Tamron 70-200 vs Sigma 70-200 Focusing Speed Comparison

Both lens tested on the same Pentax K-5 set to AF-C

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• pentax
• k-5
• sigma
• tamron
• 70-200
• focusing
• speed
• camera
• autofocus

[swordsman468]

Not being a sports photographer, I'll take optical sharpness and overall image quality over focus-speed any day. In that department, Tamron has the edge over Sigma. Sorry to burst your bubble!

[darrenleow]

@swordsman468 your priorities, your decision. my bubble's not burst, not by your comment at least..

[Cagey75]

I love how so many whore the sigma just because it's the more popular. Forget the HSM, watch both on mute, the difference is not so obvious. the sigma is supposedly very soft wide open, where the tamron is very sharp. Optical quality should own slightly faster focus every time. But obviously, so many bad shooters feel the need for a fraction faster AF or they just can't cope.

[darrenleow]

@Cagey75 have you shot with either lens to check the "supposed" image qualities yourself? the difference isn't as big as people like you make it out to be

[Cagey75]

@darrenleow In the end I bought the sigma because I was let down by so many sellers of the Tamron. Now I can say that the sigma can be soft wide open, and it is nowhere near as quick as people make out. Does your question have any point?

[darrenleow]

@Cagey75 i'm sorry to hear that the sigma didn't work out for you. that's too bad.. if you're not satisfied why don't you sell the sigma and try to find something that suits you better. i had the sigma but it wasn't fast enough for my sports shooting mainly because of the pentax autofocus system it was paired up with. i now shoot with a D3 and nikkor 70-200 vr1 and i'm much more satisfied with that combo. not just AF speed on the lens but the overall AF-C tracking

[lorenc88]

Screwdriver :D

[rinceresource]

I have had the tamron twice now and it is a very good lens for the money. the focus is just about as fast at the sigma but the iq is a lot better.

[swordsman468]

@darrenleow Yeah; well I probably could have been a bit more polite about it (my apologies if I came across as a hater). Anyway, yeah I'm impressed by some of Sigma's features, like their build quality (which feels more sturdy in the hand than Tamron) and their focusing. But for me, being mostly a portrait and landscape photographer, am more interested in the glass than anything else. To each their own! I'm sure you'll get years of great pics with whatever equipment you own. :)

[waite147]

straight drill

[mwelle1]

The current Sigma model has optical stabilization and the Tamron does not. However, the Sigma is a few hundred dollars more expensive. In the 70-200 range image stabilization really helps whereas at wide angles you don't need it as much.

[LukeTheButtonMan]

@Cagey75 i strongly agree