sigma 18-200, tamron 18-200 or nikkor 18-135 for D80?

[relatif_relatif]

hi,

 

i decided to buy D80 but not sure yet which lens I should buy.

I need a flexible lens for traveling that takes sharp pictures.

nikkor 18-200vr out of my budget.

 

any suggestionsf: sigma 18-200, tamron 18-200 or nikkor 18-135?

Thanks

 

Marcin

[Matt Laur]

Regardless of which of those less-expensive zooms you buy, you might seriously consider spending the $100 on a Nikon 50mm f/1.8, too - it's indespensible in lower light, especially if you can't buy a VR lens for now. And it's small enough that you'll hardly know you're carrying it in your bag... but you'll sure know you have it when the light's fading!

[Peter_in_PA]

Probably won't find someone who's used all of those extensively. The reviews of the 18-135

are a little weak (although Thom Hogan recommends it--just barely) but the Sigma and

Tamron are below 5.6 at the long end, so I'm guessing they'll be really hard to focus.

 

The 18-200VR is SUCH a great travel lens that I'd suggest you consider switching gears and

getting the D40X to free up some money in the budget for it. But if I were you and decided

on the D80, I'd go with the Nikkor.

[nickwhite]

I'm not able to comment on the Sigma or Tamron, however I would NOT recommend the very cheaply built Nikon 18-135; the Nikon AF-S 18-70 f3.5/4.5G is a far better lens at the same price or less?(and should be available as a Kit with the D80 - it is in the UK at least)

I opted for the D80/18-135 combo (unseen!) when I updated from a D70/18-70.

Within a week I sold on the 18-135 lens on ebay! I was very glad I hadn't parted with the 18-70 which I still use.

[elliot1]

I have a very good friend who has the 18-135 and the 18-200 (Nikon) and finds the 18-135 to be every bit as good as the 18-200. I have seen his pictures from the 18-135 and they are excellent - and there is really very little difference from 135mm to 200mm.

 

Stick with Nikon lenses for your camera.

[photo5]

No, don't do that, get the D80 and the 18-135mm or one of the others you list. The Nikon 18-200mm is an over-hyped lens and is not worth the price they charge for it. You're better off getting an 18-70mm and a 70-300mm, both of which will outperform the 18-200mm handily.

 

Dave

[Peter_in_PA]

You're gonna get a LOT of advice on this from a LOT of people, so read some real reviews

carefully. Dave Lee, for instance, had a bad experience with what he described as either a

defective lens or a bad sample of the 18-200. Many of us had GREAT experiences with

good samples of that lens...

 

Either way, the 18-70 and 70-300 combo that Dave recommends is GREAT and not too

too expensive! So you can't go wrong with his advice either! But the third party

superzooms are probably pretty good to avoid. I've only tried the tamron, and the feel was

HORRIBLE.

 

The 18-135 has been reviewed by several people as being much worse than the 18-70 or

the 18-200VR, so I would avoid it.

 

In fact, if you MUST have the D80 and therefore can't afford the VR18-200 anyway, you

can't go wrong getting an 18-70 NOW, and wait till you can afford a tele-zoom like the

70-300. That advice has been given a LOT on this forum.

 

Good luck, tell us what you decide...

[dan_tybor]

I just bought a D80 myself several months ago. My previous experience was with a fully manual camera with probably a not so good zoom lens. I opted to go with the 18-135 lens since bundled with the D80 it essentially only cost me $200. I added a 1.8 50mm for $100 and I've been pretty much set since. Not too bad for $300. The $800+ 18-200VR was definitely out of the question! Of course it depends on what your ability level and what you plan on accomplishing with your new D80. If you travel a lot than having a versatile light and inexpensive lens may be what you are looking for. The 50mm is good to have on hand for low light situations.

 

I don't have any experience with the Tamron and Sigma you are considering so I can't comment on them. From the reviews I've read, the 18-135 is definitely the better of the three. Of course the 18-70 is probably a really good bet also even though it doesn't have the reach of the kit lens. With the D80, that setup is far better than most P&S camera. In my situation, mastering composition trumps quality and budget is a big factor.

[mvtol]

Maybe you should look at the 18-70 and the 70-300 ed (VR or not). I know the 18-70 is very sharp and I just looked at these pictures and was amazed:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1034&thread=23183327

regards,

Martijn

[betty_raimondo]

Don't buy the 18-200vr Nikon lens. I've had a lot of problems with soft focus or not focusing and right now sending it back to nikon for them to figure out what the problem is. If you read any other photo forums on this subject you will see there is a problem with this lens. Last year I had a Nikon D50 with a Tamron 28-300 lens and it was the perfect setup. Crystal clear images shot from a moving boat chasing a billfish. While I wait forever to get my Nikon lens back from Nikon I bought the Tamron 18-200. Tamron are really good lenses. People get too hung up on brand names, i.e. Nikon, Cannon, etc. Go with what works for you.

[Peter_in_PA]

Kinda late on this discussion, but I've had the Nikon 18-200 for a little over a year and had

no problems like Betty describes. Others will agree.