70mm - 200mm F2.8 Sigma, Tamron or Nikkor?

NVSteve

Senior Member
Another vote in favor of the Tamron is the inclusion of the tripod collar. If you want one for the Nikon f/4 you have to pay another $200.
I have the f4 and can honestly say that I would never buy the tripod ring for it because I would never use it. However, if I did, I could buy a 3rd party collar off ebay for $30.
 

NVSteve

Senior Member
Mmmm Got links to these reviews? Think they would be suitable to this thread...

"Polycarbonate build not quite as sturdy or weather-resistant as Nikon and Canon lenses"
That's an interesting comment. I don't remember which website published the article, but they took apart the Nikon 70-200 VRII and found the only sealing it had was the O-ring on the mount. Sorry, Nikon fans.

Here are a few more reviews, some including sample images. Like any other lens out there, some say 200mm is great, some say the opposite. Note that all are for the Canon mount:

Review: The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC is a Solid Long Tele-Zoom Lens | Fstoppers


The Tamron 70-200F2.8VC… @ Marc Lebryk Photography


Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Review | PhotographyBLOG


Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Lens Review


Tamron 70-200/2.8 VC USD review - photo.net


Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Hands-On


Matt's video review:
Worlds first! Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 Di VC USD - complete review - YouTube

DxO Mark again:
DxOMark - Tamron SP 70-200mm f2.8 Di VC USD Canon review - Excellent Value and a Great All Rounder

Of course, you can also find many user reviews in Canon-specific forums out there, including a few who have used it primarily for video.
 
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Samsonite

Senior Member
Interesting stuff, is it normal for the nikon version to take much longer than the canon One to be released?


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Epoc

Senior Member
How and where did you get that for $700.00 ?? that's a great price ... I want to get the highest quality ,lightest weight 70-200 I'm still undecided , but for $700.00 I don't think I could resist

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you! ;) No, seriously I bought it off a colleague who ran a small online camera business that closed down and just wanted the small amount of stock he kept, gone :)
 

Rick M

Senior Member
One of the things I'm considering is the fact that I really won't use this lens daily. I tend to like wide shooting and using primes, but I'd like to have this range for occasional use. It will see a lot of use the first month and then only occasionally. I'm not going to spend almost $2500 with tax for a lens that will spend most of it's life in a bag. If I thought it would see daily use I would probably go for the 2.8 nikon.
 

Samsonite

Senior Member
Found that this Video from Matt Granger (That Nikon Guy) has really made the differences clear.... Its in 3 Parts, really worth a watch!
The Nikon leads the way in all areas, but there isnt a massive diffence, the main issue is Tamron not having any for of VR or image stabilization....

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 1 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - YouTube

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 2 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - YouTube

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 3 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - BOKEH - YouTube

What do you guys think?
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Found that this Video from Matt Granger (That Nikon Guy) has really made the differences clear.... Its in 3 Parts, really worth a watch!
The Nikon leads the way in all areas, but there isnt a massive diffence, the main issue is Tamron not having any for of VR or image stabilization....

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 1 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - YouTube

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 2 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - YouTube

70-200mm f2.8 shootout - Part 3 - Sigma OS vs Tamron vs Nikon VRII - BOKEH - YouTube

What do you guys think?

This is the old Tamron
 

Rasmus

Senior Member
So does the newer one have some sort of image stabilization / VR?

Yes, the VC in "tamron 70-200 f/2.8 di vc usd" stands for vibration control

Most reviews i've found tends to suggest that this tamron is at least on par with the nikon 70-200 vr1...however it'll most likely lose resale value faster.
 

Rasmus

Senior Member
But still not a match for the Nikon VRII?

It's hard to find a reviewer who says it..maybe because they already paid the much higher price for the vrII :)

It's very close at least, to a point where most non-pros prolly wouldn't notice the difference.

If i could buy the tamron at the american price, vs. a nikkor (vri or vrii) i'd go for the Tamron for sure.

However, living in Denmark, where the tamron is priced at roughly 2000 usd, and the nikon vrii at 2400, i'd probably go for the nikon, for resale value.

(What i actually did, was pick up a mint condition used vr1 for 1200 usd, it's excellent on my crop camera)
 

Rick M

Senior Member
But still not a match for the Nikon VRII?

Ultimately the nikon VRII is better than anything else. If you are going to use it a lot it will be worth the investment and hold it's value longer than any third party. For an occasional shooter, the third parties offer value.
 

Samsonite

Senior Member
Do you think the VRI is still better than the sigma or tamron? Coz in that case
Wondering if its better to buy a used VRI or a new sigma / tamron...


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Rick M

Senior Member
Do you think the VRI is still better than the sigma or tamron? Coz in that case
Wondering if its better to buy a used VRI or a new sigma / tamron...


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I won't advise on that as I do not own either. My opinion is they may be close IQ (new Tamron vs. old Nikon VRI) wise and some reviews look like the Tamrom may have better IQ. It would be a difficult decision if I knew the seller and history of the used VRI. If it came between the new Tamrom and the VRI from an unknown seller, I would buy the Tamron.
 

jwstl

Senior Member
I think it comes down to this:

Do you really need 2.8 in this lens? Are you shooting FX or DX? If you are on FX get the Nikon VRII if you can afford it. If not, get the Tamron. Shooting DX? Get either the VR I or the Tamron.

If you don't need the 2.8 and want to use the lens for landscapes and travel get the Nikon f/4. By all accounts it is fantastic and weighs significantly less than the Tamron and Nikons.

I think I'm going to buy the f/4 to save on weight when traveling. I have the 80-200 2.8 which is still an excellent lens so I can use that in situations where I need 2.8.
 

NVSteve

Senior Member
I won't advise on that as I do not own either. My opinion is they may be close IQ (new Tamron vs. old Nikon VRI) wise and some reviews look like the Tamrom may have better IQ. It would be a difficult decision if I knew the seller and history of the used VRI. If it came between the new Tamrom and the VRI from an unknown seller, I would buy the Tamron.
From the lab testing posted online, the Tamron is better than the original 70-200 VR and on par/somewhat better than the current Canon 70-200, which says a lot. I wouldn't go for the old VR on FX because of the lack of edge to edge sharpness, along with the fact that most of them are out of warranty. So, $1200-$1300 for a VR with no warranty (which still seems to be dropping in price), or $1499 or so for the new Tamron with VC. Or, another $800-900 for the VRII. If I had lots of time on my hands, which I don't, I would buy the VRII and the new Tamron & put them through my own battery of tests.
 

NVSteve

Senior Member
Here's an idiotic "review" on Amazon for the new Tamron. Amazon.com: MT1's review of Tamron SP 70-200MM F/2.8 DI VC USD Telepho... Same guy posted the same thing in dpreview. In short, he went to a camera shop and tested one: didn't like the build quality, didn't like the cheap tripod collar, didn't like the color or contrast rendition and basically just sounded like he was trying to justify his recent purchase of the VRII. Reviews like this are the ones I truly avoid and completely dismiss. If B&H or Amazon receive their stock soon, I will order one and test it out against the Nikon f4.
 

stmv

Senior Member
laughs,, oh,, I went to the Nikon store and reviewed the latest D5... what a heap of junk... so heavy on the hand, blurry images, focus speeds like a Penn Central Train, yeah right.. reviews become a law of averages.
 
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