What's good, after the Sigma 70-300 APO

MichaelG · 2 Aug 2006 at 19:19

I've been thinking of getting the Sigma 70-300 APO, since there seem to be very few people who say anything else other than its a good lens for the money.
However, i've been thinking about it for soooo long i've built up a bit more cash, and am about to fly to Hong Kong to for work.

So, here's the £149-question....

What could you get that would do the same job, but is a better lens, and how much more would you need to spend to make it worth-while.

Thanks peeps.

starscream · 2 Aug 2006 at 19:24

I have the Canon 75-300mm which is a little more expensive, but you get a £35 cashback voucher which makes it slightly cheaper. I don't have the Sigma to compare, but am very with the Canon. It's very sharp considering the price. Here's an example

Joe T · 2 Aug 2006 at 19:24

Canon or Nikon?

MichaelG · 2 Aug 2006 at 19:44

Sorry, yes, forgot to put, i'm a Nikon boy.

bigredshark · 2 Aug 2006 at 19:48

I went from the 70-300 Sigma to the nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR (don't even look at the price) and it's fantastic. on a more reasonable budget, there's a 120-300 sigma f2.8 i believe which is reasonably priced i think.

also, my nikon dealer told me nikon have withdrawn the 70-300 ED (big brother to the 70-300G) and they might be adding VR or AF-S to it. if so that'd be worth waiting for, though it's not on any of the rumor sites or anything, just been told it's a possibility by an official dealer...

I'm sure somebody will have another suggesting, but the sigma 10-300 spring to mind dependng on how much it costs (which I don't know)

Joe T · 2 Aug 2006 at 20:09

Sigma 70-200 2.8 plus 1.4 teleconverter is where its at tbh.

bigredshark · 2 Aug 2006 at 21:16

while that may be true, the 1.4 TC is twice the price of the sigma 70-300 APO on it's own if remember correctly!

Joe T · 2 Aug 2006 at 21:27

bigredshark said:
while that may be true, the 1.4 TC is twice the price of the sigma 70-300 APO on it's own if remember correctly!

Eh? The 1.4TC retails for around £140, slightly less than the Sigma 70-300 APO.

bigredshark · 2 Aug 2006 at 21:29

From a Nikon dealer who will have to remain nameless, who i knowto have competative prices

TC-14E II 1.4x teleconverter £325.00

Joe T · 2 Aug 2006 at 21:37

bigredshark said:
From a Nikon dealer who will have to remain nameless, who i knowto have competative prices

TC-14E II 1.4x teleconverter £325.00

I would use the Sigma converter on a Sigma lens tbh. You actually get better functionality than using a Nikon one on a Sigma lens.

bigredshark · 2 Aug 2006 at 21:38

Fair enough, I'd use the nikon one on a nikon body without exception, then again, all my lenses are nikon these days anyway!

reddeathdrinker · 3 Aug 2006 at 01:32

From a 70-300mm?

I'm looking at the "Bigma" at the moment. 50-500mm Sigma lens. Or, the 200-500mm, as it's a bit cheaper, and get a decent 18-200mm walkround lens.

MichaelG · 3 Aug 2006 at 10:37

Hmmm, sounds like there are a lot of options. I've have a look at prices and think about what I want.

Thanks for all the information people.

scoop · 4 Aug 2006 at 08:10

Night be of interest that Tamrom have released a new 70-300 Di LD lens which hit the shops a couple of weeks ago. Thier old 70-300 was reported to be about on a par with the Sigma APO and was pretty popular; dunno if the new one is better or not, but it is about £60 cheaper. Might be worth a review hunt?