Sigma Zoom Lenses

Pyscho_Si · 24 May 2006 at 10:15

Hi,

I'm in the market for a zoom lens for my 20D and have been looking at both Canon and Sigma lense. It seems that the sigma lenses are much better value for money so I'm narrowed the list to the following:

Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG OS
Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX APO DG + 1.4X Convertor
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM + 2X Convertor

Of course if anyone could suggest a good Canon in the sub £1K price bracket I wouldn't take it into careful consideration.

Does anyone have experience of using the above lenses? Any comments would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

SW

Pyscho_Si · 24 May 2006 at 11:40

webmonkeyuk said:
ive had the 80-400 for almost a year now and id be lost without it for what i use it for (Airshow+Aviation and motorsports) it all denpends on what you are planning on using it for. for me a couldnt justify the extra £ for the canon 100-400 when its not a huge amount better than the sigma. of course ppl will say the 80-400 is no good for fast moving objects as its not HSM but if you use it right its fine, i manage to get fast jets with it ive taken bird shots with it too and it looks fine. heres a few shots for you to have a look at

Sweet pictures. All the reviews I've seen for the Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG OS are positive and I like the idea of the IS. Do you know if AF still works on this lens with a 1.4X Convertor?

How much did you pay for it?

SW

Pyscho_Si · 24 May 2006 at 13:40

webmonkeyuk said:
nope the lens doesnt work with any of the TC's only manual works when you put it on one, paid about £780 for it i think you can get it cheaper on the Ebay but i didnt have to pay for mine till 9months after buying it so that was helpfull, if you can afford it also look at the sigma 120-300F2.8 about £1600 but ive heard good stuff about it and i think both TC's work with it warehouse express have one of the older ones instock (Non DG) for £1299. your kinda limited for long zoom lens's really. also if your looking at the 100-300 sigma make sure you get the 100-300 f4 EX IF DG one as im not sure if theres 2 versions and the cheaper one is pants so someone told me when i was looking anyway.

Good hunting

Thinking about it 400mm (or 640mm on my 20d) should hopefully be ok for my needs as I will want it mainly for wildlife, maybe some sports photography and maybe a the odd landscapes shot.

Pyscho_Si · 24 May 2006 at 15:08

How important is IS on a zoom lens? Would I miss it?

Pyscho_Si · 24 May 2006 at 16:02

webmonkeyuk said:
depends on what your planning on using the lens for, that was the reason i bout mine as it had OS which comes in hand on the cold days shooting planes plus it a heavyish lens so it helps a lot with that too. like i said it all depends on the subject your shooting

I'm not planning on carrying a tripod everywhere which is why I thought the IS/OS would be a good idea. Decisions Decisions.... what is a man to do.

Pyscho_Si · 25 May 2006 at 07:43

Joe T said:
Id get the 70-200 and the 2x converter. This gives you more flexibility than the 100-300. The 80-400 is too slow to focus from most of what I have read.

BTW, I bought the 120-300 2.8 for around £1150 from HK (VAT repaid too), and its a fabulous lens. Needs a monopod though.

From what I've been reading I think the 70 - 200 with a 2X converter might be the best bet. It would give me a very fast 70 - 200 and then the boost up to 400 when required. I think I might go and have a play in the shop!

Pyscho_Si · 25 May 2006 at 16:22

Well, things didn't quite go to plan and I kind of ended up buying a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM.

Well a few 100 quid over a few years isn't going to hurt too much.

Damn it is a sexy looking lens.

Pyscho_Si · 27 May 2006 at 12:00

Raider said:
OH man that's not good news for me.. I'm still looking at the Sigma 100-300mm F4 + 1.4x converter, but if the Canon 100-400mm is that much better then I might be tempted to stretch for it

Did you compare the two? Common sense says a lens that is built for 400mm will have a better picture quality than one adapted for 400mm. Plus IS must be useful.

Please post pics asap

Think I might get myself arrested if I posted the pictures of the flats I took about 300m from my house.

I'm hopefully going to London Wetlands on Monday so I'll give it a good try out then.