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Featured Review:
Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0 EX IF HSM APO Zoom Lens
by NorCalAl (Intermediate)
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Price Paid: $700.00 from Another Owner Review Date: December 29, 2008 Used product for: 1 to 3 months Overall Rating: |
5 of 5
Summary:
As part of my move from Canon to Nikon, I wanted to replace the Canon 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS I had recently sold. Honestly, there is no replacing that lens in the Nikon mount. That said, I went through the usual suspects and finally found the Sigma 100-300/4.
The lens is the only zoom in a Nikon mount that offers the range it does – period. If you include the host of 70-300′s, it’s the only one to offer a constant f4 at all focal lengths. Thus, there aren’t really any direct competitors.
When you first pull it out of the box, you realize what a substantial piece of gear this is. On a par with my set of Canon L’s, for sure – at least as far as weight and build quality goes. A huge petal hood, tripod ring and nice padded case are included. So is the trademark EX lens coat – a nice black crinkle finish.
Along with the EX mark and constant f4 is the HSM focusing motor – no body focusing here. Pretty quick, although I might hazard a guess that the 100-400 was just a tad quicker. Still, it kept up with a RedTail hawk as it flew amongst the tree branches.
IQ is very nice and balanced. Great contrast and color.
All in all, an excellent buy for less than $1000 new and $700 used.
Strengths:
Build, AF speed, constant f4, included tripod ring and case. Image quality is on a par with my L series lenses as well.
Weaknesses:
WEIGHT. Yeah, I knew how much it would be going in and I’ve carried 12-14 pounds of glass around in a 70-200, 100-400, 24-105 and 180 macro before, but it’s still a lot of weight.
The biggest negative is a lack of IS/OS/VR type stabilization. With a focal length of 300mm and 3lbs, some form of VR would be nice. Naturally, cost would increase too.
Similar Products Used:
Canon 100-400, Sigma 70-300, Tamron 70-200.
Customer Service:
NA
Congratulations, NorCalAl!