[malfayu]

i am absolutely torn between nikon 80-200 2.8 or sigma 70-200 2.8 for my D70. price is not really a consideration and i have found nothing on the net which will direct me towards either one. of course i'd want the nikon 70-200 VRIFED but too it's far too expensive. Does anyone own either of these? Any comments on this lens will be appreciated.

I have a fw questions here;
1.Is the HSM focusing worth giving up the Nikon name for? This is my main consideration.

2. Are they completely useable wide open?

3. How good is the Sigma customer's service in HK? If i want my lens to be tuned to my body for focusing issues, do i go to Sigma or Nikon?

4. Where to buy them from? What prices? i want to buy hong and it would be great if a shop stocks both these lenses so i could compare them side by side.

5. Is it likely that i will pick up a bad sample? I've heard that the sample variability of Sigma lenses are higher than those of Nikon's.

6. Should i just bite the bullet and get the 70-200 VR instead? Is VR really worth 2x the price?

Malf