Third Party Lenses

Hello,
I currently own all Canon lenses with the last purchase being the 70-300mm. I had a Sigma 170-500mm non-digital that I used with my EOS3s for landscape. This lens won't work with my 1Ds mkII so I am looking for a replacement.
Sigma was the only lens maker aside from Canon that I used but I feel I need to find out about Tamron and Tokina. Keeping in mind that I need a lens with an extreme long end of 500mm and looking at only zooms, what are your opinions from real use of either Tamron or Tokina in this area? Because I shoot mostly landscape with a bit of wildlife thrown in I don't need fast glass as most of my shots will be in the f11-f16 area. The slower lenses, in fact almost all lenses, have their sweet spot around f8-f11 so I can get by with slower glass and still have excellent quality shots. Your help will be most welcome and appreciated. Thank you.


Tim

Tim

I have no first hand use of Sigma, but several years ago they were fixing some of the lenses that did not work on the newer cameras. They changed a micro chip in them for free. Not sure if they still do it but might be worth checking out.

Bill

i have not used any tokina lenses. i have used the tamron 200-500 and personally, i thought it was softer than the sigma 50-500. according to tests and the sigma 150-500 vs 50-500, the 50-500 wins in image quality. the people at sigma told me that the glass in the 50-500 is better than the 150-500. i have not used the 150-500 and cannot comment. i use the 50-500 regualarly. i like it in good light stopped down to f/8 or greater.

hope this helps!

Thanks Bill. I called Sigma and they said my lens would work but it doesn't. Normally I would rattle someones cage until I got a knowledgeable person but it's time I updated the lens anyway. I know Sigma has an updated lens with IS and the reviews from people who use it are generally good. Most photographers seem to use it close to wide open so I have to keep this in mind as I read the reviews because I would use it in the f11-f16 range 90% of the time which should give me good to above average image quality. There have been a few reviews of the Tamron 200-500mm zoom which suggest it is quite good as well. I am hoping someone has tried out both and will give me their impression of both lenses. Thank you.

Tim

Hi Harold,
Thank you for your response. It is odd Sigma would make a comment like that about a newer lens. When you said the Tamron was soft did you mean wide open at 500mm? As you know, most lenses have a sweet spot around f9 and since I normally stop down to f11-f16 anyway, then I'm not too far off the sweet spot.
How do you like the Sigma 50-500mm, do you use it for wildlife? My most used lenses were the Canon 75-300mm and the old Sigma 170-500mm which I used for landscapes. I gave my old 75-300mm to my daughter-in-law as she is just getting started in photography and I bought the 70-300mm which has had wonderful reviews. It is the replacement for the old Sigma I am now trying to decide on and hoping for some insight from users of the Tamron 200-500mm and the Sigma 150-500mm. Thank you again.

Tim

i used the tamron at 500mm for sure, but not sure about the aperture. i would guess i was around 7.1 or 8. not that it means anything, but the tamron is a lot lighter than either sigma. i love the bigma. i have used it for wildlife in some parks around here and i intend on using it this weekend for some deer. i love the lens!! i do not see why the AF on it would not be great for wildlife. i use it for birds in flight regularly and have a fair amount of keepers.

dont look for many responses here about the tamron or the new sigma. i have seen one or two people with the 150-500, but not sure if i ever have seen anyone with the tamron here. most people are using OEM stuff. we are definitely in the minority!! there are several canon shooters here using the 50-500. i happen to shoot nikon, but dont think that makes much difference.

hey timothy, have you thought about the canon 100-400? it's a great lens and not much more than any of the others we are talking about. if it were my decision, i would definitely go for that one!!!! and it has IS. seems like a no brainer to me!! cant believe i didnt think of that earlier.

Can't speak for hyper-tele Tokina lenses but I've used them in wide to mild-tele range and they've been excellent. For the 500mm range I'm using the Sigma 50-500 which is adequate at least. It does require stopping down a bit to get to the sweet spot.

Hey Tim, Ive seen many excelent photos taken with the 50- 500 I think its a good choice for landscapes. But, for a bit more money you could get the 100-400 canon I.S for wildlife and BIF:D add a 1.4 tc for manual focus land scapes ...and Canon lenses hold their value Much better.