I know there are some knowledgeable folk on here when it comes to camera, so hopefully you can give me some pointers.

I'm after replacing a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom that I'm using with my D80 for a faster standard zoom as an everyday lens. The budget is only £350 and I want new not 2nd hand. The choices so far seem to be

Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX at £300

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro HSM at £350

Tamrom 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD at £330

All seem to get good reviews. Anyone, own one of these and has an opinion? Or any others I want to be looking at

ta

The Nikon has a good rep, and zooms the same way as you'll be familiar with (Sigma is the opposite Canon-style) but I'd say way overpriced at £300. Tamrons zoom the same way as Nikon and 2.8 is a good aperture, though 50mm's not much of a telephoto…

I'd always be more tempted to follow the same manufacturer as the body, canon lenses always seem to give the best results on my canon. I know it's down to optical design rather than "matching" but I've had issues with (cheaper) sigmas that have been cleared with the equiv canon lens.

How about the Sigma 17-70mm OS, got the older non-stabilised version and been very pleased with it

I've got the Sigma, but in Canon flavour. Very very good lens.

You should be able to get the Nikon 18-70 a lot cheaper than that on eBay as it is the bundled zoom in many Nikon packages so people may flog it if they upgrade (plus Hong Kong imports are always worth considering).

How about the Sigma 17-70mm OS, got the older non-stabilised version and been very pleased with it

Yeah, me too. Good lens. I dunno much about Nikon lenses (Canon man) but I'd say a lot of it depends on WHERE you shoot. I spend a lot of time in woodland, so the faster f2.8 is very handy to have. If I was in the open all the time, something not as fast would be fine. You need to think about the intended use, rather than just price and make IMO 🙂

Also, you can get the Sigma £70 cheaper than that from One Stop Digital

http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_28&products_id=87

OSD are just about the cheapest lenses you can find anywhere. They are usually only £25 or so more than buying used…..