Review 3 of 15
Price Paid:
$1500.00 Summary: 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. 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.
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. Customer Service: Absolutely abysmal. They knowingly sent out a refurbished unit as new. I will never use a Sigma product again.
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