Righty ho lets toss a coin for my lens purchase!

[Highlandsnapper]

Iam a former forum user and a long time Dyxum and Dpreview member.
Lets face it i probably know what i will buy, but i just dont know what i want to be talked into or out of.

So i have the cash put aside for either the CZ 16-80 or Sigma 70-200 HSM or Sigma 17-70mm + Tamron 10-24

I want the Sigma 70-200 HSM but i do need a good wide + ultra wide for my brothers wedding in a few months, I just sold my wide lenses to fund a new Hi-grade wide But i find myself lusting over the 70-200 HSM sigma for my own tastes after all this is one wedding shoot.

I should also say that my brother is ranked in the top 10 Spey Salmon Distance Casting world rankings ( so a decent wide is a must in the near future )


Help......

[UrsaMajor]

I am a former forum user and a long time Dyxum and Dpreview member.
So i have the cash put aside for either the CZ 16-80 or Sigma 70-200 HSM or Sigma 17-70mm + Tamron 10-24

I want the Sigma 70-200 HSM but i do need a good wide + ultra wide for my brothers wedding in a few months, I just sold my wide lenses to fund a new Hi-grade wide But i find myself lusting over the 70-200 HSM sigma for my own tastes after all this is one wedding shoot.

If your only use for the wide lenses is really for just the wedding, why not rent the wides and buy the lens you will be using most of the time?

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[KevinBarrett]

Easy. Stay away from that Tamron 10-24. It is a compromized design meant to be competitive first in specification. The Sigma 17-70 is a bit of a budget choice, too. It mainly competes against the Tamron 17-50 and Sony 16-80.

The Sony Zeiss 16-80 is a very highly acclaimed lens. It is only marginally slower than the Sigma, and then only for a short length in the focal range. The Sigma 70-200/2.8 HSM is also another very competitive lens... Neither of these will disappoint. However, I should point out that the two combos you've listed are not comparable either in focal length ranges or in price.

Renting is also an option. Check out http://www.alphalensrentals.com.

[David Kilpatrick]

Sigma 70-200mm HSM. It is a fantastic lens. Trust me on this - it is the best close focusing lens of this spec on the market.

Cover risk with a credit card authorization and I'll lend you an 11-18mm Sony for the wedding if you want it, assuming you are in Scotland. But the pix you get with a Sigma 70-200mm HSM will blow you away. I am deeply regretting not hauling this lump of metal and glass to Venice, and taking the 70-300mm SSM G instead. On return the 70-200mm went straight back on the A900 - with 2X converter for the big selfset silk poppies which are springing up all over my yard.

David

[Highlandsnapper]

Yeah, david iam just up the road from you actually Kilsyth, that would be superb (Wedding is in October) If the Offer still stands i would take you up on that. I Don't know if you remember but i was the one who posted the Sony 11-18 Argos deal last Christmas on DPReview and gave away me reservation to Braside.

Sigma 70-200mm HSM. It is a fantastic lens. Trust me on this - it is the best close focusing lens of this spec on the market.

Cover risk with a credit card authorization and I'll lend you an 11-18mm Sony for the wedding if you want it, assuming you are in Scotland. But the pix you get with a Sigma 70-200mm HSM will blow you away. I am deeply regretting not hauling this lump of metal and glass to Venice, and taking the 70-300mm SSM G instead. On return the 70-200mm went straight back on the A900 - with 2X converter for the big selfset silk poppies which are springing up all over my yard.

David

[David Kilpatrick]

I think we'll still have the lens around. If not, I'll lend you a Sigma 12-24mm. This may seem a bit altruistic, but I cannot emphasize too much how good the Sigma 70-200mm HSM is for the money. I will be putting a review up quite soon.

I am in the odd position of being about to use nothing but Sigma lenses on the A900. Early samples of the the 24-70mm f2.8 HSM have disappointed me. If they can come up with a more convincing field coverage/edge sharpness, I would go for it, but so far the Tamron type KM 28-75mm is doing better despite a bit of centering problem at the long end (affects one side of the image only).

David

[Highlandsnapper]

I was going to buy the 28- 70 G but i fear i just would'nt use it + the fear factor of a bad copy, I dont often get the chance of a Expensive lens (to me) with a 4 year old son and a more expensive wife! So a £650 lens is a a big deal to me , but 2 semi cheap lenses is a problem that i dont want if i dont use them. After one day, My Brother and his wife to be say there not fussed about he wedding shots as the have saw what i can do (In The Field) But come on how often have we fell into that trap..

David if it comes to a loan a would nip down and leave the appropriate cash down payment or CC. Seriously that would be a massive weight of my shoulders. My brother thinks nothing of helping designing a new Salmon line then actully buying the line he helped design for , well sllly money you would not believe, Rod +£1000 Reel +£600.
A shot from a few years ago used The final results in the 18ft rod Spey competition were
My Brother



1. Ruairi Costello, Ireland, 196.7 ft or 65.5 yds
2. Gerard Downey, Ireland, 191.9 ft or 63.96 yds
3. Gordon Armstrong, Scotland, 191.7 ft or 63.9 yds
4. James Chalmers, Scotland, 190.8 ft or 63.6 yds
5. Andrew Toft, Scotland, 177 ft or 59 yds
6. Iain Gardiner, Scotland, 163 ft or 54.3 yds.

I think we'll still have the lens around. If not, I'll lend you a Sigma 12-24mm. This may seem a bit altruistic, but I cannot emphasize too much how good the Sigma 70-200mm HSM is for the money. I will be putting a review up quite soon.

I am in the odd position of being about to use nothing but Sigma lenses on the A900. Early samples of the the 24-70mm f2.8 HSM have disappointed me. If they can come up with a more convincing field coverage/edge sharpness, I would go for it, but so far the Tamron type KM 28-75mm is doing better despite a bit of centering problem at the long end (affects one side of the image only).

David

[mikeriach]

....... but I cannot emphasize too much how good the Sigma 70-200mm HSM is for the money. I will be putting a review up quite soon.......

David

Don't forget us smaller sensor users when you test it. Some comments on that would be good.

Mike

[David Kilpatrick]

It's better for smaller sensors than full frame, like all the 70-200mm designs - but not quite as extreme as the Nikon, or the Sony used close up. It has fairly noticeable vignetting at 200mm even at f/5.6. I can live with that given decent sharpness across full frame, there is still some 'bokeh' degradation to the outer field though. On APS-C, it's much better relatively.

David

[gio67]

Sigma 70-200mm HSM. It is a fantastic lens. Trust me on this - it is the best close focusing lens of this spec on the market.
. But the pix you get with a Sigma 70-200mm HSM will blow you away.

David

david, i,m interested in this lens, there seems to be 2 types , is it a mk1 and a mk11 if so which are you recommending here

[David Kilpatrick]

The HSM lens is the EX DG Macro II model. Anything earlier has a different optical design and no HSM. The HSM is faster than the Sony SSM, and the optical design with 1m close focus is much improved.

David

[gio67]

The HSM lens is the EX DG Macro II model. Anything earlier has a different optical design and no HSM. The HSM is faster than the Sony SSM, and the optical design with 1m close focus is much improved.

David

thanks david, now i just need to convince myself that i really need this lens, right!! thats me convinced , will let you know how it goes

[stevecim]

David

Can you please check if your Sigma 70-200 HSM II 2.8 lenses ships with a 1-Year Worldwide Warranty?

Thanks Stephen

[David Kilpatrick]

I got mine from Sigma UK, but yes it has the international warranty card.

David

[gio67]

wheres about the cheapest place in the uk for this bad boy of a lens