Customer Reviews

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wanted a cheap telephoto lens for those times I need the reach. Since I don't use it that often, I felt no need for a large or expensive lens. I debated between this lens, the Tamron 70-300 Di, and the Sigma APO of the same type. This was the cheapest so I went with it. Frankly, I can't believe how good this lens is for its price. At 70mm, it's tack sharp corner to corner. Even 200-300 it's quite good. And the Macro mode is just icing on the cake--1:2 magnification means you can get quite close.

It's true, you need a fair amount of light for this lens to shine--no argument there. But for the individual who only does this sort of stuff for fun, this lens is hard to beat. I can't imagine the APO variant is worth $70 more--I cannot detect any difference from sample pictures posted online. So if you only need a lens of this focal length occasionally, this is the one to get.

I bought this lens along with the Nikon D50 kit that included the 18-55mm lens.

It does Macro (200-300mm) down to about .95m (3 ft). It does tend to hunt for focus quite a bit using the camera's AF-A setting, but does not when in AF-S, however focus is lost quickly when hand-holding. In this situation I end up using an indoor studio with the camera on a tripod, so I set the focus manually anyway.

The Macro setting allows up to a 1:2 magnification at 300, and about 1:3 at 200mm. This is done by allowing closer focusing than the normal 1.5m (5 ft).
When using Macro, the lens is locked to 200-300mm, and you must focus to the normal range before you can flip the switch and zoom back to under 200mm. This can be a slight problem as the lens DOES NOT have a M/A focusing switch. You must go to manual focusing via the camera, focus to normal range, flip lens macro switch, then you can go back down below 200mm and/or re-engage your autofocus.

I have not had any major problems with this lens, and actually enjoy the pictures that I get from it during sports and other telephoto needed activities. It does need a steady hand at the extreme end during lower light levels because it does not have VR, but for what it is made for I have not had any trouble getting sharp pictures. Just don't use it in low light without a tripod.

Focusing is smooth in the normal mode from 1.5m (5 ft) to infinity and it just under 1/4 turn from lock to lock. (Macro is 1/2 turn)

Zooming is smooth from 70mm to about 200mm, and then bunches up (gets slightly harder to turn) from 200 to 300. It zooms back down smoothly the entire way. It is not internally focusing, so at minimum (70mm at infinity) it is about 5" out from the camera, and at maximum (300mm at 3 ft) it is about 8" long.

It has a manual aperture ring at the base, but for autofocus cameras it recommends leaving it locked at max (f/22). [Since it is a D-model lens, it is made for the DX-sized sensor which is smaller than 35mm, and will have vignetting on 35mm, but all DSLRs are autofocus so why they included this is confusing. Just leave it locked at f/22]

The filter ring is 58mm in size. Includes caps, and cylindrical hood that fits nicely, and stores backward on the lens covering the body during storage. Mine has a matte-black finish, but I've seen regular semi-gloss plastic as well.

If you are on a budget, and want to get into telephoto or Macro photography, this lens is great. It does take a bit to get used to, but for the price, I have been satisfied.

First of all I must tell you that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of digital SLR photography. Not because I had a love of film on the contrary I hate film photography, it was more like I hated the thought of lugging around lenses and all the other stuff. I managed to build my business and reputation using fixed lens "Pro-sumer" cameras. Long story short what made me move to SLRs was performance, speed, quality and lenses like this one.If you have ever read any of my other reviews you already know I am a terrible gear head and often tend to trick out my cameras to the hilt! I was buying lenses for a rebel XT when I bought this lens on a whim. To start 70-300mm is nothing earth shaking every lens maker in the business has at least one model in this range, but the real kicker with the Sigma is the macro feature, that in a word is simply amazing. The macro feature can be switched in at 200-300mm and is tack sharp for everything from flowers, to coins to whatever!! And considering the focal range this is a relatively fast lens. In a normal capacity its dead sharp in all applications no matter what your light conditions inside or out. I have even used this lens for wedding portraits and got great results. As with all Sigma lenses the build quality is excellent as is the glass giving it the feel of a lens costing a whole lot more. As for accessories I would reccomend both a UV filter as well as a good CPL. Size wise it is what I would rate medium sized (as opposed to my Sigma 50-500mm) this makes it easy to manipulate and use in the field. If you are a Nikon user remove the lens hood and you will get amazing results using your pop-up flash! (Canon doesn't do as well with this.)
Now. If you are into pictures of the great outdoors the next thing I would add is a 2x teleconverter, Sigma claims this lens is not compatable with them and in a sense its not. But if you are willing to manually focus, and adjust the F stops your self you can pump this baby up to a 140-600mm super-telephoto!! I have one of these lenses for both of the SLR's I use (Canon 20D & Nikon D200) and with both using the teleconverter I do have to focus manually but they will meter light! Be prepared however results may be different on your camera. So bottom line is your looking for a great quality lens at a price you can live with? This is it. Are you a new or about to be new digital SLR user? This should be your first lens no question. Canon and Nikon lenses do focus faster and quieter, but what are you doing with that camera that you need to be so fast and quiet anyway? This lens is on either one or both of my cameras all the time, and when you shoot pictures for a living that says alot. Until next time be well and happy shooting!

SiNMiN

Pros: Very well built; Comes with a hood; Has a metal lens mount; Is as big as a baseball bat when fully extended making most non-DSLR users drool(DSLR users shrug it off as just another 70-300), Takes a GREAT Macro at the 200-300mm range with a VERY shallow DOF if you like; Very decently sharp images throughout the range. Great price.

Pro/Con: That GREAT Macro in the 200-300 is from no closer than 4 feet away. I asked a friend why anyone would want to be so far away to take a macro and she said "to take photos of bees and stuff" OH! I had been using a little point and shoot, clicking the photo, then running away screaming like a little girl. So make the previous Con a Pro.

Con: It lacks that fake 'Canon L' little red band that the next model up has. Some people might think it's a little too heavy. (Wimps).

I'd buy it again. (Ok, maybe I'd buy the slightly more expensive one, but only for the red band, I'm VERY happy with the performance of this one)

Yes, a Canon lens with IS would be better than this Sigma, but it's a great start to give you more options with your D-SLR. I used this lens throughout San Francisco and was very pleased with the quality. There is some contrast degradation but I typically fix my best shots in Photoshop anyways. Also, only use this lens if you are going to stick with zoom shots as the 70mm setting is too high for anything within 6 feet.

I was leary about purchasing this "cheap" version of the Sigma Lens. Being new to DSLR photography, I really don't know a whole lot about lenses, but I did want something that would give me a good telephoto range and decent picture quality. This lens did not disappoint. I am really happy with the performance of this lens. It brings images in really close, from really far away. The picture quality is perfect ! I use this with a Pentax *ist DL and the pictures it produces are wonderful. If this is the "cheap" version of the Sigma lens, I really wonder what the "high end" version will be like. Thanks for reading this, hope it helps.

I recently bought this lens for my Canon XTi. It does lock on focus quickly. I have used it a handful of times in overcast weather. I must say that the focus is not sharp at 300mm. I got some improvement by stopping down the aperture a bit. Still, I wish that I was getting better sharpness at 300 mm. I have not had adequate time to try out the macro feature on this lens, but I will try and leave another review after I have had more time to play with this lens. The focus is better in the middle ZOOM ranges. And lastly, the contrast is not as nice as the stock 18-55mm lens that came with my Canon.

08/31/11 I am back to finish my review of this lens. I have had it now for quite some time. In fact, I have sold my Canon XTi and gotten a T2i instead. I haven't upgraded this lens, but the review I have given above still stands. In fact, unless I am shooting in bright situations where I can couple a fast shutter speed and a stopped down aperture, I try to never use the 300mm setting. It does stay pretty sharp up to 250mm, however.

I have used the macro functions quite a bit. They are adequate to get you started in the macro world. I took many pictures of insects, flowers, mosses and other large macro objects. It works well to tantilize you. But in the end I wanted more detail, so I ended up springing for a dedicated macro lens. Now if I could only afford a good ring flash....

This is a very good lens for the money. If you are beginning with a DLSR and want a lens that can produce good images without the expense, this is definetley the lens for you. I took this lens out and shot the Blue Angels during an air show hand holding every shot using it with a Sony A100 DSLR. Pictures were awesome with the lens, I used a UV Filter Lens as I do on all my lenses. I recommend this lens to anyone that wants a 70-300mm Telephoto Zoom with Macro for a low cost.

I've had this lens for almost a year and use it with my Nikon D70s. Overall I'm pleased with the results. The macro mode is a nice addition. This is a good starter telephoto lens.

It does have some graininess issues in the 300mm range, but I'm able to fix that in post production so it's not a big deal for me.

One major problem I've encountered is that the auto-focus sometimes has a hard time figuring out what to focus on. I correct this by turning the lens slightly away and then bringing it back to the subject.

I recently purchased this lens from Amazon for use on my Pentax K100D Super. The optical quality and sharpness of the images taken with this lens far excedes its cost. While the build quality is a bit "plasticy" feeling, and the zoom ring is not that smooth, it produces very good results overall. Be careful to first read the instructions on use of the macro switch. It will not disengage unless you set the camera to manual focus and turn the focus ring. For nature photography in daylight this is a very good choice for those artists on a budget.