Nikon 28-70 2.8 vs. Tamron 28-105 2.8 or Tonika 28-70 2.6-2.8

[russell_trippet]

I am trying to decide between the Nikon 28-70 2.8 , the Tamron 28-105

2.8, or the Tonika 28-70 2.6-2.8. I currently have a Nikon 24-85 2.8-

4 but want a faster lense. I have a Nikon D100 and most of pics are

of the family, kids games, lots of indoor shots. I want one all

purpose lense. Help!!

[Brian]

<P>The short answer is, <B>there is no all purpose lens</B>. That's why we have interchangeable lenses. Why not keep your zoom and get a fast prime as well, for instance a 35mm f/2.</P>

[emaxxman]

The Tokina has a good reputation for being a sharp lens. The Tamron has a reputation for a little soft. The Nikon has a reputation for being a top of the line lens with the highest quality optics and build. You can't go wrong with the Nikon and if it's the AFS version (not sure if there is a non-AFS), it will be amazingly fast focusing as well. Your question that needs to be answered is "is the price of the Nikon reasonable to you."

 

The only quality all purpose lens I can think of is the Canon 35-350L lens. Of course, that doesn't have that fast of a max aperture, is huge, cost a boatload, and won't fit your Nikon.

 

Stick with your lens you have, but a 50mm prime for your "fast lens" indoor needs. For your kids games, you'll probably want to look at telephoto lenses. The 80-200 non-AFS is a great bargain and is plenty fast for all but the fastest action. You could also get teh AFS version if you need faster focusing.

[whr_tam]

The Nikon 28-70 F2.8 is the best choice, if you are willing to pay for it. And it is hugh !! If you really go for high speed lense for indoor available light shooting, why not try the fixed focus prime lense. The 50mm F1.8 AFD is good and cheap.

 

By the way, I've heard that Tamron will debut a SP28-75 F2.8 zoom soon. It will be substantially smaller and lighter than its Nikkor counterpart. Perhaps you will have to defer your acquisition.

[tushar_mandrekar]

I own the Tokina. The build quality is very good (Tank Barrel). I believe Nikkor is a better lense from the reviews and the quality of the other Nikkors I own. However, I chose the Tokina: cheaper, faster focusing, wider angle and tack sharp-- I am very happy with a handheld shot of my wife in Florence on a cloudy day with her in razor sharp focus by the river and a pathway drifting off into an almost impressionistic image of Ponte Veccio).

 

Vignette is severe fully open at 28mm (I don't think you can keep a UV/lense protector for wide angle-wide open shots or filters unless maybe it is ultra-thin).

 

I didn't test how fast the autofocus is on the Nikkor but because you can decouple the manual focus ring, my Tokina is really fast (not like AF-S but I believe faster than regular zoom AF. I like the sound it makes too (like it's saying "Wow!"). On my slow N70, my other lenses: 1.8/50mm, 70-300mm/4.0-5.6 are much slower in comparison. I have missed shots on my Nikkor lenses because they couldn't get to the subject in time.

 

You should also think about what total kit of lenses you will want. For indoor and landscape, a wider angle lense like 24 (maybe 20) can be useful. I bought the Tokina because it reaches down to 28mm. However if I bought the lense knowning what ultra-wide lense I now think I could use (either 18, 20, or 24), this wouldn't have been as big a deal. I'm moving to Nikkor primes now. I will stop carrying the Tokina once I get a wide angle prime in the 20-24mm range-- 2.8 Zooms are for me too heavy for hobby photography study during sightseeing. I think the same thing about my Bogen tripod though, so you should take my words with a grain of salt.

[k_michael]

Two Tokina'a I've owned and Two Tokina's I've sold. Both of them went back to Cali 2x for warranty work. The killer to it all is when they sent one back with a fingerprint inside the glass! What does that tell you? Nikon's price is huge..........so huge that I decided to by a black Contax G2 with the TLA200 and 35-70 zoom instead. I can't see spending that kind of money on a Nikon lens when I can "drive" a Zeiss for $300 less that gives me the sharpest pictures I've ever seen in my life.