If I Got The D300... Would These Lenses Be Ok?

Question

Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 Macro Zoom

Sigma 70-200 f2.8 Zoom

Or are they too poor a quality to do it justice?

Answer 1

They would be fine but if you can swing the Nikkor lenses you will be better off. The original equipment lenses are almost all ways better. Check out reviews on these lenses and compare them to the equivalent Nikkor lenses. You can try

dpreviews for your comparisons.

Answer 2

Buy Nikkor lenses. You'll be using them 30 years from now, long after the D300 has been forgotten and replaced.

Answer 3

They are certainly a lessor lens than any of the Nikon lenses.

The Nikon D300 is one of the most sophisticated DLSR's available today at nearly any cost (you would have to spend $5,000 to do better)

Why you would want to buy an inexpensive third party lens is beyond me.  Part of the reason that camera sales people try to sell you these lenses is because they have a higher profit margin.

The current hot lens for the D300 is the 18-200 mm AF-S, ED, VR, but if your budget is being stretched, then buy the fine Nikon 18-55 mm AF-S, ED, VR lens.  Either of those two lenses will do your new camera justice.

Answer 4

This will not directly answer your question, but I agree with  fhotoace. Stay with Nikkor glasses for your Nikon camera.

I tried a couple of Sigma lenses at the store--I wanted to do wiiiiide shots and with Canon 5D, being full frame, I wanted to see what their 12-24 or something like that zoom was like. It was c**p. I first got Canon 17-35 mm f 4 and later upgraded to the Canon 16-35 mm f 2.8 which cost twice as much as the Sigma one and never looked back.

Same with Sigma 50-500 mm. It, too, did not feel right. Got Canon 100-400 mm zoom instead--and did not regret it.

Am very happy with the results, too http://www.flickr.com/little_pooky

Look at it this way, would you use a Sigma lens on your Leica M8 or R9? (I am fully aware that Sigma does not make lenses to fit Leica cameras.)

I am sure Sigma makes fine / acceptable lenses. But what I have tried, they just didn't feel right. The zoom / focusing rings on all the lenses were stiff and uneven. I had no idea if the photos were sharp or not--but they felt like they were cheaply made. One felt like it was going to fall apart on me.

I will probably get thumb down or hate mail for this.

Answer 5

No, They'll Do Fine.

But, You Also "need" the

nikkor 50mm lens

For Portrait Work, All Pros Have Them

They're only 114$, but it's a pro

nikkor lens.

Nice setup.

Nathan