Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6

[clkgtr37]

I recently joined the honorable club of you D30 owners, but now it is time to choose a wide angle - zoom lens. due to a college budget I will not be purchasing any of the "L" series lens, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on lenses to get. I have found that I like the Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6, because at focus-camera.com it is only $71. If anyone has advice on what to do, I would be greatful.

[gary shepard]

Hi-

Check out this site:

http://www.photodo.com/nav/prodindex.html

they are highly regarded for their lens ratings.

The lens that you are considering is not very well rated- only a 2.7. It seems a shame to buy such a great camera and then saddle it with a sub-par lens.

Another thing to remember, is because of the 1.6x multiplier factor of the D30, the lens will actually be a 45-128mm lens. If you don't care about the wide angle end of the spectrum, then this focal length will be OK (regardless of lens brand or price); but if you want wide angle, then this focal length won't cut it.

One last consideration- the D30 has some issues with focusing in low light- and when this particular lens choice is zoomed to 80mm, your camera will be trying to focus on subjects with a maximum aperture of only f/5.6 (which is pretty dark). You will find the camera hunting a lot for proper focus (in low light situations).

My .02 cents worth is - don't buy this lens!

-Gary