Sigma 70-300mm DG macro

alexisonfire · 15 Mar 2007 at 00:42

Was about to press the buy button on the sigma 10-20mm hsm, and noticed the sigma 70-300mm was surprisingly cheap. I know that this lens is not HSM, so will not autofocus with my camera.

I've never used a telephoto lens before, but i imagine that AF isn't such an important feature at long focal lengths. Or am i completely wrong? Surely because you are zoomed in further, it makes it easier to use manual focus than lets say, when at less than 30mm?

After i buy the sigma 10-20mm, i will have the following focal range available:

10-20mm
18-55mm

It would be nice to buy a telephoto lens to cover 70-300. So i guess my real question is, do i buy the sigma 70-300mm for £87 new, or wait several months and go for something like the nikon 70-300mm, which will AF with my camera, superior optical quality, VR 2nd gen, and costs £250 more.

Im not looking for ultra sharp quality for £87 obviously, but will the sigma delivery photos similar quality as my nikon kit lens?

Johnny|lucidcomposure · 15 Mar 2007 at 00:59

It does have auto focus. HSM is the abbreviation for "hyper sonic motor" which means a quicker/slient AF. The 70 - 300 does have Auto focus but its loud and slower thats all

robmiller · 15 Mar 2007 at 01:03

I really wouldn't want to have something like that without AF :/ If you don't need the 200-300, go for the Nikon 18-200mm VR or the soon-to-be-released 55-200mm VR, IMO.

Fstop11 said:
It does have auto focus. HSM is the abbreviation for "hyper sonic motor" which means a quicker/slient AF. The 70 - 300 does have Auto focus but its loud and slower thats all

Yeah, but it has autofocus that relies on the camera's inbuilt screwdriver motor—which the D40 doesn't have. The D40 only works with Nikon AF-S/AF-I lenses and Sigma HSM lenses (I'm not sure if Tamrom have an equivalent): that is, lenses with their own AF motors built-in.

alexisonfire · 15 Mar 2007 at 01:16

robmiller said:
go for the Nikon 18-200mm VR or the soon-to-be-released 55-200mm VR

Wish i could, the 18-200mm is still stupidly expensive, and im sure the 55-200mm is going to be 500+ on release aswell. Tbh, the £87 on top of the 10-20mm was pushing my budget. If i bought the 10-20mm and the sigma 70-300, would mean i would have spent just shy of £1000 since January

If i went down the Nikon route, its going to be a 3-4month wait. Even for £87 would you advise me not to go for a telephoto without AF? I guess the best idea would be for me to try a telephoto lens with manual focus, and see how i get on. Is it possible to rent lenses from anywhere? I know no one into photography.

divine` · 15 Mar 2007 at 01:22

Sigma 70 -300mm APO Macro (not DG)

...I don't think mine is a very good example.

robmiller · 15 Mar 2007 at 01:32

alexisonfire said:
Wish i could, the 18-200mm is still stupidly expensive, and im sure the 55-200mm is going to be 500+ on release aswell. Tbh, the £87 on top of the 10-20mm was pushing my budget. If i bought the 10-20mm and the sigma 70-300, would mean i would have spent just shy of £1000 since January

If i went down the Nikon route, its going to be a 3-4month wait. Even for £87 would you advise me not to go for a telephoto without AF? I guess the best idea would be for me to try a telephoto lens with manual focus, and see how i get on. Is it possible to rent lenses from anywhere? I know no one into photography.

The 55-200mm VR is on preorder for £250 at a couple of sites already

I've never tried it, but I seriously think it would be agonising having no AF on something with as big a focal range as a 70-300. I personally wouldn't even consider it on something like a 50mm prime, which is why I'm not getting the 50mm f/1.8 on my D40.

Jimmy_Lemon · 15 Mar 2007 at 12:55

I have the Sigma 70-300mm APO DG Macro and I do sometimes use the AF but to be honest you actually have a nice amount of movement to focus with this (unlike with the Canon 50mm I have) so I use manual focus for 90% of the shots. You might miss it if you live with you lenses on AF, but if you are able to focus manually than I dont think you will have a problem at all! I am slightly dissapointed at how soft my lense is though

really have to have perfect light to get a sharp image at 300mm