Since its introduction the Nikon 18-200 has been one of the most sought after “super-zoom” lenses. Used not only by amateurs but by many pros for its convenience and high quality images the lens was and is best suited as an “all in one” lens especially for travel. But with time the price has continued to creep up so that the current VR II version is now $800 (and out of stock at many retailers), so it is certainly not a bargain anymore.

So for those with limits to their pocketbooks or without the time to wait until the Nikon version returns to the shelves I wanted to field test a couple of the less expensive alternatives. I’d already seen the images from the Tamron 18-270 that my clients Jim were using in Africa and was impressed by its small size and reasonable image quality. So for this comparison I borrowed a Sigma 18-250mm OS HSM lens. This new version not only has stabilization (OS) but also built-in focusing motors (HSM) although like all the other similar lenses it is designed for use only with APS-C (Nikon DX) format cameras as it vignettes substantially when used full frame—in Sigma parlance it is called a DC lens. [Full frame users can opt for the larger and more expensive Nikon 28-300mm lens as an alternate]

Ultra-wide-aperture lenses (roughly those capable of going to f/2 or wider) have always been favorites of portrait photographers because of their immense isolating power. The wider the aperture (indicated non-intuitively by a smaller “f-number”) the more shallow the depth of field and therefore the more out of focus the background. In the past I haven’t been too inspired by my 50mm f/1.4 so it usually sits at home. But when Sigma told me about their new 85mm f/1.4 the extra reach of the 85mm appealed to me both for its isolating ability and low light possibilities. I wasn’t disappointed. Read on to see how it performed and how it compares to the competition…

For action photography no lens gets more work than the venerable 70-200mm f/2.8. With the addition of built-in focus motors over the last decade (called USM by Canon, AF-S by Nikon and HSM by Sigma) as well as support for Teleconverters for extra reach it is a great "go-to" lens for action indoors and out. Show up with one at your kid's soccer game or swim meet and you're guaranteed to get jealous looks and more than a couple questions. And of course you'll get plenty of images that others with their slower kit lenses will miss out on….

Any Nikon shooter who has switched back to full frame cameras from the popular DX size sensor is likely to tell you how much they miss the excellent and convenient Nikon 18-200mm “all-in-one” zoom that until now has been the ultimate vacation and travel lens. Good enough for simple pro projects but small, flexible and convenient enough to be the only lens for many amateur and entry level “prosumer” photographers with DX size sensors. But what about for full frame shooters? Does the 28-300 fit the bill? Read on to find out…