Low and Mid range Lenses

Not everybody can afford or needs pro lenses but everybody wants to have good quality images, So if your budget is in the low hundreds rather than thousands what should you buy-do you stick with Canon or Nikon or do you look at 3rd party lenses like Sigma,Tamron or Tokina, Well in the past i have used some of Sigmas EX range and had very good results and would have no hesitation in recommending them against the mid range lenses from Canon and Nikon and if you are looking cheaper still then i would buy Sigmas and Tamrons over the Camera Manufactuers lenses, The Quality of 3rd party lenses has increased over the last 10 years and hold their own against low and mid budget lenses from Canon or Nikon, Late last year i replaced all my kit and chose the Sigma 180mm Macro over Nikons macro offerings,Both Sigmas 180 and 150mm Macro lenses are excellent and way below the cost of Canon or Nikons lenses, I used Tamrons 90mm Macro for years and it was as sharp as any Macro lens i have come across, So dont think that as you have a Canon or Nikon body that the lenses have to come from the same as there are some excellent lenses out there are a fraction of the cost

Dave