I have them both and love
them both. However, after 2 days of serious testing on a Fuji
S2 Pro I have arrived at the
following conclusions - from a sampling of only one lens each. All test shots
were on a tripod, shot at 12 meg raw, and converted with EX. All shots were
taken at the same time of day, and in sunlight, by simply switching lenses.
Focal lengths were matched perfectly by matching area covered. Because of this,
15mm on the Sigma and 35mm on the Nikon could not be compared. However,
sharpness of the Sigma at 15mm was outstanding, especially at f11. The sharpness
of the Nikon at 35mm was also outstanding, with f8 being the sharpest.
SHARPNESS: This is going to be hard to take
for some. At 17mm the Nikon was sharper from f2.8 through f8. However, the Sigma
was shaper at f11 and f16 with f22 being a draw. We are talking small
differences here. At 30mm the lenses were pretty much identical from f8 to f22,
with Nikon again getting the edge from f2.8 to f5.6. Hmmmm. The stories were
true! Sigma has one heck of a lens!
COLOR: The Nikon was more natural with
better saturation. The Sigma had a strong warm tone (read yellow).
CONTRAST: The Nikon had considerably more
contrast.
VIGNETTING: Nikon had less. Enough to see.
Sigma was a little hotter in the center.
FLARE: Whoops. The Nikon was far superior.
When any sunlight hits the protruding front element of the Sigma, flare becomes
ugly! On the other hand, I was able to include the sun with the Nikon with only
two visible and small sun flares.
BOKEH: Nikon was smooth and natural while
Sigma was a little stretched.
ASTIGMATISM: Both lenses showed almost none!
DISTORTION: About equal. Amazing. The Sigma favored 17mm while the Nikon
slightly favored 30mm.
BUILD: Of course the Nikon wins here.
Although physically smaller than the Sigma it weighs more. Probably due to the
glass.
PRICE: $560 verses $1,360 roughly.
Recommendations: For the average shooter, the Sigma will probably be an
excellent choice (just don't shoot into the sun)! The Nikon, on the other hand,
certainly is a pro lens in ALL respects. As it has legendary sharpness it is
amazing to see the Sigma do so well. I did make a 24" x 36" print from
the Sigma at 15mm at f11. Stunning sharpness. However, the Nikon STAYS on my
camera as my first choice! The 15-30 will be used for its extremely sharp 15mm
focal length.
Remember, the Fuji S2 has a
cropping ratio of 1.5 so only the center 2/3 of both lenses were used. If full
frame were used I am sure the Sigma would not have fared as well. In any case,
the Sigma makes a good choice for DSLR photographers who can't afford the big
bucks for the Nikon.
Sure hope this helps a few folks. It was a good 16 hours work total. I would
love to hear from anyone else that has actually done a side by side CRITICAL
comparison. Lenses vary within models.
Here is a sample using the 17-35 hand held at 17mm with ISO 200. I have
included a blown up small section to show detail and minimal color fringing. The
small section is equivalent to a 5 foot wide mural!
Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro
Although versions of this legendary lens
have been around for over 15 years, the lens performance is still as good as
anything out there. Strong words, I know. Having owned the Nikon 60mm f2.8 and
105mm f2.8 I see very little difference. At one time Camera 35, now defunct,
claimed it was the highest resolving lens they had ever tested. I am not
sure I would go that far, but it is an awesome lens for the money. Here is an
example of the resolution at 10' and f11. The first shot is full frame, the
second is a 100% at 72 dpi which is equal to a 48" high print. Shot taken
in studio with Fuji S2, ISO 200.
Full frame
100% crop at 72 dpi
This sort of resolution pretty much carries from f4 to f22.
There is some corner and edge softness at f2.8 and a little less resolution at
f32 (yes, it goes to f32).
Tamron f2.8 28-75mm
Here is a sample taken with the
Tamron f2.8 28-75 taken at ISO 100 using the Nikon D200. (75mm at
f11 and 1/60 second with fill flash)
This portrait was taken with the Nikon f2.8 105mm VR at
ISO 100 with the Nikon D200. (105mm at f11 and 1/60 second with
fill flash)
Nikon F2.8 105mm
