Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro For Nikon Digital & Film Cameras

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At 70 mm, my Sigma 70-300 captures more detail than my Pentax FAJ 28-80 f3.5-5.6, Pentax F 35-70 f3.5-4.5, Pentax FA 28-90 f3.5-4.5, Pentax FA 28-70 f4, Pentax F 28-80 f3.5-4.5 and Pentax FA 28-105 f4-5.6 PZ. Though I wouldn't necessarily say I prefer the Sigma to the Pentax images. By 135mm, there has been a slight drop in resolution, with the lens still producing good centre sharpness wide open. The best quality images are still produced between f/8 and f/11 with the sharpness across the frame being absolutely uniform at f/11. When it comes to using this lens in general, if your camera is too light or you don't have a counterweight by using a metal tripod plate you will struggle to comfortably use this lens, I use a 230g tripod plate to counterweight the body of the camera specifically for heavy lenses like this and it works fantastic. Although if you have a light camera body even with a counterweight you might struggle as when using my K100D nothing helps counter balance the lens and i can only hold the camera for 2 minutes at a time.

Mission Complete, the review of the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens has ended. There is not much more to say, it’s a decent lens for a decent price. I do own this lens, so it will be used a lot. So let’s do a recap. Testing After using this lens again after 2 years and now able to use it correctly, I can say that it has to be one of my favorite lenses ever. Its not perfect by any means but when you use it for events, wildlife and even portraits it works so well. Images will be at the bottom for reference. Sigma's Optical Stabilisation system helps greatly with being able to take images in low light conditions and at slower shutter speeds. I was able to take sharp hand-held shots most of the time at shutter speeds of 1/15sec at 70mm and 1/30sec at 300mm, which is pretty good performance and will help greatly to tame camera shake. In normal mode this lens works rather well , especially if there is enough light . On a nice sunny day the lens can perform like a champ , take nice sharp pictures , but as the light fails so does the lens ( seems normal for budget lenses ) , and performance suffers with diminishing light . I have used this lens quite a bit on my K5 and I like it. I use it in situation where I need different focal for fast subjects. For example, it is very convenient in amusement parks and animal shows. The AF is very fast and pictures are ok. So, I am very satisfied with the results.It is a little bulky compared to the Pentax 55-300 but not so much that I would consider an issue for me. Best sharpness is a stop or two down from wide open. This lens is one of two virtually identical offerings from Sigma in the extremely popular 70-300 category in which almost all manufacturers have at least one contender. Although still in the budget sector, this one, the APO version, is the better of the two offerings. We take a look at what you get for your money. Despite not being the fastest of lenses, it is still usable in low light conditions. This five bar gate at the end of a country lane was taken at 1/80sec at f/8 and 70mm. ISO400. Canon 1D.

ePHOTOzine resident lens tester, Gary Wolstenholme casts his discerning eye over the Sigma 70-300mm. This is where this APO lens differs from its sister, utilising two extra SLD (special low dispersion) glass elements in the front group, making three in total. SLD glass is denser, accounting for the slight increase in weight over the lesser lens. On day 2 it was a Dog Day of summer and I was on a Photo walk in New York with the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG MacroAt 70mm this lens produces images of good resolution from the widest aperture right down to f/16, with the edges gradually improving as the lens is stopped down. The best quality images at 70mm are produced between f/8 and f/11. This is a very average lens overall , if you can find it cheap enough it might be worth trying . In good light , and no macro , it might serve your needs well enough , certainly worth a try if your on a budget . https://www.ephotozine.com/article/tamron-af-70-300mm-f-4-5-6-di-ld-macro-interchangeable-lens-review-13028 Below is our lens test data. To find out how to use these graphs look at this article: How we test lenses As a zoom lens, the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG Macro is a great. When you let the sunshine in, you steady yourself, then pull the trigger, you can get amazing shots.

Overall. the Sigma 70-300mm OS is a good value alternative to the camera manufacturer's own offerings, providing decent enough resolution at a lower price point than independent equivalents with low distortion and decent enough resistance to flare and ghosting. Venture further into the zoom range and the clarity drops off noticeably. The lens is still capable of producing acceptable results for most wide open, but stopping down a couple of stops will improve the clarity of images. In use, I did notice a drop in contrast at 300mm, which will affect the apparent sharpness of images. The next part of the barrel has a basic depth-of-field scale marked and, again on the left, carries the switch to enable ‘Macro’ photography. The final 25% of the barrel forms the focus ring, which, in manual focus, is nicely torqued. Once switched to Autofocus, it cannot be over-ridden and becomes stiff for that reason. In normal mode, focussing can extend the lens a further 17mm. There is a red ring around the lens to denote the APO version, which is needed if you have the two lenses side by side! The lens extends by around 2inches when zoomed in and focusing extends the lens barrel further. The front element does rotate during AF, which may pose issues for people wishing to use polarisers or graduated filters with the lens. The zoom action is smooth and offers just the right amount of resistance to make selecting the desired focal length easy, without risking zoom creep when the lens is pointed downwards.The lens is quite lightweight and feels at home on full-frame as well as cropped sensor DSLRs. It is mostly constructed of plastic, which is typical for lenses of this price point. The plastics used are high in quality and the lens feel very well put together. The metal lens mount will stand up to many lens changes. A powder coated finish has been applied to the barrel of the lens and this looks very smart out of the box. From my own experience I know this coating is prone to showing marks under normal use, so it may not look so smart in time, depending on how you look after it. Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled at the shorter end of the zoom range and will not pose any problems. Beyond 135mm, things go a little pear-shaped though, with chromatic aberration increasing, but not to an overly disturbing level. Imatest recorded a CA area of 0.7 pixel-widths at f/5.6 and 300mm, which shouldn't cause too many issues for most. If you want the highest quality stop it down to f10/f11, f8 seems to have a bit softness but wide open f4 its soft but not too bad. My copy is decent sharp at all focal lengths. I got excellent results, very sharp at 70 mm, not as sharp as my FA77 but enough. It is weaker beyond 200 mm, but it can still give acceptable results even at 300mm in good light.

Although the resolution tails off at the longer end of the lens, the clarity produced will still satisfy all but the most demanding photographers. Overall the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG Macro coupled with the Nikon D90 helped produce some great images. This lens does have issues in low ambient light, it does work a better on a tripod in low light. i would recomend this lens to anyone looking at a good entry level lens but there a just a couple of tiny little niggles. Sigma is a company that has some great products. This lens is a good example of their work. With its low cost and decent performance this lens is great for budget conscious amateurs to “prosumers”. It does not have the focus speed of the higher priced lenses but that it is forgivable. The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens will works with APC-C to full frame cameras and perform admirably. Please Support The PhoblographerWith a nice light lens body, it makes for a great companion on an all day hike, or a day at the rodeo when you have the camera to your eye for most of the time. The Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG says it’s a Macro lens so why would you not use it? It’s fun during the summer time when flowers are abundant with provides perfect times to use the Macro feature. The Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG Macro handles these types of shots very well. It’s not the best, though in an indoor light box or product shot setting. There is just too much fumbling being up close, for me anyway. I used manual focus and auto and i just did not enjoy the lens in this scenario. This 70-300mm zoom telephoto was made in numerous versions and generations by sigma - 4 versions listed in the legacy zooms section, two in the current zooms section (see here for the current non-"apo" version). Sharpness is better at the short end of the range 70-150mm. If there is enough light to keep the aperture in the f8 - f11 range, then images are relatively sharp (for the price of the lens). They do not compare to my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 but that lens is in a whole different category.