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Pics: Sigma 70-300 APO DG vs Tamron 18-250

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Anesh Pather

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There is plenty of interest in these two lenses and I have both. I took them out for a quick comparative test as soon as my Tamron arrived. The focal lenghts were set to around 250mm and each shot was taken first at f/6.3 and then at f/9. When you open the gallery the first pair is Sigma f/6.3 and Tamron f6.3 and the next pair is the same shot at f/9. The Sigma shot is always first. You have to click on each thumbnail to get the details and exif. No filters were used and all camera settings were unchanged (apart from the apperture for comparison). All were taken handheld. This was a quick test for my own analysis and is not by any means scientific. Composition was also not important. The last two shots were just of the Tamron only at 18mm. You be the judge of how these lenses compare.

http://anesh.zenfolio.com/
 
OK I found the dyxum site, and looked at the Tamron vs Sigma. It is surprising, but the Photozone tests seem to say that the Tamron is sharper at the edges throughout the zoom range. The basic center res is about the same, but the scale in the two tests changes.

I have read so many raves about the Sigma APO DG, so I ordered that one. It costs a little more, too. Was I a sap? Will I end up getting both, just to test them, like you? Is that why you have both?

It's probably no big deal difference, but I just like knowing. I've seen many beautiful images from the Sigma, but not many posters show results from the Tamron. I think.

Gary Eickmeier
 
I don't have time to download the images and from the hosting site I can't draw a conclusion. (The brightness difference is remarkable but I can't say which is truly better due to pic size.
 
The Yacht pictures show some visible differences. They are also one of the only pair with the same exposure.

Look at the mast at the top left corner. It is white for the sigma but green to purple for the tamron. A typical example of purple fringe. This is also visible on the "Rainbow Gipsy" name.

As expected, the name of the second boat "Leisure Yatch" does not show any purple fringes since it is centered. However, they have a different color: dark blue for the Tamron but almost black for the Sigma.

My advice is to make your choice not according to the quality of both lenses but according to what you want to do with them. If you want to shoot birds then pick the Sigma. If you want a multi-purpose lens that can be occasionnally be used as a zoom then pick the tamron. If you want both then you have the same problem than all of us :-)

--
Stephane - KM Dynax 7D
Sigma 28-105 - 18-50 - 105 - 170-500
KM 100-300 APO
http://www.chauveau-central.net/gallery2/v/insects2/

 
A reviewer in another thread said that the Tamron had a very accurate focus, but took forever to get there ("not for kits or pets"). Is this true of the Sigma?

Basically, how accurate and how fast are they? Compared to say the minolta/sony 73-300 cheap lens?
 
Gary Eickmeier said:
I have read so many raves about the Sigma APO DG, so I ordered that
one. It costs a little more, too. Was I a sap?
Click to expand...
Are we all talking about the same Sigma? The 70-300 APO DG is about half the price of the Tamron 18-250.
 
... in this case for a couple of reasons. First, the shutter speed, for whatever reason, is slower on the Sigma in these examples resulting in very different exposures between the two lenses. The other thing is that the Tamron is shot at maximum telephoto and the Sigma is not. Most long zooms are their worst at maximum telephoto. Would you mind doing the test again some time at something like 150mm? That would be a better test of what the lenses can do.
 
Danel said:
First, the shutter speed, for whatever reason, is slower on the Sigma
in these examples resulting in very different exposures between the two
lenses.
Click to expand...
Could it be that the APO coating on the Sigma is filtering some frequencies that would be non-visible for us (UV or IR) but that would affect the sensors used for computing the exposure?

--
Stephane - KM Dynax 7D
Sigma 28-105 - 18-50 - 105 - 170-500
KM 100-300 APO
http://www.chauveau-central.net/gallery2/v/insects2/

 
I use manual focus on the sigma almost exclusively when shooting birds.

I'm not saying the auto focus doesn't work, I'm just saying its no super star.

But then again, I've never had a lens that focused fast enough, for birds.
 
wmussatto said:
Basically, how accurate and how fast are they? Compared to say the
minolta/sony 73-300 cheap lens?
Click to expand...
Depends on what you are shooting. Neither lens is good for sport and birds. I also use a Canon 30D and these two lenses are "slow motion" compared to a speed demon like the Canon 70-200L. However, for landscapes, portraits & travel they are fine.
 
Danel said:
... in this case for a couple of reasons. First, the shutter
speed, for whatever reason, is slower on the Sigma in these
examples resulting in very different exposures between the two
lenses. The other thing is that the Tamron is shot at maximum
telephoto and the Sigma is not.
Click to expand...
I can't figure out why there is such a big difference in shutter speed. As someone noted it could be a coating on the Sigma. Remember all in-camera settings were constant. As far as the focal length is concerned I limited the Sigma to around 250mm (even though it can go to 300mm) because of the 250mm max of the Tamron. This was simply for comparison.
 
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