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When it comes to SLR lenses, does the brand matter? I understand (I think) that there are different qualities of glass used by different manufacturers, but is there a noticible difference between Nikkor lenses and Tamron, Sigma or others?

Also, I found a place that you can rent lenses from in Maitland. They are an internet based store, so the lenses will be shipped to you. I can't wait to try out the 80-400mm f4 VR at the Canaveral Seashore next month.

I will go ahead and say YES. I am sure that most of the lens companies have one or two lenses that are very nice, but I have noticed that the comparable Nikon lenses have far outperformed my Sigma lenses. Not only is the sharpness better, but they offer options like Vibration Reduction. I am certainly not a professional by any stretch, but I think there really is a difference in quality.


BTW... if you are looking for new lenses you need to read Ken Rockwell's reviews: Nikon and Canon

At the risk of starting a "mines better than yours" banter :

Brand does matter.

The 2 major camera "brands" are Nikon & Canon. With either if you compare "apples to apples" you can't go wrong. Within each brand there are several grades of camera. They range from beginner to Pro high end.
Olympus, Pentax, and Sony (former Minolta design) are also players but to a lesser degree.

The same holds true with lenses. The thing to remember about lenses is the range of quality. The best will cost over $1000. with very good lenses starting about $400./$500+ . Just because a lens is made by Nikon or Canon does not mean it is the best lens.

Aftermarket lens run the same range of quailty. IMO (25+ years of shooting, but still my opinion ) the best aftermarket are made by Tamron and Promaster (these are actually made by Tamron and sold under Promaster name.). Tamron is LICENSED by both Canon & Nikon,and probably others, to build lenses. That means they know the technology needed for todays cameras and tomorrow's. The lenses have a "computer chip" to communicate with the camera body. Another good brand is Tokina, which is probably licensed.
Sigma sells a lot of lenses as does Quantarey ( Ritz Camera house brand). Both built by Sigma. To my knowledge Sigma is NOT licensed so there can be issues with new model cameras.

Hope this little bit of info helps.

When you rent the 80-400mm Nikon lens be sure to turn the VR OFF if you have it mounted on a sturdy tripod. If you leave it ON it will search for movement and you will not get the sharpest image.

Here is the technical info on many of the more popular. If you like, skip the tech stuff and just go to the last section Conclusions pro's and con's

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/

What Tree-Bone and MikeB said.

In addition to the lenses that Tree-Bone talked about, Leica has always been known for the quality of their lenses. I'm not as up on the use of their lenses as I was many years ago but I remember that their lenses were unsurpassed way before Nikon became a "player" in the pro market in photography. The Panasonic DMC series of camera's are not true Digital SLR cameras that incorporate interchangable lenses but do sport a very good quality zoom len made by Leica. I use my Panasonic DMC more than my Olympus E3. It's lighter, and I have more focal range in the one lense on the Panasonic as I do in two of my lenses for the Olympus E3. And the quality of the Leica lens on the Panasonic DMC series camera is quite obvious, for a non-pro camera. It's my "go to" camera on the kayak.

As Mike mentioned, the DPReview website is a great website for information on cameras and lenses. You might also try Amazon.com for some of the best on-line prices, and they usually have reviews, pro and con, from purchasers of each product.

J.P. FROG wrote:...In addition to the lenses that Tree-Bone talked about, Leica has always been known for the quality of their lenses...

Very true. ...and very expensive. Lumixes are a good deal considering.

While mentioning Lica don't leave out Carl Zeiss. These lenses are used on Hasselblad cameras and are among the best made.
However I didn't mention them because they didn't relate to the original question ("When it comes to SLR lenses, does the brand matter?") and could confuse most folks who are looking for advice on purchasing their first SLR or upgrading a lens.

Both Lica and Zeiss build lenses for non SLR cameras and as Frog said, they are very good.

Tree-Bone wrote: When you rent the 80-400mm Nikon lens be sure to turn the VR OFF if you have it mounted on a sturdy tripod. If you leave it ON it will search for movement and you will not get the sharpest image.

This part of your reply hit me at 4:30 am, and that is exactly what I didn't do the night of the shuttle launch!No wonder my pics were a little blurry. Can't forget this again.

Thanks to all for your comments.

J.P. FROG wrote:You might also try Amazon.com for some of the best on-line prices

Adorama also has some great prices.