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Submitted by
Girdleyd
a ExpertDate Reviewed: March 24, 2010
Strengths: Very sharp and versatile - quick focusing. Excellent bang for the buck! Everything is well built and works as expected.Weaknesses: No IS - not really a complaint as this would drive the cost way up.Bottom Line: I read every review I could find on this lens before purchasing. When I first received the lens - it was shooting slightly soft and not as sharp as I had hoped. One day when removing the shade I noticed the entire end of the lens was turning. I unscrewed the entire end assembly and looked inside. Screwed it back together tightly and took some shots. What an amazing difference, it was now tack sharp as I had hoped it would be.
Shooting on a Canon 7D with and without a Sigma 2x Teleconverter - I can easily handhold shots for awhile - it is heavy. My lens has the larger grip as it is the newer DG model and it is great for holding. Need to keep shutter speed up when hand holding shots. The 7D has a 100% viewfinder and it is awesome paired with this lens.
Mainly shoot birds at 300 and yet love the flexibility to be able to zoom out sometimes. I find myself even taking macro shots using an extender.
Purchased lenscovers to protect the finish and a neoprene lens cap.
I love this lens!
Duration Product Used: 2-5 years
Price Paid:
$2200.00
Purchased At: Ebay
Similar Products Used: Canon 300 f2.8 L IS
Canon 300 f4 L IS
Canon 70-200 f2.8 L
Canon 70-200 f4 L IS
Type of photography: Outdoor
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
paparazzinotebook
a ProfessionalDate Reviewed: April 9, 2009
Strengths: Tack sharp at any zoom range, wonderful colors and bokeh, tested and proven in the field, built like a rock.....Weaknesses: The weight.....but I can live with it.....Bottom Line: I know a number of fellow photographers who have this lens and have seen their pictures taken with this lens. It has since become my dream lens.
So, when my IRS refund check arrived in the mail in late March, I decided to buy this lens. I purchased mine from Adorama in New York for $2,899 with free shipping (7 to 10 working days via UPS). My excitement in buying the lens made me choose next-day UPS delivery for $100.
I have since used this lens for my work shooting Hollywood celebrities for the past two weeks and all I can say is that Sigma did a good job on this one. I was contemplating of buying the Canon EF 300 /f2.8 IS, but was swayed towards the Sigma because of the zoom factor (120 to 300mm) and at the same time retaining the fast f/2.8 aperture of the Canon prime.
After using it for the past two weeks on my Canon 50D body all I can say is that this lens far more sharper than my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 (non-IS).
Duration Product Used: 21+ years
Price Paid:
$2899.00
Purchased At: Adorama, New York
Similar Products Used: Canon EF 35-350L
Sigma 50-500 (Bigma)
Type of photography: People
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
MrPlumbs
a IntermediateDate Reviewed: June 20, 2008
Strengths: It's a 300mm lens that gives an aperture of f2.8 for about half the price of the equivalent Nikon or Cannon primes.
The 120-300mm zoom range is really nice to have.
Probably a good lens if you can find one without flaws, but do you want to take that risk?.Weaknesses: Build quality is terrible and quality control at Sigma is obviously non existent.
Be prepared for a replacement to be a refurbished unit too (my second example was obviously refurbished, something that Sigma have now admitted).
Soft, even when stepped down to f8, even softer (I'd go as far to say unusable soft) when using the 1.4x convertor, but then I've not had a good example to be sure.
Auto focus hunts in low light.
You get what you pay for - this is half the price of Nikon's or Cannon's 300mm f2.8 lenses. You can tell.
Bottom Line: I bought this lens for photographing motor sport primarily, along with some wild life. Had to be special ordered though my local retailer which took almost two weeks.
The lens is quite soft when used wide open at 300mm (f2.8), especially at the edge of the frame. Stepping it down to F8 improves the sharpness, although it is still perhaps a little soft around the edge. Auto focus can struggle in low light conditions, but generally seems fast and efficient. The lens generally performs well, and I've so far taken quite a few decent shots of dear with it, although I've not yet managed to use it for motor sport.
The lens weighs a fair bit, and although you can hand hold it, you wouldn't want to do this for long periods. This lens really needs to be used on a tripod or monopod. Since the focusing is internal, the lens does not change length when zooming in or out or whilst focusing and therefore you will be able to use a been bag or similar for support with no problems.
One minor issue, when comparing this lens to Sigma's 300mm prime, is that it does not employ the drop in filter system that the prime does, so if you want to use filters you'll need ones that fit the large front diameter. Not cheap.
So far so good, but be prepared to be seriously disappointed with the build quality. I've now returned my second due to scratches on the internal elements on both examples I've received. These are clearly visible if you look into the front of the lens. If I want a third attempt at getting one of these, I'll need to wait for another new lens to come in from Japan, as there are currently no perfect examples of this lens in the UK. Not impressive. Probably not going to bother with any Sigma lens from now on, I'll save up and get the Nikon 300mm prime, which I guess is what I should have done in the first place.
Duration Product Used: 2-5 years
Price Paid:
$1500.00
Similar Products Used: None, but will be replaced with a Nikon lens. Either the 70-200 f2.8 VR or the 300mm f2.8 prime.
Type of photography: Sports
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Trevor Millions
a ProfessionalDate Reviewed: September 3, 2007
Strengths: Build quality, image quality, functionality, priceWeaknesses: lens hood/cap systemBottom Line: Before buying this lens I was shooting two bodies to cover the focal range of the Sigma 120-300/2.8. I had a 300/2.8 on one body and a 70-200/2.8 on the other for a total of around 20 lbs. When shooting a tournament for 12 hours a day you quickly appreciate the weight savings. The biggest bonus is not giving up any image quality over the 300/2.8 making it the most productive lens I have ever owned.
Duration Product Used: 21+ years
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: www.digifan.cn
Similar Products Used: Sigma 24-70/2.8 another excellent lens
Type of photography: Sports
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
RikWriter
a IntermediateDate Reviewed: May 2, 2006
Strengths: Incredible sharpness, great contrast, great AF speed, built like a tank, unbelievably reasonable price. Very versatile lens.Weaknesses: Heavy, comes with a funky leather lens cap.Bottom Line: A very heavy lens, but not as heavy as the primes with which it competes. I bought this lens primarily to use with a 2x TC for wildlife, but I wound up selling my Canon 70-200 f2.8L because it works great for sports/action/low light as well. For the money, this is just an incredible buy. Its sharpness rivals the Canon L primes even with a teleconverter, and it even gives acceptable IQ and sharpness with the 2X stacked with a 1.4. Only thing I didn't like about it was the fact it came with a leather cap instead of a plastic lens cap, but I picked a plastic cap up on ebay for $10.
Duration Product Used: 2-5 years
Price Paid:
$1800.00
Purchased At: www.sigma4less.com
Similar Products Used: Canon 70-200 f2.8L, Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L IS.
Type of photography: Outdoor
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