The Digital Camera Store

Written on the 2010-10-18

rating of 5.0

this lens is sharp throughout the range and returns very clean and sharp results both in high contrast sun and in shadow.<br /><br />it reveals very nice skin texture and fine detail at 300mm at a distance away from the subject and for me is the best quality lens i've tried over this range for the A900 + constant f4 is nice.<br /><br />it is not small but is very well built.<br /><br />it uses screw drive auto focus for the A mount and so might be a tad slow for some but be careful watch focus closely and you won't lose shots - i've lost very few shots from many taken so far
(Source: www.bhphotovideo.com)

Written on the 2010-10-18

rating of 5.0

this lens is sharp throughout the range in both high contrast sunlight and shade, it resolves skin texture and fine detail at 300mm at some distance away from the subject.the screw drive for the A mount is accurate, possibly a little slower than an HSM drive, but take care and there is no problem = maximum keepers for me.this is the finest 100-300 zoom that i've tried for the a900, constant f4 and constant size is a big plus, and the build is solid and tough.
(Source: www.bhphotovideo.com)

Written on the 2010-04-01

rating of 4.0

This is a fine piece of glass, sharp enough to rival primes at 300mm. Good choice for aircraft, birds, and other odds and ends in flight. Some birders will want a bit more reach but 300mm on a APS-C camera works rather well in many cases. <br /><br />Very good sharpness and IQ at f/4 and only improves from there. Easy to handle given its heft. <br /><br />Size and weight are considerable but those attributes are very subjective. I'm certainly not carrying it around on my neck all day but I am investigating the BlackRapid system. That may be fine way to handle two bodies - one with a whacking great telezoom. <br /><br />Please note that the Pentax version does NOT support HSM, in spite of the Amazon title and listing. <br /><br />I submitted to Amazon a request for correction that included the URL for the Sigma Web site page that noted the Pentax exception for HSM. Amazon rejected my correction, indicating that Sigma's Web site did not substantiate my submission. <br /><br />You all can check Sigma's site for yourself. No point in arguing. Perhaps Amazon has a model no other retailer does? Ummmm. You decide. <br /><br />Now I understand that I must research Amazon's product descriptions for myself. I've no interest in asking my bank to reverse credit card charges. <br /><br />The lens, though, is fine. The fifth star is removed owing to the lack of HSM. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2010-01-20

rating of 4.0

I got this lens a year ago from Amazon for a little more than sevenhundred, much cheaper than today price. Somehow HSM is not implemented on Minolta or Sony mount so AF is a little bit slow on my Sony Alpha A200, not super fast like on Canon or Nikon mount. Couple with 1.4X extender, I tried to take some birds but AF is slower than w/o the extender, I got like 50% of success rate. Chromatic aberration is visible if 100% crop. So my experience with birds were not very successful, but I used this lens to take my wife portraits and it did a good job. Colors were vivid and pleasing. <br />I think I used this lens wrongly for bird photography, I know that Canon 400 2.8 is good for that, but hey it cost maybe 5 times this lens cost. Overall I like this lens and I will keep it for a while. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2009-05-29

rating of 5.0

I can only add my unreserved enthusiasm for this lens to the technical reviews out there. I had one off ebay, rarely used it and sold it when strapped for cash, but then spent months craving it back. Finally a wonderful person in my life bought me a new one from Amazon and since when I've taken hundreds of sporting and street journalism images. <br />It handles and balances really well on my Nikon D2X, has solid zoom ring in a great position, smooth movement of manual focus override if needed, near silent use, non-rotating and non-extruding front element, removable tripod clamp. It feels like its hewn from solid volcanic rock and glass -in stark contrast to the Nikon 18-200mm which has essentially and almost literally fallen apart after 3 years. The long end of this is so much sharper, brighter to compose, and richer in quality (as well as longer in telephoto) than the Nikon. The wide end of that will soon be replaced by a 16-85mm. Highly recommended, and can't find the slightest niggle to complain about. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2008-09-24

rating of 5.0

I use it on my Sony Alpha 700 and my HRV-Z7E videocamcorder, an exellent combination!!!!
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2008-01-21

rating of 5.0

The speed and range on this lens is great for shooting kart and auto racing.
(Source: www.adorama.com)

Written on the 2007-08-07

rating of 5.0

This lens is the third Sigma lens I have purchased for my Sony A100 digital SLR. The lens is very well constructed. The mount is all metal. Auto focus is quick and accurate. I especially like the fact that all movement is internal. At 3 pounds, this is not a lightweight lens but it does not change length when zooming or focusing. This keeps the system very well balanced. The tripod mount is somewhat small compared to the Sigma 50-500 zoom but it secures the lens very well. Image sharpness at the minimum focusing distance of 71 inches is excellent. Image sharpness on distance shots at f4 is not good but improves at f5.6 and is very good at f8 thru f16. <br />I also own the Sigma 50-500mm f4-6.3 EX DG autofocus zoom lens. The image quality of the 100-300 zoom is better at all focal lengths than the 50-500 zoom. Image quality with the 50-500 zoom is best at 300mm but the 100-300 zoom is better. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-07-31

rating of 4.0

I bought this lens because the Canon 100-400mm was alittle to much for my pocket book. I have had the lens over 5 months and used it mostly outdoors with a monopod. A monopod is a must, Living next to Yellowstone Park I use this lens alot, however it is alittle heavy, and needs alot of light to get a perfect picture. Its not a L lens but it has its qualities that are very close, this lens doesn't get the attention it deserves for outdoor photography. <br /><br />If you are looking for a good F4 lens without spending over $ 900.00 this is a good alternative. If you shot in low light tripod is a must. <br /><br />Overall I am very happy with this lens, I would give it 5 stars if it handled low light better. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-06-29

rating of 5.0

I use it with a 1.4X teleconverter and it still give me a very good image quality <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2007-06-04

rating of 5.0

I bought this lens to use with my Canon 30D for high school sports (soccer, football, baseball, etc). I already had the Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras and needed more focal length. Like the 70-200 F/2.8, this lens is big, heavy, and built like a tank. The bare lens is about an inch longer than the 70-200, but the 100-300's hood is longer than the 70-200's hood. <br /><br />The zoom and focus rings are wide and move smoothly with just the right amount of resistance. This lens is sharp wide open. At the overlapping focal lengths, the 70-200 at F/4 is just barely sharper than this lens at F/4 (wide open). At 200mm, this lens is actually sharper (200mm is this lens's sweet spot.) At 300mm, the lens is still sharp wide open, but I like to stop down to F/4.5 just to keep things super-sharp. Up to 250mm, I would not hesitate to use it wide open. <br /><br />This Sigma lens has HSM which means the focus is fast and quiet. The lens focuses a little slower than the 70-200 F/2.8, but I've found that the 30D is more of a limiting factor in focus speed than the lens is. Servo tracking is very good with this lens, the only time it can't keep up is when track runners are sprinting straight at me (although again, I think the body is the limiting factor here.) For almost every other situation, the focus will definitely keep up. <br /><br />All in all, this is not an indoor lens by any means, but as an outdoor sports (or wildlife/nature) lens, it is awesome. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)

Written on the 2006-03-11

rating of 5.0

The HSM of this lens is faster than Nikon 80-200 on D70s (it hunt around 2 times when i tried to focus on my frd who was in blue/white stripes at opposite side of a tennis court walking to me) and Sigma 70-200 on 350D. How fast is that? I could say that it is as fast as the EF-S 18-55 kit lens! Do bear in mind, usually wide lenses focuses faster than tele. <br />Besides, the handling and build of this lens is good. Tripod mount made of metal. Holding the tripod ring and focusing ring feels great. I shaked this lens on intention, and hit it to a table... ( this is not my lens :P ) It works same well and not even a tiny scratch is done on the lens after all <br />However, it has some draw backs. 300mm focal length is a bit too long for me. F4.0 is a bit too narrow to use with 300mm indoor ... your photos may be blurred if you handheld them <br />Conclusion: It is a perfect lens (especially sports) if you use it under bright sunlight. <br />
(Source: www.amazon.com)