Sigma AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG APO Macro Canon Fit Lens
Product Description
The high performance telephoto zoom lens is ideal for digital SLR cameras.
This lens has two SLD glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm. It?s the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.
Specifications:
Lens Construction: 14 Elements in 10 Groups
Angle of V... More >>
Sigma AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG APO Macro Canon Fit Lens
Tagged with: 70300mm • Canon • f/45.6 • Lens • Macro • Sigma
Filed under: Camera Lenses
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I originally purchased a Nikon D40 which came with the 18-55mm kit lens, which i have to admit is an amazing camera. You can see my review for it here.(http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2WCNP087X10O8/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview) However, i only paid £250.00 through amazon at the time! This lens was bought to act as an upgrade in those situations where my 18-55 didnt have enough ‘reach’ and/or when i wanted the macro function my Nikon 55-200MM F4.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX Black Lens doesn’t have! The lens itself is quite heafty (its about 550g, nothing major but a lot given the size of the camera), and when fully extended in macro mode quite long as well, especially with the hood attached. However, it does ship as standard with the plastic lens hood, both caps and a sigma travel case/pouch, all of which are of reasonable quality. The lens itself feels relatively well made, and does have a metal mount. The zoom ring is smooth throughout, as is the focussing (when manual is selectted) and the macro switch is easily engaged/disengaged. Since the D40 doesnt have a built-in motor, it is important the lens had it. This does. Whilst it is not the fastest or quietest motor in the world, for the price it is quick and quiet enough. The same can be said for the image quality. Images are always sharp and focussed with good colour replication. Also, given this is the APO version there is no chromatic aboration, which is the problem i found with the tamron 70-300 alternative. Overall, i am pleased with the lens and have attached some sample shots (test ones) in the gallery section on here. (more can be found on my website at http://www.simontickle.co.uk I have only given 4 and not 5 stars because it is not perfect. There is some softening at 300mm for example, but that said, for the money, it is in my opinion, as perfect as you are going to get.
Rating: 4 / 5
I have been very impressed with this lens. I attempted to get a good comparison between this lens and other 70-300 lenses in the same price bracket. It was certainly worth paying for the APO version. The performance up to 200mm is very good indeed, it can even be used hand held. Above 200mm you do really need to use a tripod, but when you consider that on an APC sensor camera with 1.5x multiplier you actually get 35mm equivalent of 105mm to 450mm it is exceptional value for money. The build quality is quite good but the barrel does feel a little loose at times. The only other issues are that it does need really good light, if the light is not really bright the images do come out a little soft and the auto focus ‘hunts’ a bit at times and if you wanted to get shots quietly the motor can sound a bit noisy. The macro end is OK, not actually true macro as you get 1:2 at best about 1:3 at worst but as an additional feature it’s OK as long as you use a tripod.
Rating: 5 / 5
Had this lense with an EOS 450D camera earlier this year for about three months, and took it to India and Morocco. Had high hopes for the combination, and got some truly amazing shots with it. So why three stars? Because, at times, and for no apparent reason, would drastically over expose the images, which i later found a common problem with these lenses. The lack of image stabalisation also makes it hard to get good images at the telephoto end of the scale without a tripod. My advice, either don’t expect too much, or save a bit harder and get the a stabalised canon lense.
Rating: 3 / 5
I’d agree with most of the reviews that this is a good value-for-money lens, and confirm the “niggle” with the sticking macro switch.
What I hadn’t realised is that there are very prominent internal reflections if you photograph a bright object against a dark background (eg crescent moon in a dark sky). Sigma tell me this is normal, but I haven’t seen such bright reflections in a lens before.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this lens prior to going to Florida to go with the Nikon D80 i made a saving of about £120.00 instead of the Nikon VR 70-300.
Trust me save up for the Nikon if you have a hold like a vice like grip you will probably get a sharper shot than i can at full range. Not good for long shots without a tripod.
I am now looking to trade for the VR Nikon as sharpeness and picture colouration are not as good as the Nikon. I thought the saving would out way the quality. I GOT IT WRONG. Do your self a favour and wait to buy the Nikon.
Rating: 3 / 5