Sigma 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DL Aspherical IF

The zoom ring on this lens failed twice in the last 2 years, this causes the zoom to turn non stop whitout zoomining. It cost you 92 dollars to fix the ring. This is due to a poor design of the zoom lock.

nikon 18-200 vr
nikon 80-400 vr
sigma 18-30

I have been using this lens for nearly a year now. Having read the reviews, I was first sceptical whether such a lens would be useful at all on a Pentax digital body. But I got one of the last samples of the Aspherical IF series for an unbeatable price at EBay. So I decided to give it a try. Having had some experience with an old Tamron 28-200mm, I did not expect too much, but the latest versions of the Sigma Hyperzooms have gone a long way since the appearance of lenses with a 28-200/300 zoom range. The lens delivers sharp pictures throughout the entire zoom range. This lens is certainly not a match for primes, or zooms with a more limited range. If you look closely you do find all sorts of aberrations, like an odd barrel distortion, purple fringing towards the edges, etc. But none of this is really dramatic. I have made excellent prints up to 20x30 (cm). The lens is not very fast. This sometimes causes the AF to hunt in the tele range. I used it on a hiking tour in Switzerland and got beautiful close-ups of all sorts of animals. 300mm on a 1.5 crop factor camera gives you an amazing range. Taking into account the alternatives, I do not agree with some other reviewers that this lens is overly heavy or large for the range that it offers. Certainly, getting closer to the subject would allow you to travel lighter. Unfortunately, those chamois and ibex are not very cooperative in that regard. Even at the longest focal length, the lens delivers amazingly sharp pictures with a high level of detail. On a 300-mm shot of a mountain cabin taken from 3.5km away, you could clearly see that the door to the cabin is still open. In my opinion, this lens is certainly not the universal lens, such that you will never desire anything else. But if you can only take one lens, and you do want to have some more tele range, this is the one to take with you.

Huge zoom range. Sharp pictures (within reaonable expectation limits) Compact and not overly heavy for a 300-mm lens. Manageable distortion and chromatic aberration, nothing that can't be dealt with. Zoom lock, prevents creeping. Convenient hood included. Unbeatable price.

Quite dark, AF hunts sometimes. Not suited for macro. Kind of odd barrel distortion, sometimes quoted as "moustache" distortion. Manual focus ring to coarse, has a somewhat cheap feel.

Tamron 28-200mm (about 20 years old), sharpness much worse Sigma 70-200 EX F2.8, a totally different class in terms of image quality, but also nothing you would like to drag uphill either... Sigma 18-125mm DC, little brother with more wide angle but less tele

Fortunately no need to contact.

I bought this lens about 1 year ago and have been impressed ever since. It's rekindled my passion for photography! Mounted on a Pentax Z10, I have had no problem making almost any outdoor shot, from soccer action to close ups. Seventy rolls of perfectly exposed crystal clear shots later and I am still wowed by the results.

Zoom length. Fast focus.

Barrel extends unless you lock the zoom down. No Macro setting, but close-ups are still easily attainable.

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This is a nice lens for the money. I've bought it for my Minolta Maxxum 5 camera that came with 25-80 lens. Now this is my primary lens that i use 99% of the time. I have taken all kinds of pictures with it - starting with portraits, fast action ( motorcycle races) and ending with night shots of wireworks. Results are exceptional. No dark conrers, great focus. Just like some other people noted - it did develop creep fairly fast, but its not a big problem ( least for me). I've made excelent shots at 300 hand holding camera and pictures turned out great without any jitter/blur. I do recommend this lens to most begginers/casual photographers and just those people who need 1 versatile lens that they can use for numerous situations. It works smooth and nice. Camera does seem to hunt more with it in dark situations, but its still a keeper in my book.

Great range 28-300, compact, works well (specially for the price)! Nice all around lens.

Creep when angled up or down. A bit slow ( motor wise) and noisy compared to Canon.

Quantary 28-300 ( even slower and more noisy). Seemed like a lower quality product.

I've had this lens for almost two years and take it to work daily(I work at Miami MetroZoo). It's a great wide-angle lens and an okay telephoto. Works best with 400ISO film. I can switch this lens from my Canon Rebel to my Elan 7 without any problems. If you like pack lite, this is the lens for you. It eliminates the need for several other lenses. There is no need to swap lens and risk dropping one of them in the process. The only problem I've had with this lens is a clicking sound which occurs when zooming between 50 and about 85mm. I just keep using it as is.

Reliable Autofocus if used outdoors. Compact. Great wide angle lens.

Best off using manual focus indoors. Weigth. Not a true 300mm lens. Only about 250mm or 280mm.

None. This is my first zoom lens.