Sigma & Tamron vs Pentax

[sbc]

According to Photozone tests. Sigma EX and Tamron SP lenses are very good. So is there any reason to buy Pentax lenses instead?
e.g. instead of DFA 100 2.8 macro, u could get the Sigma 70 2.8 M, 105 2.8 M or Tamron 90 2.8 M for less $. Instead of Pentax 16-45 f4, u could have Sigma 17-35 f2.8-4.
What do u guys think? Or put in the other way round, any reason NOT to buy Sigma n Tamron lenses.

[dnaxe]

sure - but with the new DA*, you actually get stuff that the 3rd parties aren't providing.

[longko]

Pentax lens tends to have faster AF.

Take macro lens as an example;

Sigma 70mm is very good but 70mm has lesser working distance.
Sigma 105mm is ok & good CA control, but the bokeh aren't as nice.
Tamron 90mm best value for money, but at times a little too sharp when use for portrait.
Pentax DFA 100mm is an all rounder & has better contrast compared with the other. I personally would had gone for this lens, but I'm more of a value for money person Also I fell in love with Vivitar 105mm (made by Kiron), bright, not too sharp when use as potrait, good contrast, cheaper than any of the above macro lens, only thing is that it's MF

Above are just my views.

[sbc]

Originally Posted by dnaxe sure - but with the new DA*, you actually get stuff that the 3rd parties aren't providing.

yea, i know that's why I left out Sigma 100-300 f4. It is not that cheap and many may prefer to pay more for the DA*60-250 for the WS and SDM.

[fengwei]

Well, some said (not me btw) that if you prefer using third part lenses, why bother using a Pentax camera at all? Why not just get a Canon or Nikon instead

I'm not against third party lenses. But I do prefer Pentax lenses if possible, especially those excellent Pentax prime lenses. Lenses like the FA Limited and those star lenses are the best that money can buy IMO. And Pentax SMC coating is still considerred as the best among all ...

What Pentax lacks are good zoom lenses and long lenses. Some good zoom lenses like FA20-35/4, FA*28-70/2.8, FA*80-200/2.8, FA*250-600 are very good, but Pentax has stopped making them for quite some time. They are getting very expensive in the second hand market. Now Pentax has released and is releasing some DA* lenses, including three good zooms and a couple tele lenses. All these DA* lenses are weather sealed with new SDM built in. Things are looking very good to me. Let's wait and see what Pentax is gonna come up with next year

For now, I'll just enjoy using my FA LE lenses and some FA* lenses And of course the excellent Sigma DC 17-70 as well

[night86mare]

Would depend on what range you're talking about, actually. For example for UWA, Pentax does have 12-24mm but in the 10mm extreme range it only has FE. 2 mm might not sound like much but the angle of view should be more? Especially when you take crop factor into account - 15mm versus 18mm.

And of course, price difference is also a key point, e.g. if you have financial constraints like erm, yours truly then sometimes third party is the only way to go.

But then hor, I don't really know much about lenses, so best to listen to fengwei.. =D He has mastered the Force and somehow managed to procure a lot of lenses, teehee! (Joking only hor)

[seafone]

like what many had said... the difference between 3rd-party and Pentax is the price different and personal preference.

For me, I will also prefer to go for Pentax SMC coating lenses if my pocket allows me to. IF I have to go for 3rd-party, it will be because Pentax does not fill that range of focal/stop that I needs. 10 out of 14 in my cabinet are SMC. I personally like and prefer the color rendering from SMC lens. Its not about the sharpness, its about the color. =)


cheerss..

[roentarre]

I personally found sigma lenses lacking contrast most of the time, colour can be washed out even with EX series lenses.

Tamron 28-70 f2.8 is a great zoom but the colour are just different comparing to pentax lenses. I own many * or ltd lenses and I learnt the lesson of sticking to the original brand unless cost is an issue.

[sbc]

For me I cant tell the colour diff. Contrast maybe but not the colour. I used to have Sigma and Tokina zooms back in the old days and they dont strike me as impressive. So I have this impression that they are inferior. That is until I saw the tests at Photozone. Wow they do have very very good lenses. I particularly like the Sigma 100-400 f4 EX and the 70 2.8M EX macro.

But I remembered long time ago someone in the camera industry told that Sigma lenses, as good as they are, do not last. Either the mechanical parts will wear out and slop will develop or the oil will leak or something. That has sway me towards Pentax lenses even until today.

In those days there is actually no way to really know how sharp a lens is until you bought one. Nowadays with the Internet, we can search for reviews 1st.

[creampuff]

Pentax lenses have a certain colour rendition, just like Minolta or NIkon or some other manufacturer. With film, it was kinda easy to discern but with digital, I honestly don't know if it is a combination of lens and sensor. BTW the best lenses I came across many, many years ago were made by... Konica. Many of the Hexanon lenses were fantastic, even their pancake lens was superb but that's history.

3rd party lenses nowadays tend to be driven by marketing. Superzooms and budget zooms in particular. Yeah there are new lens designs but lots of cheap aspherical lenses aren't even glass to cut down on cost.

I feel too many photographers get hung up on zoom range rather than the actual optical results. I think may people are willing to accept very flat low contrasty images because they think it can be corrected during post processing.

Sigma lenses can be a mixed bag in my opinion. I have and currently own a few and some of the issues range from batch variations, fogging of the elements and flaky external finish. Tokina has good build quality but optically can be a mixed bag. Even with the renowned SMC coating, Pentax too have some mediocre lenses, particularly some of the consumer zooms. Best to stick with primes I guess.

[berry]

What Pentax lacks are good zoom lenses and long lenses. Some good zoom lenses like FA20-35/4, FA*28-70/2.8, FA*80-200/2.8, FA*250-600 are very good, but Pentax has stopped making them for quite some time. They are getting very expensive in the second hand market....

This post will get wet if you keep mentioning those * you have.

mouth watering...

[creampuff]

Talking about nice Pentax lenses, here's one to drool for - Pentax FA* 24mm f2
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...link:middle:us

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by creampuff Talking about nice Pentax lenses, here's one to drool for - Pentax FA* 24mm f2 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...link:middle:us

Well, I had that lens, twice actually. Don't really like its size and weight for a 24mm lens. I much prefer the K and A 24/2.8 which are alot more smaller and lighter. To me, I think the FA*24 is an overpraised lens, especially on digital SLR cameras

Just my own opinion.

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by fengwei Well, I had that lens, twice actually. Don't really like its size and weight for a 24mm lens. I much prefer the K and A 24/2.8 which are alot more smaller and lighter. To me, I think the FA*24 is an overpraised lens, especially on digital SLR cameras Just my own opinion.

The focal length is nice.

A friend in America who has one tells me that his has got a slight tendency to flare and sharpness at max aperture is so-so. As for me, el-cheapo me is using a small Sigma 24mm f2.8. I can't think of spending that kind of $$$ when prices are driven up by limited numbers.

[roentarre]

Originally Posted by fengwei Well, I had that lens, twice actually. Don't really like its size and weight for a 24mm lens. I much prefer the K and A 24/2.8 which are alot more smaller and lighter. To me, I think the FA*24 is an overpraised lens, especially on digital SLR cameras Just my own opinion.

I definitely aggreed that statement.

This lens is already stacked away in my cabinet. Probably turning it into a collector item instead.

It suffered the common problem of flare, unsharp til f2.8 or so, heavy and clumpsy to handle. I think the lens is not worth of its * designation.

[creampuff]

Actually this is the one I drool over. I wish Pentax would reintroduce this excellent lens.

[sbc]

in those days, Pentax sure has a full selection of lenses. For the FA era alone, I think they has 37 lenses in their range. Now, we have like what, 11 + 2 DA*?