So, after puttering around for several months and deciding what it is I want to do, i.e. photograph, I settled on wildlife (birds included), and intimate landscapes. Being in the SE with access to the Great Smokys is nice, but my weekly photographic options are limited. Therefore, I’m looking for suggestions on the Sigma and Tamron 70-200 and 150-600 lenses. Is it as simple as get the one with the best price? I am not looking to sell, not looking to do this “professionally” just for my person satisfaction. Call it, hunting with a camera. I will be using a Nikon D7500. Thanks for all guidance provided.
IMO 70-200 is the perfect choice for intimate landscapes. For wildlife, obviously, the longer the better, so 150-600. I’m not familiar with either lens so can’t comment on image quality.
The Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 coupled with a Nikon 1.7 teleconverter would be an ideal combo for what you want to do, especially on the DX sensor D7500. I haven’t checked prices on the lens or the converter, but I think it will be a good investment.
Another option is the Nikon 70-200 f/4. I have this lens, and it is my most-used lens on my D7100 strictly for landscapes. It is tack sharp, and certainly worth the money. If you pair it with a Nikon teleconverter, it will work well, but you will lose some speed with the f/4.
I cannot comment on the 150-600, since I’ve not used one.
–P
Though I have not used them, everything I’ve heard about the big zooms is that the Sigma 150-600mm S is the best choice. In some reviews, folks prefer it even over the Nikon 200-500. The drawback, however, is weight and price. You need to be sure you’re prepared to haul around a slightly bigger lens that may demand a tripod more often (a lot of people like to hand-hold these zoom lenses, but the zoom rings can sometimes be tight or awkward to manipulate, so it’s not just the weight that can make hand-holding more challenging).
Max