james_bennett3

David, I too have a D70, and also recently acquired the wonderfully delicious 70-200 VR. I can also relate very well to your concerns. Though I'm sure you've likely taken to doing this as well, because of the weight of the lens I find that I usually let the lens hang downward so that the body is more evenly supporting it's weight when I need to move both hands to the body to change some settings. And when I'm out walking/street shooting with the lens I usually carry the lens/body combo by the lens tripod mount (with the neckstrap wrapped twice around my wrist as a safety back-up. Like you said, the lens is a well-crafted but weighty beast, and I find I end up treating the body a the fragile end. My 2 cents.

 

Sean.

I don't have this lens, but have been considering it. I do have two other Sigma EX grade lenses - the 30mm 1.4 and 10-20mm; the build quality of the Sigma EX I feel is superior to the Tamron, and comparable to the Tokina pro-grade. I can't vouch for the actual optical quality of your particular lens (nor your re-chipping question), however no worries about the building quality of the lens - I've found Sigma's EX lenses to be great.

 

(If this is the same re-chipping issue as with the D200, my understanding is that the re-chipping was only needed with earlier versions of some Sigma lenses, and that newer stock is already compatible with the D200 - not sure if this includes SB28 compatibility or not)

 

 

JSB

Yes Trevor - I agree with James - amazing shots! Sharp, and great color. Did you do much editing, use filters, tripod, etc. for any/most of the shots? I'm curious to what degree your technique squeezed the best out of that lens!

>...they don't fullfill the same function.

 

?! Really :) Assuming they are both utilized as lenses on a camera, I'd be keen to hear how they compare as well.

Interesting thread, as I've been considering the the 17-35 Nikon as well.

 

Question: How does it compare to the 17-55 2.8 DX, and the 28-70 2.8 Nikkors?? These are the other lenses I've been considering. And considering. And considering...

 

I currently shoot with a D70, and am aware of the 1.5x factor. I currently have the 18-70 kit lens, as well as a Sigma 10-20 and 30 1.4. I am looking to purchase my first general purpose "pro-glass" lens; one of the above 3.

 

 

Sean.

Hi all,

 

I'll be making my second trip to Beijing next week, and I'd like to

be prepared for shooting in the sometimes cloudy/hazy/overcast

conditions, especially in the city.

 

My first trip to Beijing was 2 years ago, and it was the reason I

bought my D70 then. I have some beautiful shots, however I also have

alot of shots which lost alot of their impact because of grey, hazy,

skys with no definition (especially in of Forbidden City).

 

For the upcoming trip I've picked up a circular polarizer, as well

as a ND8 Grad. filter, however I'm looking for tips and techniques

on shooting in grey conditions.

 

All comments and suggestions welcomed!

 

Sean.

I'll through in my 2 bits for the Sigma 1.4/30mm - a great lens.

 

I was pulling my hair out in a similar fashion 1-2 months ago, combing the various forums trying to decide on a prime (as well as a wide angle) to supplement my D70+kit lens.

 

I had read concerns about durability, focusing speed & noise, build quality etc. etc. until my head was doing the Linda Blair thing. I finally bit the bullet and sprung for the Sigma 1.4/30mm (and the Sigma 10-20mm wide angle) and haven't looked back. Build quality is great, and have no focusing or noise issues.

 

More over, after finally making a decision and buying the lenses, I realized I could now take the pictures I wanted, and didn't have to worry about the specifications and details. Sure, in lab tests one lens is perhaps technically sharper wide open, or another lense is split second faster focusing... however I think any of the lenses mentioned here have enough "good" reviews that you can rest assured they are decent lenses, and would be hard pressed to notice their differences in the real world without a magifying lens or 200% crops. If you are worried about 3rd party glass, ideally you'll be able to try the lens on your camera first to make sure it is not bad apple out of the bunch. Just my 2 bits...

 

Sean in Tokyo.

In the SB-800 manual on page 75, there is a comment that ambient static electricity can cause the flash to fire when used with the SU-4 commander. Though in your case you are not using the commander, is it possible that static electricity could also be giving you troubles?

 

Sean

Hi all.

 

I've been considering the new Nikon 18-200 VR lens; I am curious on

how it would compare to Sigma's well regarded 70-200 2.8 DG lens.

 

Initially the combination of the Nikon's range in addition to the

the VR feature which should help hand-held shots was the draw. I've

noticed that many state that the VR feature can even allow you to

shoot a few F stops slower than a lens without VR.

 

Then I also began coming across favorable reviews of the Sigma 70-

200 2.8 DG; and realised that the faster aperture of the Sigma (2.8)

should enable one to shoot at a relatively higher shutter speed

compared to the Nikon, thus lessening the risk of blurry hand shots,

thus countering the VR's merit on the slower Nikon lens.

 

The two lenses are similarly priced, and from what I read, the Sigma

is quite sharp; it's 2.8 should make it a better lowlight lens than

the Nikon.

 

I'm curious if my assumptions/thinking is on track, and what

experience/advice any users here might have.

 

Regards!