Review 4 of 65
Price Paid:
$380.00
from Henry's Summary: *Note* This review is for the Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro DG:red ring(couldn't find this on the site)
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/lenses_all_details.asp?id=3303&navigator=3
Being rather new to photography and SLR cameras I don't have the experience or previous equipment to compare it to, besides my Canon 18-55mm kit lens, but I thought I would share some first impressions anyway for those of you deciding on a consumer lense in this range.
Out of the box-
As soon as I got out of the store i opened up the box and mounted the lense (i'm sure many of you have done this as well ). It comes with a lense case for easy storage and protection. IT also comes with a lense hood which is an added bonus.
Build-
Weighing 550g it definitely put some added weight on my XT, but hardly noticeable. Personally I like the build, it doesn't feel or look cheap, it's quite sturdy and stable. I believe it is a little heavier than the APO MACRO SUPER II model which was 530g. Fully extended it's just about 8 inches long or 3 inches form the front end of the lense. This may cause some weird looks but expected from a zoom lense i would imagine. Add the lense hood on that and it's even longer. The focusing barrels are not the smoothest, rotating is quite jerky but the focusing ring is fairly smooth. I spent the whole day at the Zoo a few weeks ago and had no trouble keepin this on the camera and around my kneck. It's not too heavy to lug around at all.
Performance and Quality-
Like most consumer zoom lenses I found the quality to be decent up to 200mm. I've gotten some pretty sharp pics at this range and combined with a tripod, the quality and sharpness is acceptable. It's not razor sharp, but for a consumer lense the quality is acceptable. Under 200mm is where this lense shines, though i haven't found a sweet spot yet I was rather pleased with the results. Between 200-300mm it does get soft and a tripod is a must at these ranges. I did manage to get some decent shots at 300mm hand held by increasing the shutter speed and stopping down, but again soft results due to hand shake. It's relatively hard to keep still at 300mm, which is expected. It would really be nice to have "IS" on this lense. I'm sure results would be different when mounted on a tripod.
The range is great! From my 17 floor apartment, I took a shot of a car's license plate parked in a house across the street, when cropped 100% the licence plate number was readable.
I find the colours to be slightly lacking. The shots I did take required minimal post production, levels, saturation etc. but not really necessary with the right lighting conditions and changing parameters on the camera, but that's more personal preference.
Macro mode is a nice touch to this lens but to use the macro setting you have to be between 200-300mm. I was still able to get some decent shots hand held but a tripod would greatly increase the success rate of getting good pictures.
Focusing does well in good lighting conditions, it's slightly noisy but not unbearable, and it's not the fastest either. In shade, indoor this lens tends to hunt, I found myself focusing manually in these consitions. This is not a good indoor lens, using a flash helps.
Overall, I'm pleased with the lens, and for it's price it's probably one of the better consumer lenses out there. However, being a serious amateur it wasn't long before i yearned for better quality, so i'm now looking into the Canon 70-200mm f.4 L. I do freelace design part time and have had some offers to do portraits and other small things so I would definitely need better quality.
If you want good quality and sharpness I would suggest to save a little more for the canon 70-200mm f.4 L...but that's another review:) Strengths: Bang for the buck, good range, great for out doors, sharp under 200mm in good lighting, light, Macro function, comes with case and hood. Weaknesses: Hunts in low light, noisy motor, colors a tad dull, jerky barrels. Similar Products Used: Canon 70-200mm f.4 L
|