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Archive 2012 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS

  
 
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


trenchmonkey wrote:
..the Mrs. on the other hand yelling "delete, DELETE!!"

gfinlayson wrote:
Mine does that too whenever I take a picture of her. Must be a woman thing!

Excellent shots as ever, Will. I've been quite intrigued by the new Siggy - now it's officialy 'monkey endorsed, just have to find a way of getting my hands on one....

Wonder how many dinners I'll have to cook, baths I'll have to run, and back massages I'll have to give before Mrs. F gives her endorsement......

Thank you, Graeme. Tomorrow night should clinch the "endorsement"...there's money on the line.



Jul 09, 2012 at 07:16 PM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


MichGoBlue wrote:
Great pics and thanks for the report! I have been using an older non-DG version with my D7000 and 1.4X for soccer and have been thinking about looking into the OS version. The AF on mine seems slow, but I think a lot of that might just be my inexperience.

Many thanks, John. Methinks that TC and the D7K AF is slowin' ya down some. I have ~100K clicks thru 'em (D7K's)
and I reach for the D300s/D3 whenever TC's & action are involved. We'll see how the Sigma 1.4X pans out before
'ruling' on it's abilities but pretty sure the writing's on the wall. You'd swear there was a Nikon badge on the OS copy.



Jul 09, 2012 at 07:24 PM
kentvinyard
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


Hey Monkey Man!
While you are testing new lens see if it will focus during zooming..
I had the older Dg model for a while and it would not autofocus whilezooming. Maybe they changed this in the newer model. I reurned mine as it was not very sharp with sigma 1.4 converter. May have just been sample difference.



Jul 10, 2012 at 10:33 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


kentvinyard wrote:
Hey Monkey Man!
While you are testing new lens see if it will focus during zooming..
I had the older Dg model for a while and it would not autofocus whilezooming. Maybe they changed this in the newer model. I reurned mine as it was not very sharp with sigma 1.4 converter. May have just been sample difference.

Howdy, Kent. Hmmm, with rear button AF...I've never had a zoom not. The new optical formula is superb
in the center of the frame (where I'm at 90% of the time) Have the 1.4 TC en route and will no doubt post
some samples. The biggest surprise to me has been the bokeh, close to wide open.



Jul 11, 2012 at 07:50 AM
Chris Ventura
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


You keep posting these great shots Will, and I keep getting this feeling it's much more about the user than the gear.. but I am sure the gear helps.

Now I want to see you put that lens on a D800 and give'r a whirl!



Jul 11, 2012 at 09:19 PM
Airphoto
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


The 120 300 os with a1.4 tc is equal sharpness to the nikon vrii 70-200mm with tc III 2.0. depending on the shots equal some nikon shots better some sigma shots better


Jul 11, 2012 at 09:40 PM
BigIronCruiser
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


The focal length of these 120-300's is right in the wheelhouse for many sporting events. They do get heavy after a while, so I usually take a monopod along.

Your first bird capture is awesome.



Jul 11, 2012 at 11:03 PM
LocoPhoto
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


"The 120 300 os with a1.4 tc is equal sharpness to the nikon vrii 70-200mm with tc III 2.0. depending on the shots equal some nikon shots better some sigma shots better "

That doesn't sound right....the Sigma 120-300 OS with a 1.4 should be practically the exact same as the Sigma 120-300 OS without a 1.4. Most owners claim zero image degradation. The Nikon with a 2XIII is very good, but the Sigma should eek it out.

And that's from the slew of 160 pages of posts over at POTN. Just FYI as a heads up to help, as your copy may need a tweak if that's what you're seeing? I could be wrong of course...but your comment surprises me.

LocoPhoto



Jul 12, 2012 at 12:27 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


Chris Ventura wrote:
You keep posting these great shots Will, and I keep getting this feeling it's much more about the user than the gear.. but I am sure the gear helps.

Now I want to see you put that lens on a D800 and give'r a whirl!

Thanky, Chris! I'll be posting my address shortly for a D800 "gift" if someone's so inclined.



Jul 12, 2012 at 06:18 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


Airphoto wrote:
The 120 300 os with a1.4 tc is equal sharpness to the nikon vrii 70-200mm with tc III 2.0. depending on the shots equal some nikon shots better some sigma shots better

Seriously doubt THAT. The new 120-300 totally replaces my 70-200 VR II/TC-14E II combo for my
paid rodeo work. Living at 230-280mm, gaining a stop with such excellent center sharpness...is huge. I'll
be getting the Sigma 1.4X TC shortly and will put it thru it's paces. Fair warning, I come from shooting 10's
of thousands action shots with the likes of the 200 f2 VR/300 f2.8 VR/200-400 f4 VR and every conceivable
TC combination including the TC-20E III...on both DX & FX. My handheld technique, impeccable...you'll see.

edit: FWIW I'll only be needing the TC for BIF, but I'll still enjoy disproving your claim of "equal" Wow!



Jul 12, 2012 at 06:37 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


BigIronCruiser wrote:
The focal length of these 120-300's is right in the wheelhouse for many sporting events. They do get heavy after a while, so I usually take a monopod along.

Your first bird capture is awesome.

Amen to dat! My guns haven't complained once, John...but I got used to the 2/3/2-4 supertele's weight over the years.
The BushHawk really helps with that but anything over a few hours I might yield to a mono for some additional assistance. Thanks a bunch!



Jul 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
iammikie
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


trenchmonkey wrote:
Seriously doubt THAT. The new 120-300 totally replaces my 70-200 VR II/TC-14E II combo for my
paid rodeo work. Living at 230-280mm, gaining a stop with such excellent center sharpness...is huge. I'll
be getting the Sigma 1.4X TC shortly and will put it thru it's paces. Fair warning, I come from shooting 10's
of thousands action shots with the likes of the 200 f2 VR/300 f2.8 VR/200-400 f4 VR and every conceivable
TC combination including the TC-20E III...on both DX & FX. My handheld technique, impeccable...you'll see.

edit: FWIW I'll only be needing the TC for BIF, but I'll still enjoy disproving
...Show more

It works very well with the Sig 1.4X. I have had this lens for a few months now and have been using it on the D800............one word "fabulous".......note however that I would highly recommend that you micro adjust this lens with and without the TC as it normally requires a significant adjustment to get the most out of it.



Jul 12, 2012 at 06:56 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


That doesn't sound right....the Sigma 120-300 OS with a 1.4 should be practically the exact same as the Sigma 120-300 OS without a 1.4. Most owners claim zero image degradation. The Nikon with a 2XIII is very good, but the Sigma should eek it out.

And that's from the slew of 160 pages of posts over at POTN. Just FYI as a heads up to help, as your copy may need a tweak if that's what you're seeing? I could be wrong of course...but your comment surprises me.

LocoPhoto


It's not! Thought I was on DPR for a second I often had to stop down the 70-200 w/2 III to f8
to get IQ I could live with....and THAT was inside 40 yds. Bokeh was meh, same with the AF...unless shootin'
statues on sticks.
Love to start out my day with a good laugh.



Jul 12, 2012 at 07:03 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


It works very well with the Sig 1.4X. I have had this lens for a few months now and have been using it on the D800............one word "fabulous".......note however that I would highly recommend that you micro adjust this lens with and without the TC as it normally requires a significant adjustment to get the most out of it.

Mike! Thanks for chiming in. I can live with "fabulous" I'll just be using the lowly D3/D300s/D7K/D2Xs with
the Sigster, but it's very nice to hear it holds it's own on a 36MP body. Appreciate the 'tip'

Did I just notice we signed up within 2 days of each other?! Appreciate you using the ReQuote button properly.
So many don't, and it's tough to figure out who said what.



Jul 12, 2012 at 07:08 AM
LocoPhoto
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


trenchmonkey wrote:
It's not! Thought I was on DPR for a second I often had to stop down the 70-200 w/2 III to f8
to get IQ I could live with....and THAT was inside 40 yds. Bokeh was meh, same with the AF...unless shootin'
statues on sticks.
Love to start out my day with a good laugh.



You're assuming a few things there monkey I wasn't referring to the bokeh or af being good with a 2X...I only meant that the image quality can indeed be very good on a 70-200 VRII with a 2XIII, and yes...as you mentioned...by shooting at f8.

The Sigma 120-300 OS though is great at all apertures with a 1.4 after stopping down half a stop from wide open.

LocoPhoto



Jul 12, 2012 at 09:32 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


...but bokeh AND getting the shot (AF) go hand in hand with IQ, no? so I wasn't "assuming" anything.
Good to hear I'll be pleased with the 120-300/TC combo as 420 f5 has always been the sweet spot
for my BdA BIF sales over the years. Happy times!



© riversbendphotography




Jul 12, 2012 at 10:37 AM
gugs
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


The Sigma 120-300OS works for portraits too, I really love the smooth bokeh.
Two examples fully open (first on D4, second on D800) center sharpness and details are amazing.


D4B_2982 by gugs, on Flickr


DSC_0067 by gugs, on Flickr

and for those interested, THE brick wall must have test shot (fully open 300mm)


D4B_2976 by gugs, on Flickr

Guy



Jul 12, 2012 at 03:45 PM
trenchmonkey
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


Thank you, Guy I'm gettin' pumped to shoot some peeps. Rodeo was cancelled for this week
but I scrounged up an outdoor Jazz gig for Sat and should be able to work the crowd for candids.
Really liking what I'm seeing so far...

On a P.O. run late this morning, shot from the truck







Jul 12, 2012 at 03:51 PM
Taoguy
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


trenchmonkey
My guns haven't complained once, John...but I got used to the 2/3/2-4 supertele's weight over the years.

I've only had the Siggy 120-300 for two days and I totally agree. Normal long glass is the 200-400 & the 500, both can be hand held. 1st thought , "Oh what a relief it is!" Took a couple quick shots, sharp as a tack, quick, going to like this one a lot!

Question, Does it take the Nikkor 1.4 ext? Manual said only Sigma. Not at home so I cannot try it right now.



Jul 12, 2012 at 09:34 PM
rd4tile
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · 'monkey tests Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS


No more excuses - where's our 1.4X on the 120-300 shots?

BTW hows that puppy spin in the tripod ring? I think I read some complaints that it was kinda rough?






Jul 12, 2012 at 09:39 PM
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