I am in the market for buying a 70-200 f/2.8 for my Nikon D300. I wanted to get people's opinion on the Tamron 70-200 and the Sigma 70-200. The is about a $100 or so difference between the two (sigma being the more expensive one) and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with these lenses or suggestions.

Thank you

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I've been thinking about the same thing. Research tells me that the biggest difference will be in focus speed. If you're not shooting action you'll be fine. If you ARE shooting action it'll be frustrating. I can't remember which of the two had better IQ. None of this is from personal experience though so it's not really what you asked for, but hey... it's something for you to chew on till then. I also wonder if the Sigma zoom is opposite from Nikon's like it is on their 17-50 (or whatever the range is). That's not a deal breaker for me, but it can be a deciding factor.

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Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 Lovin' it. I could glue it to my camera and be happy.
Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 It's the older model w/o the AF motor and it focuses FAST. It's just like the 17-50, only longer.
Nikkor 50mm f1.8d <------creammmmmy
Nikkor 18-55 kit Now in a deep slumber.
Quantaray 28-82 Somewhere in the house.
Nikon N65 Back for the resurrection tour! Coming to defend the faith...
(This spot being saved for hopefully a G9 or G11) Shhhh, I know those are Canons...

Review of the Sigma at dpreview.com: Sigma 70-200 and 50-150 f/2.8 APO EX DG for Pentax and Sony: Digital Photography Review

review of the tamron at dpreview.com: Tamron SP AF 70-200mm Di LD (IF) Macro Lens Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

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I own the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. I love it, except it's not as quick focusing as Canon's 70-200 f/2.8L. The Tamron is super sharp once focused!

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Wishlist: Canon 5D MkII | Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L | Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS | Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 | Canon 580EX

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A friend of mine has the Sigma, and is quite happy with it...

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Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5
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I have been lucky enough to use all three, here's how I rate them personaly:

1.Canon
2.Sigma
3.Tamron

Tamron:
If you need fairly quick focusing (especially in somewhat low light), DONT get the tamron, It will sicken you with it's sluggish focus speed, horrible tracking and missed focusing. BUT, if you are using it in a way that doesnt require fast focusing and your in good lighting, go for it, the quality is pretty good.

Sigma:
I have used this the least of the three, but from how much I have used it I can still say I loved it. It is much better all around in my opinion than the Tamron and is actually quite on-par with the Canon. I would seriously suggest this lens for your best "bang-for-your-buck" kind of lens.

Canon:
If you can afford it, go for it! It is a fantastic lens and I use it every chance I get. I plan to get one of my own in the future when I can afford it. VERY fast focus speed, tack sharp, great accuracy, and the colors really seem to pop more then the others.


Just my $.02
Hope it helped

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M-B-Photos

I used to own the Tamron 70-200 as well and will say the same thing—the autofocus is *terribly* slow (to the point where you'll find yourself cursing at times! ) and seems to hunt quite a bit. But, when not dealing with fast-moving subjects, I was very pleased with the results.

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I used the Tamron to shoot a high school varsity football game on a field with pretty good lighting and I'll tell you I seriously entertained the idea of detaching the lens and chucking it on the field by halftime, the focus speed and the tracking were ridiculous to say the least. But as mentioned above, for other things, the quality is quite nice.

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M-B-Photos

I must admit that my Tamron 70-210 is slow to focus, and hunts quite a bit, however I don't use it in situations where I require fast focus.

The quality of the image is excellent after focus is achieved.

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