Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO Macro Super

Using the Signa APO DG 70-300 on a Sony A200. The longe range attracted me for taking wildlife shots. However, am now frustrated with the lense due to its noise when focusing. The noise might be bearable if the focus would lock on consistently but it does struggle to get a lock on a subject and by then the subject has moved. I will probably try to use the manual focus a bit more - but awkward to focus and zoom at the same time.

The lense is soft after 200mm and the macro switch fiddly.

I guess you get what you pay for and £150 is not a lot in lense term - it's just such a difference to the Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G lens at aboput £600.

Long lense, light

slow focus and noisey

just bought it on 31.3.09. i had own a canon 5D II and 24-105L lens, 70-200f4L and 75-300f4.5 II lenses. this evening i tested the sigma and found i had to use a tripod to get sharp results from the sigma. the colours are natural and rich, depending on the right exposure. the lens at f4 is a bit soft but if stop down to f8 and f11 the results are pretty sharp comparable with other lenses i have but a tripod has to be use if taking phots in low light. camera shake is evident in hand held shots but sharpened when a good tripod is used. i bought also a TC 1.4x tele plus pro 300 to get 420mm from the sigma lens. the result is a bit soft but usable.

the focusing is solid and doesnt slip though a bit stiff. the balance on the 5D is good. filter size is 58mm and dosent rotate when zoom. the focusing noise is a whine and fast too. focusing is accurate. colours are rich and neutral. i recommend this lens to those who wants a 300mm lens. the build is good. the weight is light and size is small when it is at infinity and at 70mm which is good to be carried around in a small bag. the sharpness could match with my 70-200L lens at 200mm but the sigma has an advantage of reaching further especially in taking shots of small birds.

picture soft at 70mm f4 but sharpened when close 2f stops.

sigma 80-200f2.8 apo nikon mount.

Like others - I traded in an old sigma lens that couldn't be chipped to work with my 30D.

I think I've got a great copy of this lens as I've found nothing to complain about. I was prepared to be disappointed having read all the hype about L series lenses but so far (about 10 months) I've got nothing but praise.

It's pretty sharp until the very end of the zoom and the macro function works well when you can operate the switch. Zoom is a little stiff.

I've never been too sure what people mean when they say that the autofocus is noisy and slow on a lens - sure it's not silent but it's fast enough for me. I'd bet that unless you're shooting F1 (the sport not the aperture) then it'll focus fast enough for you too.

IQ overall is great - haven't come across any colour casts or vignetting. Will take a really good lens (probably an L when I can afford it) to move me on from this lens

Great value; good IQ; nice macro; not too big and heavy;

Macro switch fiddly; not great in low light; Looks a bit naff fully extended - better with the lens hood (supplied)

Sigma 70-210
Canon 50mm f1.4

Great - spoke on the phone to a real bloke (ie not a computer)

I just picked this lens up from Hentry's previously enjoyed department. I originally had the Non APO version and traded it for the Nikon 70-300 (what a mistake that was) So I was passing Henry's one day and saw the 70-300APO macro, so I puchased it... It is much sharper with better contrast than the non-APO version. I have taken some amazing shots with it and find using the macro feature the most useful - sharp - contrasty and nice colour Focusing can be a problem in macro mode (but then you should manually focus anyway) and don't even try to use this lens in low light - hunting can drive you nuts. But then I bought it purely for daytime macro use and it is working out great For the price this lens is a great deal - even if you only use it for macro If you want to taken action or sports you'll need to pay a lot more for a better lens and should probably think about prime and not zoom

Great for daylight macro work - a lot cheaper than the Nikon Macro's Very reasonably priced Great images

Does not work well in low light or for action

Nikon 70-300 Sigma 70-300 (non-APO)

No Experience

I had an old non-APO, non-DG version of this lens with my Canon EOS 50. When I upgraded to a 350D, I discovered that it was no longer compatible with the camera, generating the dreaded 'Err 99'. I learned that a re-chip might be possible and an e-mail to Sigma was answered within an hour. Alas, my lens was so old that re-chip was not possible (there are several versions of this lens going back over the years), but Sigma did offer me an excellent upgrade price to a new APO, DG version. Unfortunately, the new lens turned out to be a very poor performer at anything more than 200mm. Shots looked extremely soft, as though a soft-focus filter was used. I thought this was perhaps all I could expect, but comparisons with shots from the old lens showed that it shouldn't be like this. Another e-mail to Sigma was answered within 24 hours and they agreed to replace the lens with another specimen. The second lens is very good - well up to my expectations. Don't expect 'L'-series quality, but do expect to get very usable shots that will be adequate for most purposes. In fact, with a sharpening filter in Photo-shop, even crops from small areas and large enlargements are entirely satisfactory. I had the opportunity to try a Canon 75-300 and the Sigma is marginally better at all focal lengths. The lens is easy to live with - relatively compact and not too heavy. The macro facility is very useful.

With a good sample, optical quality is excellent for the money. Build quality and feel is good.

- Based on my experience, Sigma still have quality-control issues. - AF motor is a bit noisy (but OK)

Canon 75-300

Superb - fast and knowledgable response to all e-mails. I can't fault it.