eyrieowl's reviews
-
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical IF SP AF
10 out of 10 points and recommendedf2.8, sharp, solid feel, comfortable sizesome overexposure w/flash, some vignetting at 2.8 at endsI have used this lens for a Nikon d50. I read a number of reviews before settling on this lens, and I haven't been disappointed. The lens rarely hunts for focus, focus is generally pretty fast, and having a good quality f2.8 in this range is a real joy. i bought this lens in anticipation of a recent trip to thailand, and the lens rarely left the camera. i switched back to a super zoom on a couple of occasions, but i really couldn't reconcile myself to the lower quality images and slower apertures. so, i pretty much just went without anything but this lens and i'm very happy i did. and the price is great as well. next up, an f2.8 for 50mm+!
reviewed August 21st, 2007 (purchased for $378) -
Sigma 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DG Macro
5 out of 10 points and not recommendedwide range, relatively compact, macro functionality, priceslow, not very sharp, doesn't go wide-enough on aps sensor, color castThis was my first lens for my Nikon d50. Which was my first true digital camera (other than 3mp point-and-shoot i'd gotten with my printer). prior to that, i'd been shooting on a venerable Canon AE-1. I had a cheapie 28-210 zoom on that body (no, I didn't know much about lenses), so when i moved into digital, i went for the same range. this lens...was a decent starter lens to begin to learn digital photography. but i am not sure it'll be going back on my camera again. i'd rather forgo the range for quality and speed. the price wasn't bad, and i certainly have learned from the lens, so, it's not all bad. training wheels for my dslr!
reviewed August 21st, 2007 (purchased for $179) -
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor
7 out of 10 points and recommendedwalking around, vr, hsm focusingvariable aperture, zoom creep, vignetting, sharpnessThere's simply no other comparable alternative. The Sigma OS just doesn't have as good a quality, and it's ever slower to boot. So...if you want a single lens to do it all, this is really all there is. And there are definitely times when I need that (like, say, at the beach), times when I don't want to change lenses. It's great for that, but it's not great. I much prefer my fast glass to this in most situations. It's a nice enough lens, though, a very nice range to have coverage on, and I would definitely recommend it as a primary lens to the novice or a secondary lens for the enthusiast.
reviewed November 29th, 2007 (purchased for $700)