70-200 f2.8

[cky1504]

Anyone tried both Sigma's APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG / HSM and Nikon's 70-200mmVR F2.8G IF-ED?

How is the focusing speed and sharpness of the lense?

i know what you pay is what you get but is the 1000 extra on nikon's for the vr really worth it?

please advice

[glennyong]

70-200 VR. definately worth it.

reason. i used to be a owner of the sigma 70-200.

HSM was fast. in fact a tad faster den some AFS lenses.

HOWEVER. when it comes to responsiveness, accurate AF, and colour contrast.... its all depend on luck.

sigma is known for their qc issue. and if u were to back track so of my threads i've started, i did mention that Sigma lenses tend to have their coating flaking off after a period of time.

70-200 VR has better bulit, in fact almost everything it wins over the Sigma.

and guess wad. Sigma wins Nikon on one thing.

Pricing....

while Nikon wins Sigma with everything including VR, but loses on one thing.

Pricing.....

and Sigma lenses have lesser resell value.... and depreciates very fast.

my 2cents. (wanna refund ?)

[Tetrode]

Get a used 80-200AFS if you want and really need fast AF. These lenses can be found on Ebay for less than $1K USD. But with a good body, the cheaper 80-200 AF-D is no slouch either.

But with both the 80-200 and 70-200 AFS lenses, be warned that the AFS motors do not last forever esp if you manually override AF a lot. I've seen quite a few 17-35 and 80-200 AFS lenses on sale with burnt out AFS motors going cheap - $250-500USD. The owners of these lenses do not think it is cost effective to replace the piezo ultrasonic motors in them and would rather flog them off at a loss. The 70-200 AFS VR has even more things that can fail over time (having VR). Everything comes at a price - as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

I'd also advise against going with the Sigma, there used to be a website dedicated to listing problems by users of Sigma lenses (probably taken down due to legal pressure from Sigma). Common malady is that of elements fogging up over time.

[glennyong]

Originally Posted by Tetrode Get a used 80-200AFS if you want and really need fast AF. These lenses can be found on Ebay for less than $1K USD. But with a good body, the cheaper 80-200 AF-D is no slouch either. But with both the 80-200 and 70-200 AFS lenses, be warned that the AFS motors do not last forever esp if you manually override AF a lot. I've seen quite a few 17-35 and 80-200 AFS lenses on sale with burnt out AFS motors going cheap - $250-500USD. The owners of these lenses do not think it is cost effective to replace the piezo ultrasonic motors in them and would rather flog them off at a loss. The 70-200 AFS VR has even more things that can fail over time (having VR). Everything comes at a price - as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. I'd also advise against going with the Sigma, there used to be a website dedicated to listing problems by users of Sigma lenses (probably taken down due to legal pressure from Sigma). Common malady is that of elements fogging up over time.

hahaa... and plastic parts inside... of tamiya grade plastics...

[Tetrode]

Originally Posted by glennyong hahaa... and plastic parts inside... of tamiya grade plastics...

You mean in Sigma lenses?

[rahul]

I wouldnt trust those statements above blindly.
I have a 4+year Sigma 70-200. There is flaking, but thats only on the outside body of lens. No problem with the glass. It does look like a dog but takes excellent pics. I bought it 2nd hand for around 1/4th the price of a new Nikon 70-200 VR.

If you are a sports shooter then you will find Sigma focusing comparatively slow and you would miss more shots than with Nikon. For static subjects, it wont be an issue.

Nikon pics at f2.8 would be comparatively sharper, though Sigma is no slouch either. Sigma has slightly warm colors, that can be fixed easily in PP though. Contrast would be better in Nikon.

There is no doubting that Nikon lens is better overall and if you can afford it, go for it. But if your budget is tight, a Sigma will give you excellent value.

You should also be considering Nikon 80-200 AFD, which is more of a competitior for the Sigma.

[erictan8888]

the 70-200mm VR is well worth the money....
you have to use it to know that you are getting every single cent morth from its high price...

but if you plan to buy it and use it occasionally only, then might not be worth the money....

[Liew]

first of, what do you need to shoot? sports?

if it's for sports, you need a very dependable lens, like nikkors. i've used a tamron before (never a sigma) and it has got bad focusing issue. the photos look good on lcd but once you're home, safely within the compound of your comfortable home, load it into the pc, taadah, bad focus. then you take a big club and whack yourself a few times for the lack of judgement. from my experience, i don't think 3rd party lenses is reliable.

if you're not up for speed photography, i think you'll do fine with the 80-200 AF-D version which is much cheaper, but it doesn't come with an AF motor and VR, which means there's no chance these two components can die on you. and if you know how to use the lens, it's not as slow as you thought it might be. a friend with d2x once claims it's almost the same speed on his d2x (well, it could be an urban legend). i think a monopod is cheaper than the 80-200 so i have no upgraded.

i took this with my the AF-D. http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=228400

well, i've never used a sigma before, but i don't know how it performs but there's two factors you need to look into:
1) there's a reason why it's called a 3rd party lens.
2) it's difficult to sell.

[surge]

Originally Posted by Tetrode But with both the 80-200 and 70-200 AFS lenses, be warned that the AFS motors do not last forever esp if you manually override AF a lot. I've seen quite a few 17-35 and 80-200 AFS lenses on sale with burnt out AFS motors going cheap - $250-500USD. The owners of these lenses do not think it is cost effective to replace the piezo ultrasonic motors in them and would rather flog them off at a loss. The 70-200 AFS VR has even more things that can fail over time (having VR). Everything comes at a price - as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

does this means that there are alot of canon lenses out there w spoilt USM since canon USM started much earlier than nikon and hence plenty of lenses out there w either spoilt USM motor or IS. or is canon's much better/different from nikon?

[Terence]

Originally Posted by surge does this means that there are alot of canon lenses out there w spoilt USM since canon USM started much earlier than nikon and hence plenty of lenses out there w either spoilt USM motor or IS. or is canon's much better/different from nikon?

I don't know about the 70-200 VR but the 17-35, 28-70 and 80-200 are quite prone to AF motor burnout. I used to trade rather extensively in these 3 lenses and have come across quite a number of copies with similar AF problems.

Canons are not immune either but they seem to enjoy a better reliability rate and fewer problematic models. The old 80-200L was also prone to motor failure. It could be just be that the motor is more robust and better gearing used in the Canon models.

[Tetrode]

Originally Posted by surge does this means that there are alot of canon lenses out there w spoilt USM since canon USM started much earlier than nikon and hence plenty of lenses out there w either spoilt USM motor or IS. or is canon's much better/different from nikon?

I have no experience with Canon USM lenses so I cannot comment on their reliability or lack there of. I can only comment on the AFS Nikkors.

I suspect the cause of the SWMs failing is partly due to misuse.i.e. Manual focussing while still activating the SWM (by half depressing the shutter button).

Perhaps the USMs in the Canon lenses are implemented differently. There are Ring USM lenses and micro-motor lenses.

[TMC]

if you do not have use for VR, then I recommend the AFD for regular use or the Sigma HSM for sports, or even the older AFS80-200 if you can get one.

My 2H Sigma still went strong after about a year of use and still went strong up to the point of resale. Gave me good fast results and reproduction of colors was pretty good, a tad on the warm side.

Tried the AFD 80-200, a tad slow on the AF after you have tried HSM. Good color and sharpness. Which I actually find no different from 70-200VR. 1K for VR for those rare moments when you need the VR, I find is pretty useless for the average user.

[XC Pictorial]

Tried all of them.

70-200 VR is no doubt the best at 1k higher..

Between 80-200 and sigma 70-200

Get 80-200 for optics, sigma 70-200 for fast performance.

Sold away the sigma 70-200, returned the 70-200 VR, happily sticking to the 80-200 now

[glennyong]

no matter the case.

like what ESPN always say.

MTL BUY BUY BUY !!!!

but remember. OEM is the way to go.. will not go wrong one....

hmmm.. wheres _espn_ he went missing for so long.....

[zac08]

Originally Posted by glennyong but remember. OEM is the way to go.. will not go wrong one.... hmmm.. wheres _espn_ he went missing for so long.....

Well.. he's not totally gone, but he's stopped on the BBB warcry.

Well, good advise on getting the Originals...

[glennyong]

Originally Posted by zac08 Well.. he's not totally gone, but he's stopped on the BBB warcry. Well, good advise on getting the Originals...

yah.. for the last few years.. he has been rallying the BBB virus around.. now Nikon got problem with stocks liao...

so now i think he stay low let nikon recover goods first.. den continue issit ?

hmm where is he... waiting for bus at junction 8 interchange ah...

[cky1504]

anyone has any idea on around how much does replacing a chao tar swm?

[zac08]

Originally Posted by cky1504 anyone has any idea on around how much does replacing a chao tar swm?

Woah... this is gonna be expensive...

Some repair costing by Tang


Cheers,

[westwest1]

no need to spend so much for the nikkor one...

just get the sigma one...cheap...fast...nice colour and its light...

[Ansel]

Originally Posted by Tetrode I have no experience with Canon USM lenses so I cannot comment on their reliability or lack there of. I can only comment on the AFS Nikkors. I suspect the cause of the SWMs failing is partly due to misuse.i.e. Manual focussing while still activating the SWM (by half depressing the shutter button). .

But that is what you are supposed to be able to do right, with SWM??

How come they come up with this feature and then you can damage the motor by doing it?