Tamron vs Nikkor (With D90)?
Posted by admin | Under Nikon D90 DX Monday Aug 24, 2009I want a reasonably good all-around lens for a Nikon D90. I will also be buying an 70-200 F2.8 and other more specific use cameras, but I want one for daily use. I want it for both indoor as well as outdoor/scenery type use, at LEAST 18-200mm.
Anyone have experience with both of these …
Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC LD Asph. Macro Lens for Select Nikon Digital SLR ($600 at B&H)
vs
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR Autofocus Lens ($700 at B&H)
I’d go for the 18-200 Nikkor lens. I’ve heard many good things about it, and I’m saving up for one for my D90. I’ve never heard anything about the Tamron lens.
I’d go for the 18-200 Nikkor lens. I’ve heard many good things about it, and I’m saving up for one for my D90. I’ve never heard anything about the Tamron lens.
References :
i don’t have any personal experience with these lenses, so take my advice with a grain of salt…but i’ve heard there may be problems with the autofocus on lenses with a max aperture smaller than f/5.6 because they provide so little light to the autofocus system. i would look into this issue before buying the tamron…or just go with the nikon.
References :
To be honest, I’m a bit confused by your lens choices. First you say you’re planning on buying the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G IF-ED lens. Then you say you’d like the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IF-ED lens for "daily use".
In effect, you are duplicating focal lengths after 70mm on the 18-200mm lens. Plus, the 18-200mm is a variable aperture zoom which means you lose 1 1/3 stops from f3.5 to f5.6. So if you’re shooting at 18mm with the lens wide open at f3.5 and getting a shutter speed of 1/125 sec. and then zoom to 200mm your shutter speed will drop to ~ 1/42 sec.
Another thing to consider with the Nikkor DX lens is that if you should ever upgrade to a full-frame (FX) sensor Nikon, the DX format will still only cover the smaller DX sensor.
I offer these alternative zoom lenses for your consideration:
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8G ED
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8D IF-ED
I would also include the new AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.4G as part of your kit. This is an especially good choice if you want to try low-light, non-flash photography. At 2 full stops faster than an f2.8 you can use a lower ISO and reduce digital noise. If you were in a low-light situation using ISO 800 with the f1.4 and getting a shutter speed of 1/60 sec., at f2.8 you’d either have to try hand-holding at 1/15 sec. or increase your ISO to 3200 (f2.8 being 2 stops slower than f1.4 and ISO 3200 being 2 stops faster than ISO 800) to achieve a 1/60 sec. shutter speed.
You may be less than thrilled with the idea of a 2 or 3 lens kit but back in the old days it was common to carry 5 to 7 lenses – back when zooms were of low quality and less desirable than today’s incredibly competent zooms.
I’ll admit to a personal bias for fast lenses and constant aperture zooms. If it were my choice I’d choose the 17-35mm f2.8, the 50mm f1.4 and the 70-200mm f2.8.
References :
37 + years of enjoying and learning about photography. I never want to lose lens speed as I zoom and believe duplicating focal lengths is non-productive and wastes money.