Lense questions on Sigma 24-70 f/2.8

[LR Max]

Good afternoon,

I am seriously looking at this lense. The kind of shooting I do is starting to require faster glass and in this range. I've got a 18-200VR right now, and I mainly use the 18-70 portion of the lense. I figure this lense would optimize the focial range I normally work in.

Only hesitation is lack of HSM motor. I've had a couple AF-S lenses, and they blow away the old D lenses. That is a concern (current body is a D70s, but I am going to have a D300 in the next couple of months).

Build quality and glass performance. Pretty good? I am not expecting this to be better than the high end nikkor lenses. I just don't want it to be too crappy.

[fionndruinne]

You may find yourself limited by the minimum focal length of 24mm - that's not very wide, when you want to grab a landscape shot. What about the 18-50mm f/2.8, or the 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5?

[r3g]

Dont mean to hijack but is there much of a difference in IQ and such between the 18-50 and the 17-70? The reason I ask is because they can be had for the same price and the 18-50 is faster. If there is no difference then I see no reason to even consider the extra 20mm of zoom and when we are talking landscapes that extra 20mm would prolly never even come into play.

[fionndruinne]

Well, if we're talking landscapes, then I agree. If however the OP has other things in mind primarily, then the 25mm extra might be worth it. If low-light is a consideration, though, I'd say the 18-50mm without question.

[hankbeblazin]

i'm not sure if you really NEED the 70mm but if you then i guess this doesnt apply

sigma also offers a 18-50mm with HSM F/2.8

[achuang]

I'm guessing that LR Max's statement of "The kind of shooting I do is starting to require faster glass and in this range." is not landscapes seeing as he has the 18-200 VR which would be more suited to landscapes with the VR over a faster lens. I think George Reihm, one of the long time members, has the Sigma 24-70 and loves it. Used to use it on a D70, then upgraded to a D80 and the autofocus performance improved with the body because the D80 has the same AF speed as the D200. Seeing as you're upgrading to the D300 soon, that body should have even faster AF speed.

[Jason25]

I had this lens for a year. It's a good lens, but I kept my 18-70 DX and sold this lens. I never had an issue with the build quality, optics, or the focus speed.

I did have issue with mostly the zoom action:
a) The zoom ring was very inconsistent (stiff, then loose, stiff, then loose), and the lens extends at the wide end :confused:
b) The zoom ring is irritating, and way too close to the body.

Minor issue, but the 82mm filter size is awkward.

If you can get past those issues, it's a good lens as long as you get a good sample.

EDIT: Oh, I also used it on a D70s as well, then sold it before getting my D200.

[LR Max]

Thanks for all the input.

As for the lense use, I will NOT be using this lense for landscape. This lense will be used for photography of vehicles off road (I know a lot of ya'll didn't expect that coming!!). That is going to be the only/primary use of this lense. I know it sounds unusual, but that is the business I am in so buying a purpose lense kinda makes sense. I would've really liked to need the 18-50, but alas, I don't.

I've looked at a lot of my EXIF data from my photoshoots and found that most of them fell within the 24-70 range. Sure, *some* were outside that range but not by much. Nothing to be too concerned about. Suprisingly, I take a lot of shots out at the 60~70mm range.

The f/2.8 constant apeture would be glorious to have. When I am in the woods, in low light, I still need ~1/250th shutter speed. The objects I am photographing are moving so this shutter speed would be nice to have.

Jason, Thank you for that input. I'll have to go look at one to see if it'll be a problem for me. Who knows. I've used a nikkor 17-55 which has the zoom ring close to the body. It didn't bother me. But when I see a copy of this lense, I'll pay attention to that part.

Lastly, I see nikon just released their 24-70 lense. But GOSH!! Its HUGE!! Not to mention heavy. The sigma is going to weigh more than my 18-200, but the nikkor one will weigh even more than that! Not to mention the fact that the nikkor one looks kinda...weird.

[Stoller]

You may find yourself limited by the minimum focal length of 24mm - that's not very wide, when you want to grab a landscape shot. What about the 18-50mm f/2.8, or the 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5?

Sorry fionndruinne, but don't feel limited.

You don't have to have a wide lens for landscapes, yes going to 17mm or 18mm or wider makes it easy. I shoot a lot of landscapes with a sigma 28-70mm f/2.8. I find myself more in the 30mm to 60mm range when hiking around taking photos of scenery. Also it works for me because if I need to go wider I shoot two or more shots and use auto stitch (free software) to connect the photos. For me a constant aperture, fast lens is one of the most important features of a lens. When the new Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 is available I will be upgrading from my sigma. I feel no need to go wider for a walk around lens, but If I do I always have my sigma 10-20mm.

This was shot at 28mm, two photos stitched...
http://mlrc.us/mnt/dcresource/pano.jpg

[LR Max]

Well I thought I'd give everyone an update on my lense saga...

I picked up one the other day. Its a big boy!! I've used it fairly constantly for a week and I have decided to take it back.

For strobing, its absolutely great. If you are going to take the time, and setup a shot, its a good lense. However, for what I want to do (off roading) I found the range to be limiting (despite what I thought I knew). F/2.8 is great in the low light, but the DOF at f/2.8 isn't what I need. I really didn't notice until now, but for what I do, some DOF is required to produce the desired image. The lense suffers from REALLY BAD glare. A couple of photos are ruined because of it. Lastly, the focus was too slow (remember, this is action-type photography) and I've got a lot of photos that aren't focused properly.

For indoors, I think this would be a great lense.