SIGMA 300mm f2.8 EX APO HSM

Hi All,

Does anyone own this lens? Your thoughts of it V the Canon. I have been offered the the Sigma for £1200.

Or if anyons has for sale the Canon 300/2.8 give me a shout

Regards

Rob

Rob, it is a fine lens, very compact as well. I was thinking of getting one myself. I wanted a cheaper alternative for the 2.8/300 Canon but at the end opted for the 120-300/2.8. Check out London Camera Exchange, they have a mint one on their website for STG 1099,=
Rene de Heer

Rob - for what it's worth mate I couldn't wait to get rid of the one I had, it didn't impress me at all

f4.5 - f5.6 the lens was near brilliant, but you are paying for that monstrous f2.8 front element which in reality doesn't deliver wide open - the Canon and Nikon equivalents are much more pricey but they give you what you pay for - good 'open' performance.

Now that Sig 120-300 that Edwin uses is something else entirely - Sigma says it's basically the same lens as the 300 prime, but take it from me - it isn't. I would give one house-room tommorrow

Rob - I have one, the grouse and the lizard I posted the other day were taken with it. I bought mine over four years ago from Warehouse Express for £1500. (its the non DG coating version, though that will make very little difference). Used it a lot with the D30. I was learning at the time - but eventually learned how to take sharp pics with it. Eventually I used it a lot with the sigma apo x2 but you really need to stop it down at least a stop to get really sharp pics - but then you have lost the advantage of the big piece of glass. Gradually I moved over to the canon 400 5.6 its a lot sharper with the x2 even without any stopping down and youve got 800 rather than 600 and a lot less weight.

For the last three years my main telephoto has been the Canon 400mm 5.6L which takes the x1.4 and x2 extremely well.

These days I use it where either I'm desperate for light, or want the 300mm focal length, I avoid using the x2. Its pretty decent with the x1.4. Focus speed is pretty fast without converters, for BIFS. Though I prefer the 400 its very light and maneourable and also fast focussing.

If I was after a 300 2.8 again I would save my pennies for the canon - by all accounts its sharper and has IS which is worth a couple of more f stops of speed in addition to the 2.8.

These days I probably only shoot 10% or so of my stuff with it, I intend to keep it, its a nice lens and has its uses its just not mega sharp like the 400.

To me it is as if the canon 400 has loads of sharpness in reserve (for extenders) whereas the sigma although very sharp has not much in the way of reserves of sharpness.

I don't think its worth £1200 - £900 maybe. Hope this helps.

Hi Rob the couple I have used have been extremely sharp even wide open I would say the last one was even better than my 300 f2.8 nikkor in some ways, the one to get is the 120-300 as it is actually sharper than the 300 prime.

Phillip.