Which lens should I get? Photographers only please!?

Question

I have a Pentax K100D Super, and I am looking to upgrade my lenses. I am looking at two 18-200mm lenses, one by sigma and one by pentax, and I can't decide which one I want. Money is not a factor so please do not factor that in. I want to know if anyone has these lenses, and how they perform. Anything else would be very helpful as well.

http://www.broadwayphoto.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=1029738

http://www.broadwayphoto.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=9963100

Answer 1

First of all, BroadwayPhoto are scam artists: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Bro...

The actual prices (from http://www.bhphotovideo.com ) are

$280 for the Tamron 18-200mm

$320 for the Sigma 18-200mm

$440 for the Pentax 18-250mm (same lens as the Tamron 18-250mm)

$480 for the Tamron 18-250mm

Second of all, these all-in-one lenses provide massive convenience but in terms of image quality, AF speed, build quality, and maximum aperture they are not an upgrade of anything.

Which would I pick? The Pentax.

Here's a review: http://www.photozone.de/pentax/367-penta...

Answer 2

Although 3rd party manufacturers often make reasonable quality optics, they always have to reverse-engineer the mount & contact configurations.  And in most cases they work.  But i always feel that buying the original lens is worth a premium.  As you say you are not worried about saving a few bucks, I'd go with the lens made by the camera manufacturer, you can't go wrong.

Answer 3

I have a number of Pentax and Sigma lenses for my Pentax DSLR and film SLR cameras.

Generally the Pentax lenses are better made than the Sigmas, although optically there is often not a lot of difference. This is also reflected in the price, the Sigmas offering good value for money.  

http://photography.suite101.com/article....