Would You Make This Zoom Change?

[jbear]

Would you sell a Sigma 70-200HSM to get a Nikkor 80-200 AFS? I've had two Sigmas and two Nikkors (w/ and w/o tripod collars) and there was not enough of a difference in image quality to rate one over the other optically. I have not shot the AFS lens...anyone shot both? I'm in search of hands-on experience here. I'd prefer to avoid hearsay (what's been read or heard).
I would rather not give up the wide 10mm unless the 80-200AFS is that good. Thanks all.

 

[ZBaum]

I've shot both the 80-200 AF-S and the Sigma 70-200 APO HSM non-DG. The copy of the Sigma that I had back-focused quite badly, so I won't comment on image quality. However, I find the Nikon to be better built, it has a better focusing ring (the Sigma's was really sloppy and it often turned on accident while I was holding the lens), and it focuses faster on my D70. It's also slightly quieter, although the Sigma is by no means noisy and is pretty quiet already (as you already know).

 

[Tosh]

I've had both lenses. In my case, the Sigma wasn't that sharp wide open. At f/4 and beyond it was great. The 80-200 AFS was sharp wide open. No testing, but I thought the AFS was a tad quicker to focus. Still, the HSM was very fast itself, far faster than the 80-200 2 ring I once owned. I eventually sold my 80-200 AFS because I worried that as an older lens the AF motor could fail and result in a large repair bill. Due to a Nikon triple rebate, I was able to switch to a 70-200vr for only $200 so the change made sense to me.

I don't think that there's any guarantee that the particular 80-200 AFS you pick up will be sharper than your current Sigma. Of the 3 70-200vr's I've owned, only the third one was really sharp wide open. My 80-200 AFS followed closely behind that lens in sharpness wide open.

 

[jbear]

Thanks for the input! I find my copy of the Sigma to be very sharp at all apertures...guess I'm lucky. I suppose there's no pressing reason to change, but I saw one for a very good price...thought I'd toss the idea around.