Third party lenses


nexyo

Member
Jan 28, 2009
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Hi, I'm a caveman when comes to third party lenses. Just asking, which third party is reliable (Tamron, Tokina or Sigma)? I was doing researching on the internet and all of them gave almost the same review and I'm quite confuse about it. Please educate me :)
 

Hi, I'm a caveman when comes to third party lenses. Just asking, which third party is reliable (Tamron, Tokina or Sigma)? I was doing researching on the internet and all of them gave almost the same review and I'm quite confuse about it. Please educate me :)

I've used Tokina and Sigma before for both Nikon and Canon. I say they're pretty reliable for the price they command. I heard from friends who use Tamron that they are pretty good too. So I say they are all good performers given their relative prices compared to OEM lenses.
 

Hi, I'm a caveman when comes to third party lenses. Just asking, which third party is reliable (Tamron, Tokina or Sigma)? I was doing researching on the internet and all of them gave almost the same review and I'm quite confuse about it. Please educate me :)

They are all reliable with proper warranty for their products. Although compared to the bigger companies they might seem small,but they are still a internationally recognized company and their lenses are also used by many of us in clubsnap. :D

What you should worry about is not whether they are reliable, but whether that particular lens can perform as well or better, durability, compatability, value for money and of course if u like the feel of it in your hands.
Happy searching
 

ya the most attractive part is the price.. and they are good lens...

i believe some pro must be using them... the only proof i have is a ad in ap magazine where one magazine's pg is using sigma...

the only thing i worries is future compatibility ... will they still work with new bodies... will they release firmware for ALL lenses to support new bodies? how much will they charge?
 

Hi, I'm a caveman when comes to third party lenses. Just asking, which third party is reliable (Tamron, Tokina or Sigma)? I was doing researching on the internet and all of them gave almost the same review and I'm quite confuse about it. Please educate me :)

All brands have their good lenses and less good ones: Canon, Nikon, Sony ... and so do Tamron, Tokina, Sigma. Check for the particular focal length and lens type for a proper comparison. Brand level will not help much.
 

Alright, thanks for the info.

I heard one of the photographers saying that each of them has their good and bads. Like for Sigma, it has AF problem sometimes.
 

the only thing i worries is future compatibility ... will they still work with new bodies... will they release firmware for ALL lenses to support new bodies? how much will they charge?

So far there is only the case of older Sigma lenses (produced during film era) that give some issues when mounted on modern DSLR. Haven't heard of any issue with recent 3rd party lenses. But then: if Canon would change something in their communication to lens than they either need to provide updates for all previously sold lenses or make sure the body is backward compatible - which means no problems with 3rd party lenses either.
 

just a bring your camera along and test the lenses before you buy them. third party lenses can be good for the price, and some of the quality of the glass is comparable to the 1st party lenses (nikon, canon, sony).

but things need to check is the focus. third party lenses are infamous for the QC (quality check). some are back focused the other are front focused. CHECK FIRST BEFORE YOU BUY!!
 

what the diff between a back focus and front focus?
 

what the diff between a back focus and front focus?

Both is a malfunction of the AF system. What is unclear after searching the forum or checking with Google?
 

All are as reliable as long as they are fine.... they all, including Canon and Nikon gives Warranty, not Guarantee... Even though some use it wrongly but in essence, all gives warranty only.

Having said that, some time third party lenses are better than their OEM counterpart and generally at a much cheaper rate. for example Sigma 30mm 1.4, Tokina 11-16

Generally, Canon and Nikon has a less sample variance where as third party lenses has more sample variance. So you need to check your third party lenses before buying.

Canon and Nikon has a well established service centre, where as third party lenses are served by agents/importers.
 

i find the 3 have their own distinctions.

sigma-- biggest, but somewhat least reliable. the external coating starts to peel after about a year, and most lenses arent as good as tamron and tokina. but that said, they do have many interesting and afew v nice lenses. have never tried sigma cos of the build quality.

tokina goes for quality though they dun have as much spread. they were started by a bunch of nikon optical engineers who wanted to focus on good quality zoom lenses i believe. they re my choice cos of the v v sturdy build and usually v good optics. tend to cost abit more, but u get what u pay for. the only lens i dun like in their current line up is the 16-50 2.8 cos of distortion.

tamron is somewhere inbetween. some have very good optics, but their lenses are lighter and less well built. i think best known for their 90 2.8 and 17-50 2.8.

i like vivitar =P but they re out of business liao. they had some really good lenses.

regards,
benjamin
 

I feel it is inaccurate to rate just based on brands. Each manufacturer has some winners in their lens lineup. You should look at specific lenses from each brand to find which are the ones that meets your needs in terms of image quality, build quality and pricing.

That said, please note that some of these brands are actually OEM manufacturers or co-developers of major camera brand lenses. Give you 2 examples, Tamron makes some lenses for Sony alpha. And Pentax and Tokina co-developed some lenses together (offered both under Pentax and Tokina branding). In fact, some of these companies are related (Pentax owned by Hoya corp, and is part of some group which included Tokina). Some of these 3rd party manufacturers also supplies glass and glass elements to major brand name manufacturers all over. Lots of buy and sell, and contract manufacturing going around.
 

i like vivitar =P but they re out of business liao. they had some really good lenses.

Korean lens manufacturer named Samyang makes some lenses for vivitar. Some samyang lenses are just released. You should check them out. The new Samyng 85mm F1.4 is getting some very good reviews when shot wide open
 

Korean lens manufacturer named Samyang makes some lenses for vivitar. Some samyang lenses are just released. You should check them out. The new Samyng 85mm F1.4 is getting some very good reviews when shot wide open

yup. heard about that one, waiting for it to show up here. but was referring to their original series one line up. so far have tried the 90 2.5, 105 2.5, 80-200, 135 f2.3, 200 3.5 all really solid. heard they even had a 135 f1.5. only have the 105 2.5 macro though.. awesome macro lens =)
 

2 words to say, I'm educated.

does quality of the lens affect the pictures?
 

2 words to say, I'm educated.

does quality of the lens affect the pictures?
depends on the output you require.

are you okay with just a picture or do you want the best possible picture?

for example for those "3d-ish" pics, a fast lens like F/1.4 would be useful or maybe a telephoto like 400mm F/2.8 or are you looking for a specialty lens like fisheye and tilt shift?
 

yup. heard about that one, waiting for it to show up here. but was referring to their original series one line up. so far have tried the 90 2.5, 105 2.5, 80-200, 135 f2.3, 200 3.5 all really solid. heard they even had a 135 f1.5. only have the 105 2.5 macro though.. awesome macro lens =)

I thought the 85/1.4 is already here. Even sgcamerastore.com is selling it already.
 

Both is a malfunction of the AF system. What is unclear after searching the forum or checking with Google?

hi
what i am unsure is
isnt both depend on the point of your focus?

i was looking at
image032.jpg

and
image030.jpg


although it explain quite clearly juz curious isnt this a "act" of where u focus? :dunno: