Tag: Photo tours

Tamron or Sigma Lens?

This question came in from Terry:

I’m completing my “final” travel equipment which is the do-it-all lens for my R7.  I picked up the R7 recently by selling several of my way-to-heavy EF lens (ended up with a gift card of $250 bonus in addition to the R7).  Now I need to get the RF lens.  

Have you heard any comparisons between the Sigma and Tamron.  I’m looking through B&H, Adorama and DPReview which are my go to’s.

With the EF versions, I had ended up preferring the Tamron.  It didn’t last as long as a Canon lens, but I didn’t treat it as gently getting in and out of the buses. ~~~ Terry

I love the R7. It’s a really nice camera with a lot of great features.

I’d get the RF-S lenses before the Tamron or Sigma. I’ve used the RF-S 24-105mm and was impressed. Same with the 100-400mm. The RF-S 18-150mm might be what you want. Take a look.

I’d recommend the Canon lenses first because of the complex electronics. Yes, I know Tamron and Sigma are “just as good” but Canon is always going to be better.

That said, you’re looking for a lens with a lot of range. I use two lenses where you’re looking for one that does it all.

Tamron 18-300mm is $629. It has a 29-480mm equivalent view. That means the wide is not really very wide. You’d use this more for the reach or for things that were further away. Minimum focusing distance is 6 inches so that’s not bad. Weighs 21.9 ounces. I’m curious how long it gets when you zoom out to 300mm?

Sigma 16-300mm is $694. It has 24-450mm equivalent view. That means the wide is enough to photograph the interior of a room. More to my liking that the 29mm view in the Tamron. Not as much reach as the Tamron but I’d take the extra width over the extra reach. Minimum focusing distance is 3.44 feet. Weight is 21.7 oz.

So in conclusion, these lenses are pretty compatible.  I think you can’t go wrong with either.  I’d use the added width of the Sigma more on the photo tours.  A 24mm view is great for interiors.  The other is a bit narrow for my tastes. 

Durability is an issue.  I’ve heard people say the Tamron didn’t last as long as they wanted.  I used to own a Tamron so I guess I was listening for that feedback.  I’ve never owned a Sigma so haven’t listened for feedback on that one. 

I hope this helps. 

Any readers have experience with either lens? Can you provide feedback? Your actual experience with one of these lenses could help.

One of the Joys of Going on a Photo Tour . . .

One of the joys of going on a photo tour is you’re with photographers all the time. There’s no one saying it’s time to go — except when the bus is leaving — no one to ask how many times you’re going to photograph the same thing.

During our recent photo tour to Costa Rica, the group noticed a nesting pair of s great kiskadees in the parking area. The birds built their nest in a palm tree right in the main parking area of the lodge. We walked below the nest to meals and returning from meals.

Great kiskadee nesting in a palm tree near the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in northern Costa Rica.

The nesting kiskadee pair was just part of our day. The pair carried grass and fibers into the nest throughout the day. One bird could spend four or five minutes inside the nest packing the grass in just the right spot. Then that bird would fly out and the other member of the pair would fly in with a beak-full of fibers. That bird would pack their fibers in place, round and round inside the nest, then rest in the opening for a bit, and fly out.

Great kiskadee with a beak-full of nesting material.

Over and over again we watched this pair of birds perfect their messy nest.

Great kiskadee with another load of nesting material.

Finally when the light was lovely on the nest, I suggested we stop and photograph the kiskadees building their nest.

For the next hour, we stood together and photographed the kiskadees.

We compared shutter speeds to see if we stopped the wings of the bird as it left the nest that time. Slight blurring — raise the ISO, get a faster shutter speed and give it a try next time.

Someone got the crown pattern on the top of the kiskadee’s head. It looks like a bulls-eye if you’ve never seen it. “Wow! I need to get that next time!” someone in the group said. And off we’d go again. Waiting for the bird to fly out of the nest and show us its head pattern.

Over and over and over we photographed two birds as they built their nest. Those birds gave us such joy. We learned so much about our cameras and photography thanks to them.

My thoughts go out to that pair of determined birds in Guanacaste Costa Rica. I hope they are sitting on a clutch of heathy eggs that will mature into a nestful of great kiskadees.

My photographer friends at the great kiskadee nest in Costa Rica.