D7000 with either Sigma/Tamron 17-50 2.8 lens combo

<p>Does anyone here own a D7000 and use it with either the Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS HSM or the Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC lenses?</p>

<p>I am planning to upgrade my D80 to a D7000 and while I will be getting the 18-105 kit lens, I also wanted to add a 2.8 zoom with VR.</p>

<p>I have a bad past experience of trying the Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC with my D80. I tried 2 copies and both had focus issues as well as F-- errors. So I am a little wary about non-Nikon lenses.</p>

<p>I have the 35 mm 1.8 AF-S as well as the 50 mm 1.8 AF-D but a zoom has a lot more flexibility than the primes, specially for cramped indoor shots.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>i have a d300s and d90, but i currently use the sigma 17-50/2.8 OS and in the past had a non-VC tamron 17-50 with a d80. no focus issues or errors with either lens or body. i would choose the sigma OS over the tamron VC because of slightly faster focus (HSM vs. micromotor). optically, there are probably more similarities than differences--both are very sharp in the center wide open and have good corners stopped down. the OS on the sigma works as expected, allowing handheld low light shots at slow shutter speeds.</p>

<p>I have a D7000 and have the Sigma 17-50 f2.8. At first I had some focus error isssues and had to send it back to Sigma. They adjusted the lens and now it has great IQ and accurate focus. Only thing that still trips me up is their reverse zoom rotation compared to Nikon and Tamron for Nikon glass. I also have a Tamron SP70-300 f4-5.6 Di VC USD. This is an excellent lens on my camera. Very sharp and contrasty. Just wish it was a 2.8.</p>

<p>I have the Tamron non-VC and love it on my D200. Have also used it on a D90. I have a Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 that also works flawlessly. Third party lenses can work very well. They do seem to have a bit worse quality control, but if you buy from an authorized dealer, you can either send the lens back for a replacement, or immediately send your lens in if it has issues to be fixed for free. If you want image stabilization, the Sigma 17-50mm seems to be the golden boy right now, as the Tamron VC lens has given up some performance compared to my version. If third party lenses were really bad, then they wouldn't continue to get used and recommended on enthusiast sites like this one.</p>

<p>I have used Version One Tamron 17-50 2.8 non-VC for years on my D80 with excellent results. Now I use the Tamron 17-50 on my D7000 -- also with sharp, excellent IQ. Some day I will have to service the lens to remove internal dust in the front element.</p>

<p>Thanks all of you. I did more research on this and it seems the primary issue with non-Nikon lenses is the higher chance of getting a bad copy. So it really depends on how quickly you can assess if the lenses work as expected, and if it doesn’t exchange it for a different copy. Of course if troubles arise after the return period, you’d have to use the warranty.</p>

<p>personally, i would probably skip the kit zoom altogether and get the 2.8 from jump. +1 on the tamron 70-300 VC for tele.</p>

<p>The Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC isn't renowned for being optically stellar. The older 17-50 f/2.8 non VC lens is excellent, however and is my favourite walk around lens on my D7000. AF is fast and accurate, it's tack sharp, colour rendition and contrast are great too.</p>

<p>Thanks Eric, yeah the kit zoom is still a rather handy lens (goes till 105 mm for one thing). But if I have a 17-50 2.8 zoom too, I probably won't use it all that much.</p>

<p>Thanks Graeme. I thought about the VC vs no VC thing for long. With the D7000's high ISO capabilities, I guess it will be very rare when I have to use a shutter speed slow enough to require VC. But I was thinking of situations like dragging the shutter where VC would help (if I can't use a tripod).</p>