Tamron v Tokina v Sigma

[dorsetmike]

Any comments/opinions for or against them, I've got a few Tamrons, a couple of Tokinas but only one Sigma but mostly Minolta - still using a Minolta 5D; passed two Sony DSLRs on to friends as I don't get out much these days, might get out in the communal garden occasionally but not been further from the flat since March.

OOPS, could a mod please move this to Equipment

[zx9]

I have an irrational desire to re acquire a Tamron 35-70 Adaptal 2 and a Yashica FR to replace the ones lost by an ex girlfriend more than thirty years ago, the thing is I don't know what version the Tamron was which is rather annoying.

[geoffr]

I have no idea how well third party lenses interface with Minolta cameras but know issues with Nikon F mount cameras have put me off any other than OEM lenses.

[John Farrell]

I have A Tamron and a Sigma which both work fine on my Canon 60d.

[Chester PB]

I used a manual focus Tamron 'Adaptall 2' 28-200 mm lens with a Pentax MX for many years without any problems.

Since using Pentax K10 and K5 DSLRs I have used the following autofocus lenses without any problems:

Tamron 18-250 mm and a late 90s model 90 mm macro

Sigma 10-20 (old model), 50 mm macro, 30 mm F1.4, 17-70 mm (old model)

Tokina 80-400 (late 90s model)

Only the Tamron 28-200 and the 18-250 were purchased new (the latter in a very good value 'bundle' with the K10 body when the trade were clearing stocks of this discontinued body). The rest are all second hand items, purchased from LCE and other reputable UK dealers who advertise in AP.

I cannot comment about how any of these would work, with a suitable mount, on a Minolta body. The best advice is, if possible, to take your camera body to the retailer and test the lens on it. If buying from a website, use a reputable dealer and ask about a refund if the lens will not work with your camera body (I have done this myself).

[nimbus]

I've used good Tamrons and terrible Tamrons, there does seem to be a wide variation across samples, enough to make me wary. I've only ever used one Tokina, the not very good 80-400? Sigmas I've found some very good lenses and some not so good, good an old AF 24mm f2,8, the 100-300 f4 EX, a 400mm f5.6 AF (not the APO) and the 24-104 f4 ART. Bad were the 60mm f2.8-awful colour rendition, a 70-300 and the 400mmm f5.6 APO.

[nickr]

I've 2 or 3 non-SP Tamron telezooms from the 70s that cane with various cameras. They're not great even by the standard of their time. I've also got an 18-200 in Canon EF-M fit - build quality is decent, but it's relaticely big and heavy for the little EOS M cameras, and although it's not terrible, it's nothing special optically - Canon's 18-150 is better, smaller and lighter.
Tokina, I had the AT-X 28-70 f2.8 (not the Angenieux version) and the 80-409. Neither of those pulled up any trees. I've got the old version of the modern SZX 400mm mirror, which is pretty good for a mirror, and tiny.
Sigma - I had the old, cheap 24-50, which fell apart. Replaced it with a 24-70, on which the aperture motor failed several times. Neither was optically very special.i also had the 18mm f3.5 and the 70-300 UC APO, both of which were nicely made and respectable performers, but be ame unusable on later model cameras.
I've got a 12-24, still the widest non-fisheye full frame lens I own, and a 70-200 f2.8 EX, which is a little soft wide open, but near the quality of similar marque lenses elsewhere. I've also a couple of othe 70-300s, one in Canon fit, one Nikon. Not used the latter, bit the Canon version is pretty poor.
And then I've got the 16mm f1 4 and 56mm f1.4 for Canon EF-M. These are excellent.

[nimbus]

Jun 30, 2023 5:44:18 GMT nickr said:

 I've also a couple of othe 70-300s, one in Canon fit, one Nikon. Not used the latter, bit the Canon version is pretty poor.

There are several Nikon 70-300s, the best ones are the FX AF-S G and the FX P version. I have the first, it's good up to around 250 then becomes iffy.

[andy]

Think I have a Tamron 19-35mm somewhere but not sure I've ever taken it out to shoot with. Got it with a used 300D that was too cheap to refuse many years ago.

[geoffr]

Jun 29, 2023 21:27:02 GMT John Farrell said:

I have A Tamron and a Sigma which both work fine on my Canon 60d.

Unfortunately, whether a third party lens works on a digital camera is a lottery. A 2023 manufactured lens for a DSLR will probably be fine on any compatible camera. A 2013 lens from the same manufacturer may or may not work on a 2014, or later, mechanically compatible camera. Software updates might be available but there’s no guarantee that the 2013 lens can be made to work properly on a 2023 body. Without knowing the year of manufacture of a, for example, Sigma lens it is impossible to be sure whether it will work as expected on any given body or whether an update is available. I’m not prepared to play that game.

[aitch]

I have an old Sigma 60mm DN lens, bought in 2017, which seems to work fine with my G100. Maybe Panasonic are more laid-back when it comes to 3rd-party kit?

I also have a Tokina - but as that is a T-mount lens with no electrical connections, that should work OK with any body. As well as any mirror lens will... As would the early '80s Soligor 400mm I have. Though the amount of CA from that suggests it won't get a lot of use.

And, of course, there are quite a few decent lenses out there which are totally manual - ie no electronics and related software to worry about.

[zou]

Well weren't Sigma partners in 4/3, and they now share the L mount with Panasonic, so not too surprising they play well together.

[aitch]

Jun 30, 2023 8:50:24 GMT zou said:

Well weren't Sigma partners in 4/3, and they now share the L mount with Panasonic, so not too surprising they play well together.

Makes sense.

Though in that case, I would expect the lens info section of the EXIF data to be er... not blank.

[nickr]

Jun 30, 2023 7:54:27 GMT nimbus said:

Jun 30, 2023 5:44:18 GMT nickr said:

 I've also a couple of othe 70-300s, one in Canon fit, one Nikon. Not used the latter, bit the Canon version is pretty poor.

There are several Nikon 70-300s, the best ones are the FX AF-S G and the FX P version. I have the first, it's good up to around 250 then becomes iffy.

Sorry, I meant Sigma versions. The Nikon and Canon ones I have look more or less identical, and the Nikon one is mounted to the N8008s (F801S) that I inherited from my father-in-law - I would estimate it's late 80s/early 90s, and they appear to be very much low-end models - I remember they were running two lines when I bought my UC APO.

[gray1720]

My DSLR happily works with an Adaptall-2 mount, though as its a Nikon D200 it's not that much younger than the Adaptall is.