Photo Jottings

• Best bokeh; Sony and Sigma OS.
• Best control of flare and ghosting; tough call, but maybe the Sony and Sigma HSM II by a hair.
• Best focusing in speed, all are about the same except the Tamron, which is last.
• Best value for image quality alone; Tamron.
• Best value all around; Tamron, or Sigma HSM II, but Sigma quality is bad, so this may not be a bargain at all.
• If money is not a factor, the Sony.

70mm centers

All the crops here look pretty much the same.  If you nit-pick, the Sony looks good wide open, and the other lenses look good stopped down a little.

70mm mid-sections

The 70mm mid-sections all look about the same.

70mm corners

The Sony corners are slightly soft from F/2.8-4, but catch up to the other lenses at smaller apertures.

200mm centers

The two Sigmas are very sharp wide open at 200mm, and the Sony and Tamron need a stop down or more to look crisp.

200mm mid-sections

The Sigma HSM II looks sharp wide open in the mid-sections, and the Sigma OS has some problems unless stopped down hard.

200mm corners

The Sony and Tamron look very sharp in the far corners at all apertures, while the two Sigmas struggle for resolution at wider apertures, especially the Sigma OS, which looks awful compared to the rest.