tam 18-250 or sig 18-200hsm or nik18-200vr ?

neogeo · 27th October 2008, 2:59 PM

Hi, would just like to ask for some advice before purchasing.

My situation is that I will be going on exchange to China, and Europe for a a year and a half. So i will be travelling alot. I am currently using a d60 with 18-55VR and 55-200VR, and just from my last travel trip, i found that changing lenses seem to be quite annoying.

So i'm leaving next month, and hope i can take advantage of the tax rebate thing at the airport. I'm faced with a few choices with the quoted prices

Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens with built-in motor for Nikon $899

Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens with built-in motor for Nikon $715

Sigma Lens 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM $679

Nikkor18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR IF-ED Zoom $995

I hope you guys could give some advice, even if its not in the range i have suggested above.

Cheers !

SyN · 27th October 2008, 3:05 PM

ive own the nikon and cant comment on the others, but nikon quality is gauranteed and offers good resale value.
im very happy with mine apart from the 'lens creep'. when the lens is not at 18mm setting, and you shake it around with it hanging off your neck/shoulder itll end up having the barrel extended. i have to use a rubber band to stop it doing so.

^catalyst · 27th October 2008, 3:14 PM

If you have to pick one, get the Nikkor. It's the best.

-Lachie

DraGoN-BoY · 27th October 2008, 3:37 PM

I was looking at similar lenses. What is the main difference between the Nikkor and the Sigma 18-200?

^catalyst · 27th October 2008, 3:43 PM

The Nikon one isn't totally shithouse.

hippyhippy · 27th October 2008, 3:53 PM

dont know if its worth mentioning but there were some nikkors that had lots of lens creep .. but i've used others that were stiff and had no lens creep, dont know if its an updated design or if it was just bolted together harder?

SyN · 27th October 2008, 4:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hippyhippy

dont know if its worth mentioning but there were some nikkors that had lots of lens creep .. but i've used others that were stiff and had no lens creep, dont know if its an updated design or if it was just bolted together harder?

it seems the very very earlist incarnations were made in japan, then thailand thereafter. but i couldnt pinpoint any correlation about build quality and country. lenscreep is 'ware and tear', if you baby it then the problem wont creep up on you as quick (pun 100% intended). about the quality, my nikon is VERY sharp (but not prime sharp), quite astonishing for a 11x zoom, esp so if you stop it down to f/8 or something. 1/3s handheld at 18mm is also quite amazing. just to note, the canon's 18-200 doesnt compare to the nikkor, so itd be safe to assume nikkor is as good as you'll get.

thebranded · 27th October 2008, 4:35 PM

i own the Nikon, have not noticed any lens creep yet, but have not been using my camera too often. Can say that everything about it is great, even had friends with canons say it was good.

I'd not get the tamron 18-270, just costs too much for the extra 20mm range.

Tamron 18-250,and sigma 18-200. are 6.3 does the D60 AF at well at that f stop? for me the D40x is meant to be good till 5.6

hdkhang · 27th October 2008, 6:29 PM

The only two worth considering in this category are the Nikon and the Tamron 18-270VC. The reason being that with a superzoom, you don't have large apertures at the long end so having optical stability really helps. The reason the Sigma is ruled out is that it just isn't in the same league optically and the sample variance is rather high on this particular model, even if you have a decent sample the bokeh is rather poor.

The Nikkor and Tamron VC are close enough in price that it'd be worth it to go with the Nikon if you don't care for the extra 70mm on the long end. Of course if your budget is hard limited to $900 then that leaves only the Tamron.

From all accounts the 18-250 Tamron is a viable contender but without any in lens vibration reduction it doesn't make the long end very usable.

If you can get the Tamron VC for a large enough price delta between it and the Nikon though, it might change the situation.

Myself I have the Nikon version - when I bought mine the newer Tamrons were not available. Then again when I bought mine the price differential between grey imports and local stock was a different story than it is today. Mine shows no lens creep either and is one my most used lenses - practically permanently stuck to the D40 which frees the D90 for more limited quality oriented shots.

FYI - I have no brand preference - 5 Nikkors, 2 Sigmas and a Tamron (my latest acquisition actually and my current favorite lens

- that being said I really do like all my lenses which is why I bought them.

neogeo · 28th October 2008, 3:03 PM

Thank you everyone for the contributions

I guess it looks like the nikkor has the best bet !

I wasnt able to find a tamron 180-250 for any cheaper than what i posted before. I am also leaving sydney next month, so i will be looking at taking advantage of the tax rebate, and with rising price of the dollar, it looks like it might be better off buying here !

chylld83 · 29th October 2008, 2:00 PM

I bought an 18-270 last friday and i love it

sometimes it hunts for focus a bit in low light but overall it's bloody awesome.

here's a crop at 270mm:

shot at a wedding over the weekend and even indoors i found myself constantly banging against the 270mm limit... although with an 18-200 i probably wouldn't know what i was missing. they're both great lenses

27th October 2008, 2:59 PM	#1
neogeo Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 795	tam 18-250 or sig 18-200hsm or nik18-200vr ? Hi, would just like to ask for some advice before purchasing. My situation is that I will be going on exchange to China, and Europe for a a year and a half. So i will be travelling alot. I am currently using a d60 with 18-55VR and 55-200VR, and just from my last travel trip, i found that changing lenses seem to be quite annoying. So i'm leaving next month, and hope i can take advantage of the tax rebate thing at the airport. I'm faced with a few choices with the quoted prices Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens with built-in motor for Nikon $899 Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Lens with built-in motor for Nikon $715 Sigma Lens 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM $679 Nikkor18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR IF-ED Zoom $995 I hope you guys could give some advice, even if its not in the range i have suggested above. Cheers ! __________________ penguins are brown

27th October 2008, 3:05 PM	#2
SyN Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 6,977	ive own the nikon and cant comment on the others, but nikon quality is gauranteed and offers good resale value. im very happy with mine apart from the 'lens creep'. when the lens is not at 18mm setting, and you shake it around with it hanging off your neck/shoulder itll end up having the barrel extended. i have to use a rubber band to stop it doing so. __________________ You are now conscious of your breathing pattern. The one hundredth member of OCAU Camera Club Mark II Non-existant Fujifilm Finepix X100 club member #100

27th October 2008, 3:37 PM	#4
DraGoN-BoY Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Melbourne & Perth Posts: 2,839	I was looking at similar lenses. What is the main difference between the Nikkor and the Sigma 18-200? __________________ Laptop: Clevo P150EM\|i7-3630QM\|8GB 1600Mhz\|7970M 2GB\|Sandisk 240GB SSD\|95% Gamut Matte\|Audioengine A1\|Dell 3008WFP\|Aktimate Mini Server: AMD 4850e\|MA780G-UD3H\|Lian-Li V2100+\|Highpoint 2320: 8xWD 1TB\|Adaptec 5805: 8xWD 1.5TB\|HX-620

28th October 2008, 3:03 PM	#10
neogeo Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 795	Thank you everyone for the contributions I guess it looks like the nikkor has the best bet ! I wasnt able to find a tamron 180-250 for any cheaper than what i posted before. I am also leaving sydney next month, so i will be looking at taking advantage of the tax rebate, and with rising price of the dollar, it looks like it might be better off buying here ! __________________ penguins are brown

27th October 2008, 3:14 PM	#3
^catalyst Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: melbourne Posts: 10,061	If you have to pick one, get the Nikkor. It's the best. -Lachie

27th October 2008, 3:43 PM	#5
^catalyst Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: melbourne Posts: 10,061	The Nikon one isn't totally shithouse.

27th October 2008, 3:53 PM	#6
hippyhippy Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Sydney Posts: 4,481	dont know if its worth mentioning but there were some nikkors that had lots of lens creep .. but i've used others that were stiff and had no lens creep, dont know if its an updated design or if it was just bolted together harder?

27th October 2008, 4:35 PM	#8
thebranded Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,987	i own the Nikon, have not noticed any lens creep yet, but have not been using my camera too often. Can say that everything about it is great, even had friends with canons say it was good. I'd not get the tamron 18-270, just costs too much for the extra 20mm range. Tamron 18-250,and sigma 18-200. are 6.3 does the D60 AF at well at that f stop? for me the D40x is meant to be good till 5.6

27th October 2008, 6:29 PM	#9
hdkhang Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,084	The only two worth considering in this category are the Nikon and the Tamron 18-270VC. The reason being that with a superzoom, you don't have large apertures at the long end so having optical stability really helps. The reason the Sigma is ruled out is that it just isn't in the same league optically and the sample variance is rather high on this particular model, even if you have a decent sample the bokeh is rather poor. The Nikkor and Tamron VC are close enough in price that it'd be worth it to go with the Nikon if you don't care for the extra 70mm on the long end. Of course if your budget is hard limited to $900 then that leaves only the Tamron. From all accounts the 18-250 Tamron is a viable contender but without any in lens vibration reduction it doesn't make the long end very usable. If you can get the Tamron VC for a large enough price delta between it and the Nikon though, it might change the situation. Myself I have the Nikon version - when I bought mine the newer Tamrons were not available. Then again when I bought mine the price differential between grey imports and local stock was a different story than it is today. Mine shows no lens creep either and is one my most used lenses - practically permanently stuck to the D40 which frees the D90 for more limited quality oriented shots. FYI - I have no brand preference - 5 Nikkors, 2 Sigmas and a Tamron (my latest acquisition actually and my current favorite lens - that being said I really do like all my lenses which is why I bought them.

29th October 2008, 2:00 PM	#11
chylld83 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,969	I bought an 18-270 last friday and i love it sometimes it hunts for focus a bit in low light but overall it's bloody awesome. here's a crop at 270mm: shot at a wedding over the weekend and even indoors i found myself constantly banging against the 270mm limit... although with an 18-200 i probably wouldn't know what i was missing. they're both great lenses