Best Place For Lense Buying

[smisch]

sorry about the spelling Lense looks right to me but spell check is saying no.. Joy..

Anyway I'm looking for a reputable online store for Camera Lenses I have a Nikon D3000 and want a approx 70 -300mm lense for it.. Best price I can get is a sigma for about $900, I did find a "Nikon" one online for about $400 but it sounds too good to be true.

Where is the best place to buy a lense for? I really would like to not be ripped off on this or if anyone is selling one that'd be okay too lol!

Thanks

[Guest Tess32]

Are you after a specific lens or just that range?

[smisch]

Im looking for something that will go to about 300 or so.. I'm doing alot of agility photography and the 200mm is great but occasionally is just a little too short and so then the shot doesn't look as great..

[PossumCorner]

You get what you pay for in general, but it's horses for courses, and cheap lenses can be better than people credit them for. They can give excellent picture quality, just fall down a bit on very fast focussing. Nikon has a 55-300 4.5-5.6 stabilised zoom for around $500. There is a neat Sigma 70-300 zoom for only $200. It will focus about the same as the Nikon, but there's the slight risk of lesser image quality.

Going up, Nikon have a better lens, 70-300 with image stabiliser, around $1000.

But it would be worth hunting around for the new Tamron 70-300, it will be around $600 I think, and has been getting good reviews for both Nikon and Canon use. Tamron are said to have designed it to compete with Sigma, who have the slightly better name for 3rd party lenses, deserved or not. (I've just bought a Tamron 90mm macro, more as a portrait lens). The Tamron 70-300 is stabilised, it has been released but just not in stock everywhere.

As to where, there's no doubt the like of B&H in New York would be the best deal just now while our dollar is strong. I generally try to buy bodies and lenses locally to keep the relationship with the local store. But sometimes you just have to balance supporting your local bloke against saving a few hundred dollars on a purchase. If you order a couple of memory cards or the like along with your lens it makes it more worthwhile. B&H are very honest, and quick, and helpful.

Edit to add: here is a link to Tamron's promo of the 70-300. http://www.youtube.com/TamronVids#p/u/8/PaegtriaIRQ - I'd like one for the Sony, it's only out in Nikon and Canon mounts locally so I can start saving. The tutorial vids on this site are all quick and easy with good little quick explanations of this and that.

, ..

Edited October 12, 2010 by PossumCorner

[Kirislin]

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=206956