What to buy, Sigma Lenses or Nikon?

I’m pretty noob at photography, but based on research that I did previously, I’d say if you had the money, go for the Nikkor (Nikon) lenses. People say that it ain’t even about what camera you got – it’s your skills and the lens you have that count.

but then again…the Nikkor lenses are more expensive by three-fold =S with that much more money, you could get probably two more sigma lenses…

Sigma EX lenses are extremely sharp, even wide open. What’s important to consider is color balance. Sigma have a traditionally yellow cast, where as Nikkors are neutral to reddish, but not as red as Canon. Tamron’s have a closer color balance to the Nikkors than Sigma. Tokina’s are slightly blueish in hue. Yes, you can filter it all out with PhotoShop, but that’s not the problem.

A pro wants consistent color balance and contrast across the lens line so pick a brand and stick with it for future purchases. I would suggest that the Nikkor will have better contrast at widest aperture, and will last much longer against abuse and daily use. Sigma USM focus is very nice but it will fail over time. Quality control will be better with the Nikkor and you can expect to return the Sigma once or twice to get the glass you want. Sigmas are known for sticking aperture blades over time. 10 burst exposures at f8 may yield 2 or 3 overexposures.

Sigma focuses in the opposite direction than Nikon. That alone would prevent me from putting it on that camera as I primarily manual focus for everything.

An excellent (and much cheaper) alternative would be the Tamron 28–75 which does focus in the same Nikkor direction. Look for a used one from a good feedback and get it for much much cheaper. Very light weight but some question its durability. It’s fine for regular use and will be much closer in color balance to the Nikkors. Highly rated optically.

If you are using a full frame Nikon camera, then the Nikkor lens will have sharper corners. But they will all be pretty equal on a half frame.

Tamron also has a matching wide angle 17–35 for full fram and 17–50 for half frame that also focus in the Nikkor/Leica/Pentax direction. Alas, the Tamron 70–200 focuses opposite in the Canon/Sony/Olympus direction. The Tokina 80–200 focuses like a Nikkor.

Check the zoom directions as well. They will change from camera/lens combos.

The Nikkor will flare less than the Sigma, Tamron or Tokina.

Thanks @RealEyesRealizeRealLies, unfortunately my budget is no where near the cost of the $2400 Nikkor, Thanks for the information on the Tamron, I’ll look into it.

If you need to save money, look for a lens that doesn’t open up as much. f/2.8 at all focal lengths are designed for professionals, and the lenses can be quite heavy. If your using a DX camera the 18–200 VR will cover a larger range for only $650 or so.

Instead of having a normal zoom lens, most have a wide zoom and a telephoto zoom. Many lenses in the normal zoom range have a hard time with falloff and barrel when it is wide open, especially with a large aperture.

@arpinum I am, however looking for high performance at low light, without using a flash. Therefore 2.8 is pretty necessary. I am using DX (D300) but the fact is at 70mm the 18–200 VR is around f4, compared to the f2.8 this is pretty shocking. My 50mm f1.8 is fantastic but variable zoom at a prime aperture is what I’m really after.
Especially considering I shoot mainly low light events, concerts, speeches etc