Nikon vs Sigma vs Tamron kit lens. What's better?

[krye]

Im trying to get into dslr's. I'm looking on eBay and there are some really awesome and affordable D60 kits for sale. Most come with Nikon lenses, some come with Sigmas. I may have seen 1 or 2 that come with a Tamron.

Anyway, I've Googled up and down and I can't seem to find a definitive answer. I know it's better to buy the body separate from the lenses, but for a newbie like me, I'm sure the kit lenses will be just fine. And I want to stay around $600-700 for now. So, with that said, should I go with the Nikon lens kit or a kit with a Sigma lens? Who makes the better lens?

 

[M@lew]

Knowing what exact lens they are would help making the decision. We can't just decide on brand alone.

 

[ChrisA]

Two comments:

(1) You can't compare brands. You have to compare lens to lens. All companies make good and not so good lens, Although Nikon does not make anything you'd call "bad".

(2) The only reasons not to buy Nikon is either you can't afford it and you need to save money or Nikon does not make what you want. Many times a used Nikon is the best deal if price is the issue.

If you are buying your first Nikon SLR. Get the nikon kit lens it's likely the 18-55. Use that for at least a couple thousand frames shot under various conditions and subjects then later look at your work and figure out which shots you missed and buy the lens that would have gotten those shots. Maybe you will find you need a faster lens or a wider one but yo don't know now. The "Kit" lens is inexpensive and a very good value although it is not very specialized

 

[juanm]

Two comments:

(1) You can't compare brands. You have to compare lens to lens. All companies make good and not so good lens, Although Nikon does not make anything you'd call "bad".

(2) The only reasons not to buy Nikon is either you can't afford it and you need to save money or Nikon does not make what you want. Many times a used Nikon is the best deal if price is the issue.

If you are buying your first Nikon SLR. Get the nikon kit lens it's likely the 18-55. Use that for at least a couple thousand frames shot under various conditions and subjects then later look at your work and figure out which shots you missed and buy the lens that would have gotten those shots. Maybe you will find you need a faster lens or a wider one but yo don't know now. The "Kit" lens is inexpensive and a very good value although it is not very specialized

A very comprehensive answer I totally agree with.

 

[rogersmj]

To clarify (and to caution you): the only "kit" lenses Nikon sells with their cameras are Nikon lenses. If your kit is coming from eBay and it has a non-Nikon lens with it (or no lens at all -- the D40, D40x, and D60 are only sold in the US with lenses), be careful -- sometimes they're non-US versions of the cameras.

 

[krye]

Two comments:

(1) You can't compare brands. You have to compare lens to lens. All companies make good and not so good lens, Although Nikon does not make anything you'd call "bad".

(2) The only reasons not to buy Nikon is either you can't afford it and you need to save money or Nikon does not make what you want. Many times a used Nikon is the best deal if price is the issue.

If you are buying your first Nikon SLR. Get the nikon kit lens it's likely the 18-55. Use that for at least a couple thousand frames shot under various conditions and subjects then later look at your work and figure out which shots you missed and buy the lens that would have gotten those shots. Maybe you will find you need a faster lens or a wider one but yo don't know now. The "Kit" lens is inexpensive and a very good value although it is not very specialized

Awesome answer and exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks!

 

[QuantumLo0p]

Two comments:

(1) You can't compare brands. You have to compare lens to lens. All companies make good and not so good lens, Although Nikon does not make anything you'd call "bad".

(2) The only reasons not to buy Nikon is either you can't afford it and you need to save money or Nikon does not make what you want. Many times a used Nikon is the best deal if price is the issue.

Ditto and well said!

 

[Hls811]

I guess I"m in the same boat - I just bought a Nikon D60 a few weeks ago w/ the standard 18-55kit (VR) lens, and then went and seperately bought the VRII 55-200 lens.

I was thinking of splurging for hte 18-200 Nikon lens, it seems to have very good reviews, a few reviews have mentioned that its not a perfect lens - but at the sametime the very subtle IQ differences are a fair tradeoff for the convenience of not having to swap. I saw one at my local store and was turned off by the size/weight.

Anyway, this weekend my brother-in-law came over with his Canon camera (Not sure what model he has), but he had the Tamron 18-200mm which was half the size, weighed less and cost about 1/3rd - I know its cheaper because it doesn't have VR (or equivalent). When I mentioned that to him he said I wouldn't really notice the lack of VR unless I'm shooting at full zoom (and even then its subtle) - and he's probably right, but then again, if I wasn't going to shoot at 200mm, why get the lens?

I'm a newbie to dSLR's - I chose the D60 because it seems like the easiest and most "helpful" SLR to get to learn and I like the smaller size (hence my hesitation for the bigger Nikon 18-200)

If I got the Tamron would I regret it later? How is the IQ compared to the Nikon? Am I better off just using 2 lenses (the 18-55 and 55-200 that I already have). Is there another option someone can suggest? (I havent looked into Sigma lenses too much, would they be an option?)

THANKS!!