Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR or Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC HSM OS

Petar212

Senior Member
Hi everyone,
My name is Petar,
I am relatively new to DSLR photography. My camera is Nikon d3100 which I got for present with kit lens (Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. I am loving my camera and will be posting some of my photos here soon for your review.:)

I am in the market for the new lens now, and can’t decide on which direction to take. First direction (lens) is Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens, as I though it would complement my current set up well. And later I could get Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens.

Second choice would be Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM, as all around lens (nice reach, macro, internal focus motor, and good reviews), which would give me chance to sell my kit lens and get later Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens. This option would make travel bit easier, but means stepping away from Nikon system a bit.
Hope that you don’t mind my question and thanks in advance for your advice.
 

Bill16

Senior Member
Questions are welcome here. :) I'm a newbie too so you can get way better advice than mine. I'm a Macro fan so that is what I tend to look at first. But a lot will depend on what kind of photos you really want to take most. I sure you'll get some awesome advice from the grest members and staff here that will be much more helpful. lol :)

 

Rick M

Senior Member
The Nikon 40mm 2.8g is an excellent inexpensive macro lens to consider. The add a telephoto or all-in-one debate has no clear winner. The all-in-one has convenience in it's corner while the two lens combo tends to achieve better image quality. You need to decide your priorities, perhaps base them on your shooting style.

​Welcome to the site!
 

Petar212

Senior Member
Hi guys,

Thank you for your welcome and advice. I have been reading this forum for months now and love it.

I am not 100% sure which direction I want to take with my photography yet. I like taking photos of landscape and street photography. But portrait photography is of interest as well.

I don't want to compromise with quality of my photos that's why I wanted to see what are yours impressions with Sigma. If I will have to compromise picture quality with Sigma compared to Nikon I will go with Nikon.
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Petar, first welcome to Nikonites. Hope you find what you're looking for with our forum.

Since you say you are new to DSLR, I would like to suggest that you take your time to evaluate your needs versus your wants. The first thing you have to consider is how much money you want to invest (spend) for lenses. YOU have to set your limits and keep your goal in sight otherwise you'll end up spending a LOT OF MONEY and you will still be unsatisfied. Don't let other tell you what you need, you have to know BEFORE you buy.

Now as far as which lens is better than others, it's an open mine field. They are all good. So go with your budget and use them to take pictures, not to look at sharpness at a pixel level on your computer screen.

​Have fun with the camera.
 

Jonathan

Senior Member
Petar, I had the same quandry. My lens path was as follows: 18-55 kit lens, 55-300 zoom, 18-300 zoom (plus a couple of macros and telewhatsits). I now ONLY use the 18-300 for everyday shots. I've found it doesn't compromise the depth of my shots by always wanting to get close to and I absolutely love the flexibility. I added a double battery grip (New Battery Grip Holder for Nikon D3100: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics) to increase stability because of the extra weight. I nearly always manually focus (auto-focus on the lens seems poor, at best) and I keep it slung on my body at the back using one of those paparazzi slings screwed into the tripod hole. That all works great for me, and the other two lenses hardly get a look in now (in fact, I've given to my oldest to use on his D40). By the way, this lens is also surprisingly great for close-up, faux-macro work.
 
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sailtastic

Senior Member
I too started out with just the 18-55mm kit lens and after a year decided I'd like a lens with more reach, so I have now got a Nikkor 55-300mm as well.

The Nikkor 55-300 is a great lens for the price.

I still tend to use my 18-55 for indoor shots or for point and shoot stuff, but I tend to always take the bigger lens with me especially if shooting outdoors.
 
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