or worse than the old 75-300 Nikkor (which here in Switzerland is hard to find, but I may try if it's superior).
Any comments?
Basil
For those interested, my current equipment includes the D50, 18-55 DX Nikkor (great), 55-200 DX Nikkor (so-so), Sigma 500 f/7.2 (not SO sharp but MUCH sharper than you would expect for 120 dollars (160 swiss francs)!) - and of course a tripod and some more accessories. I plan to have the 7X-300 as biggest "carry everywhere" lens (suits in my LowePro backpack) and maybe sell the 55-200 DX Nikkor.
One note on Sigma. Optically they are pretty good. But they are not as durable as Nikons. I went on a snowmobile with a Sigma lens in a fanny pack and ended up with it in pieces in 30 minutes. The Canon lenses I also had in the fanny pack were just fine.
Posted by Basil Greber on April 25, 2006 at 11:33 AM
Thanks. Heard this a couple of times - apparently they're good while they are in one piece, but they tend to break rapidly. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again.
On another note, my small backpack with 4 lenses in it went down a cliff recently, thanks to a rambunctious child of someone not watching, and the only thing that was NOT damaged were the 2 Sigmas! Sandy R
Discussion
4 repliesI need some advice on a new lens for my Nikon D50. First thing - I'm on a tight budget (I've seen that some people here consider 3000 dollars as being on a budget - I'd like to be on a budget like that, too
New:
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG
Nikon 70-300 f/4-5.6 G
Used:
Sigma 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 APO Macro
Nikon 75-300 f/4.5-5.6
So far, from all that I've read, I would guess that the old Sigma f/4.5-5.6 is optically the best lens (seen that at various sites). The old Nikkor offers a tripod mount, but seems to be a little worse optically. After some eBay-ing, I finally got the used Sigma for a low price, but it seems like the CPU is not working on my D50. Seller had said otherwise - but now he states that he did test it only with the D70. Anyway, this is not so nice and I'm pretty upset...
The Nikon G-zoom gets quite bad ratings, cheaply built, not good optically, so actually that one is out of the game.
Currently, I'm seriously considering the Sigma 75-300 f/4-5.6 APO Macro DG. Does anybody have first hand experience with this? Many reviews say that it gets soft at 300 mm, which is exactly not what I want, since I want it for its extended range compared to the Nikkor 55-200 DX I already own. But - those guys used it hand held at 300 mm, so I really don't know if the blur comes from the lens or from hand shake...
Also, a 70-300 APO Macro (but not DG) lens gets horrible ratings at photodo.com, much worse than the older Sigma. Is it really this lens, or is the latest version better?
And finally - does it perform better or worse than the old 75-300 Nikkor (which here in Switzerland is hard to find, but I may try if it's superior).
Any comments?
Basil
For those interested, my current equipment includes the D50, 18-55 DX Nikkor (great), 55-200 DX Nikkor (so-so), Sigma 500 f/7.2 (not SO sharp but MUCH sharper than you would expect for 120 dollars (160 swiss francs)!) - and of course a tripod and some more accessories. I plan to have the 7X-300 as biggest "carry everywhere" lens (suits in my LowePro backpack) and maybe sell the 55-200 DX Nikkor.
Basil
Basil