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DSeelig
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Oct 27, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 575
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Review Date: Mar 31, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,899.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp as a tact. Excellent autofocus speed - I shoot sports- I can zoom on a runner from 2nd to 3rd and not cut him off. I have had 2 copies of tghis lens the first had the infamous out of alignment problem . Months after the shuttbug article. The second was soft till it was sent in to be fixed. Do not buy this lens from a sleazy dealer to save a few bucks . Buy with a usa warranty
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Cons:
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You have to buy an accesory tripod adapter to hung on your shoulder. This costs 150 dollars This lens is heavy but can be handheld. Not quite Lseries build quality. Quality control .
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This lens is quite simply phonemonal,when you have it working right.
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 Mar 31, 2004
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Kris K
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Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 6, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 172
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Review Date: Nov 19, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,650.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Very sharp, good color. Very good, but not great AF speed.
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Cons:
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Poor QC and poor function on a 1Ds. Unusable AF (serious back-focusing)
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I tried two different copies of this lens on my 1Ds. Neither came even close to acceptable AF function on this camera. The camera has spot on focus with 5-6 other L lenses I own, so I know it was the Sigma lenses. When manually focused, this lens if fabulous...but I won't pay that type of money for a MF lens. I've since read that Sigma is aware of a suboptimal function of their "comparator" chip which makes it unlikely for this lens to perform well with AF on the 1Ds. I know other users of this lens w/ a 1Ds have reported no problems, but I've yet to see any proof of that. I, on the otherhand, have numerous tests and mis-focused photos to demonstrate that at least two of these lenses did not work. If you're going to try it on a 1D or 1Ds, I'd be sure there is a good return policy from whomever you purchased it.
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Nov 19, 2003
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Creative Edge
Online
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jun 14, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1941
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,659.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Extremely fast autofocus...does not hunt..
Love the ability to be at 300mm then move out to 120mm and it's extremely sharp across the whole range!!!!!
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Cons:
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have not found any...
sure it's heavy...but what 300 2.8 isnt...
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I have used all kinds of zooms including the Nikon 80-200 2.8 and this is the sharpest zoom I have used..
Wide open it's very sharp and at 4.5 it is as sharp as a prime..
I still cannot believe that Sigma sells this 300 2.8 for the price they do..
I was debating between the Nikon 300 2.8 and this one,, but the ability to zoom out made me go with the Sigma...Sure some diehard prime shooters will doubt it's that sharp.... but as a long time shooter of prime lenses.. it definately convinced me....
Build quality is top notch,,,the finish is beautiful and a nice hood comes with it. .. the hood is a little short...
Oh,,and did I mention it's extremely SHARP!!!!!
Update... I've been using this lens for about 6 months now and it still amazes me..
I shot motocross races with it and the autofocus is extremely fast and accurate. I cannot even imagine giving this lens up for a prime 300.
The images are tack sharp...
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Nov 3, 2003
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Mike D
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Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 18, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 73
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Review Date: Jun 24, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,899.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Fast autofocus,(Canon mount)
Good results with both 1.4 & 2x Sigma T/C's
The ability to zoom down from 300 when needed,ie, sports!
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Cons:
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Lens hood could be a bit longer
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So far, I'd say the results from this lens rival what can be expected from the Canon 300/2.8, I've had two of the Canon's, but not the new model, so, can't compare that one. I just switched back from Nikon, and it's as good as what I got from their 300/2.8 AFs. I don't think it can be beat, and the price speaks for itself. If I do find any faults, I won't be shy about reporting on them. Also, it will get a workout at Brickyard and N.H.R.A. nationals. Here is a link to a professional review that I found helpfull during decision time. Hope this helps others on a budget, as I was!
http://www.photography.za.com/media.htm
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Jun 24, 2003
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gavin
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Registered: Jun 7, 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 468
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Review Date: Jun 15, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $3,400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Reversed Zoom ring, focus speed, f2.8, price, sharpness.
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Cons:
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heavy, problimatic lense mount (nikon).
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This truelly is the best lense in my bag. I don't even use the 70 - 200 if I can avoid it. It's pin sharp and AF is as good as I've used. In low light it's stella. I like how the Zoom ring has been moved out so I don't rest my hand on the monopod locking nut, and the 'pull down,push up' zoom action is far more logical than the nikon and canon norm. I can not compare it to anything else, because no one makes one. You do have to make sure the mount is seated well or all sorts of 'err' messages will light up your life.
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Jun 15, 2003
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Hammerli
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Registered: Apr 17, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1914
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Review Date: Apr 17, 2003
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $1,899.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Fast focusing, even w/ Sigma 2X.
Outer finish seemed more durable than L lenses.
Great focal range, especially w/ 2X.
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Cons:
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Poor fit between lens and Sigma 2X and lens and 1Ds. By the time I had both on, the stack-up of the tolerances resulted in a rattling assembly, not acceptable at this price.
Poor sharpness and contrast both with AND without 2X.
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On initial impressions, this lens seemed great. In the store, the lens focused very quickly both with and without extender attached, and seemed to be a great 600/5.6 equivalent on my 1Ds. However, once I got it home and took 847 images on a Sunday trying to figure out the problem, I returned it. Regardless of whether I had the extender on or not, I could not get sharp pictures at any ISO, aperture, or shutter speed. Mounted on a tripod, and even outdoors in bright sunlight, I could not obtain one sharp image. I will give Sigma the benefit of the doubt, and assume it was out of adjustment, but I expect better quality control at this price point.
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Apr 17, 2003
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xojins
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 16, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Apr 7, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tack Sharp! Fast AF
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Cons:
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Heavy
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I love my 120-300mm. I did have a problem with this lens when I 1st received it. The whole right side of the frame was out of focus. Luckly, I live not too far from Sigma's office on Long Island. I dropped off the lens Firday and had it back on Monday. After that, it was tack sharp!
As for the performance, the autofocus is fast (with a 10D), and the images are very sharp and detailed. You will need a fast shutter speed and a good tripod for this lens. Some people have stated issues with the zoom ring. I can honestly say that I have no problems turning it and it can be used to quickly change the zoom. I have used the Sigma 2x and 1.4x converter with this lens and the image is still sharp, no vignetting and very very little CA.
Here is a 100% crop from the upper right hand corner of a test shot @600mm f/8 1/40s, slight usm, no curves:
http://www.davidamatulli.com/images/crop.jpg
I would recommend this lens to others.
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Apr 7, 2003
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erikff
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 8, 2002
Location: South Africa
Posts: 1281
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Review Date: Mar 30, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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very sharp and fast
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Cons:
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heavy
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I have owned this lens now for a little under two months and only had a chance to put it through its paces in the last few days. I am blown away both the sharpnesss of the photographs as well as by the speed in which it locks into focus. I dont know much about HSM, SLD, EX, APO, ED, Multicoating vignetting, abborations and all those things but can tell you that I am extremely happy with my lens.
I bought this lens (and a 2X converter) to replace my Nikon 80-400 VR and havent looked back. Simply put - Ilove this lens
The weight of the lens does however become prohibitive to carry around with me wherever I go and I would not recommend it unless one uses it with a monopod. (or a tripod when combining it with a Sigma 2X EX adaptor) Thats my 2c worth...
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Mar 30, 2003
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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88
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305216
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Apr 22, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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83% of reviewers
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$2,073.03
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.36
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9.58
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9.1
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