Sigma vs Tamron 18-200 - DPChallenge Forums

Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.4 Jena/Flektogon MC

09/07/2005 09:43:16 AM · #1

Hi

I am looking to buy one of these lenses but i could not find any comparison reviews on the net, I guess as the Sigma is quite new
I did find plenty of reviews saying that al extreme zoom and wide-angle lenses are just not worth it, so I am not interested in hearing that again as I know what I want; something to walk about and not carry my whole backpack

I do not own a sigma or a Tamron s i have no experience with any of these brands, which one should I go for?, they are both about the same price

Your opinions are much appreciated !

Cheers
pano

Uusilehto

Canon EOS-1D

09/07/2005 09:45:38 AM · #2

lolz. your name is the F-word in Finnish (verb)

09/07/2005 09:53:28 AM · #3

he he i heard that one before
but how about the lens ;)

09/07/2005 03:14:16 PM · #4

reposting i hope that some one has some advice

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

09/07/2005 03:21:36 PM · #5

I love my Sigma 18-125. Sammi (username) has the 18-125 and the 18-200 and says it is about the same size as thr 18-125, and as good.

Here's some discussion:

//www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/267562/1

The only thing I can say "bad" is that it doesn't have IS or USM. But my 18-125 is really sharp, and operates and handles nicely.

I can't speak directly for the Tamron.

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

09/07/2005 03:24:46 PM · #6

I don't have any experience with these lenses, but I do believe Tamron is generally more consistent in quality than Sigma.

For what it's worth here's a comment from a Nikon forum:

"Geoff Reeves , jul 23, 2005; 03:48 p.m.
Hi Levi, I have been using my Tamron 18-200 lens on my Nikon D70s now for two months and would highly reccommend it! I initially bought the Sigma 18-200 but I found it to be awful. The Tamron is compact in size when at wide angle and at full zoom feels light and well balanced "weight wise" on my camera compared to the 70-300 Nikkor lens I used to own,which felt heavy to me. I have printed off lovely crisp 12" x 8" photo`s and the convenience of using it all day without having to change lenses is great.!It is not a "fast" lens but I believe the advantages far outweigh any compromises you make with it.! I suggest you buy it."

And here's an image he made with the Tammy:

landscape shot with Tamron 18-200mm

Nothing scientific about this, of course...

Personally I try to avoid zooms of greater than 3:1 range. There are too many optical compromises. I have a 10-22 Canon, a 28-75 Tamron, a 70-200 Canon. Of course, I've spent a LOT more money on these 3 than you'd spend on the single Tamron...

R.

Bud

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

Sigma 18-250 f/3.5 - 6.3 DC OS HSM

09/07/2005 03:26:49 PM · #7

I bought the Sigma 18-200 with my camera because I wanted more range than just the kit lense. At first, I was frustrated because it is "slow" at the 200mm end of the lenses range, but then I learned to compensate with faster ISO.

I recommend the Sigma over the Tamron, it just seems a bit better constructed, although optically it is a toss up. You can not beat it for the price. It is the lense of choice for me about 80% of the time because of it's versatility and it can shot some nice images.

Canon EF 28-200 f/3.5 - 5.6 USM

09/07/2005 03:41:45 PM · #8

hmm it is a hard choice, i just want a carry around lens, at the moment i have a 19-35, 28-80, and a 100-300, how ever i noticed that carry them all when i just go into town, or for a walk is not as confortable which means i normally just leave 2 of them at home and end up regreating it

anyway thanks for the comments !!

Sammie

Olympus OM-D E-M5

09/07/2005 04:07:11 PM · #9

I have the Sigma 18-200 and it is a nice lens. Even though it has a big zoom it is quite small and very easy to carry around.

Here is a link to an old thread where I posted some sample pictures taken at all zoom ranges:

//www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=197613

Here is a link to look at pictures taken with the Sigma 18-200 on PBase:

Sigma 18-200mm Sample Pictures

Here is another link to look at pictures taken with the Tamron 18-200 on PBase:

Tamron 18-200mm Sample Pictures

aaronb532

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon

09/07/2005 04:08:36 PM · #10

If your still looking for opinions and samples check this link out

Sigma 18-200, 18-125 & Tamron 18-200 comparison

It's not scientific but it does give some good examples.

Edit: Oh yeah, forgot to add, for some reason on my computer the tamron name doesn't show up. It's either 4 question marks (????) or 4 squares.

Message edited by author 2005-09-07 16:11:04.

Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX Aspherical DG DF RF for Canon

09/07/2005 04:18:48 PM · #11

hey this last links are really excellent
thanks !!

yido

Canon EOS-5D

09/07/2005 04:21:56 PM · #12

I was reading "digital Photography" a UK mag, I think and they had a comparison of Tamron and Sigma's 18-200 and the 28-300 lenses. They rated the Tamrons higher.

Sammie

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Canon EF 28-200 f/3.5 - 5.6 USM

09/07/2005 04:33:06 PM · #13

Originally posted by yido:

I was reading "digital Photography" a UK mag, I think and they had a comparison of Tamron and Sigma's 18-200 and the 28-300 lenses. They rated the Tamrons higher.

I read this article, too. However, in the one comparason link (especially obvious) and also in the PBase links it looks like the Sigma takes a much better picture than the Tamron.

09/07/2005 04:39:22 PM · #14

Originally posted by aaronb532:

Very significant difference in sharpness in those samples.

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

09/07/2005 04:42:29 PM · #15

BTW -- These two lenses aren't peer reviewed on FM. But the Sigma 18-125 is, and gets pretty good ratings, except for one user who obviously got a very bad copy, and one other out of 24 who rated it mediocre and returned it. Clearly there are bad and good copies of all lenses out there--even Canons!

SDW

Canon EOS-60D

09/07/2005 04:53:53 PM · #16

Here are a few taken with my Tamron 18-200 Di II:
Please keep in mind, I'm far from the best photographer so take pictures for what they are worth.

09/07/2005 05:01:00 PM · #17

Those are nice pict SDW65!

i have noticed from this link Sigma 18-200, 18-125 & Tamron 18-200 comparison that the sigma does not seem to go as wide or as tele as the tamron, the Sigma would seem to be in comparison 19-190 or someth' like that, this last fact could account for the apparent increase in sharpness ?

Message edited by author 2005-09-07 17:03:09.

09/07/2005 09:50:11 PM · #18

Originally posted by Pano:

I noticed that too and thought that was curious. Now that you mention it, I recall reading someone complaining in a thread that the Sigma 18-125 and 18-200 don't actually get to the maximum focal length.

But I don't think that would account for the much sharper results in the sample images. After all, it happens at multiple focal lengths, and at the top focal length, both lenses are at their extreme.

I've compared the sharpness of the Sigma to all my other lenses (Canons, including the 50mm 1.8 and the 70-200) and at least to my eye the Sigma is as sharp. I did some informal test shots and posted them--I don't know if I can find the thread.