for folks that have or had these 2 lenses what do you think? looking at these 2 lenses, and looking at image quality only, which one would you consider?
I don't own either but have played with both, I'll take the Sigma. Fast, sharp, cuts like a knife. The Sigma has very good construction and the IQ is a plus, it is heavy though.
I used to own the Sigma 100-300 f4 and it was awesome! Focus was very quick and image quality was fantastic. Sharp wide open and the build quality was very similar to L glass. I ended up selling mine because I started to do more portrait work which involved a lot of hand held shots. The 100-300 is big and heavy and without IS I had a hard time getting crisp shots. I sold it for the Canon 70-200 2.8IS.
I would highly recommend this lens if the focal length and f-stop are what you need. But I would also suggest a monopod or tripod is needed for extended shooting.
Ed Peters wrote:
I don't own either, but I have also been leery of a zoom that was greater than 3:1..
Then my 35-350L would scare the hell out of ya Ed!
I have owned both. The Sigma is big and heavy but the sharpest zoom I have. I was sharper than my copy of the Canon 70-200 f/2.8. My most used sports lens.
rddelliott wrote:
The Sigma is big and heavy but the sharpest zoom I have. I was sharper than my copy of the Canon 70-200 f/2.8.
This is similar to my experience too. I sold the 70-200L before I could test them against each other, but I'm always impressed with the results the Sigma gives me. The Sigma and the 135L turned me into a pixel peeper because I'm excited how much detail can be resolved.
Yeah the 135L is an awsome detail resolver and the Sigma 100-300/f4 pales next to it. That's not to undermine the 100-300/f4's abilities, it is the sharpest zoom that I own. I find the 100-300/f4 softer at 300mm than at 250mm, but either way it's still sharper than my Siggi 70-200/f2.8, even stopped down.
But this is where things get practical, the canon 70-300mm IS is just so portable compared to the Siggi 100-300/f4. Yes the Canon looses a stop but gains a cool IS unit, but it's not quite in the same optical league as the Siggi. It's a good performer but wide open, the Siggi is noticably sharper. But on holiday or about town...I'd rather the Canon because it attracts a lot less attention. But when I need the extra sharpness, it's the Siggi.
It depends on if you are going to handhold or not. The sigma needs support to be its sharpest, the canon doesn't. However, at their respective "best" the sigma has better IQ and certainly faster AF.
Am I looking at the wrong lenses here? Are we comparing a 550.00$ Canon to a near 3,000.00$ Sigma? I must be looking at one or the other wrong....cuz I would surely think that a lens for 3 grand would well out perform one that costs only a fraction of that.
George
yes george u are looking at the wrong sigma lens. we are talking about the sigma 100-300 not the 120-300 f2.8. looks like the sigma wins hands down in picture quality and that's what i am looking for. thanks for all the feedback so far.
I'll note (as I always do) that the zoom ring on a Sigma turns the opposite way of a Canon zoom lens.
If you don't use any Canon zooms, or you're not shooting fast action, or you adjust almost instantly to the zoom direction of whatever lens is on your camera, that's not a big deal at all.
On the other hand, if you're a dumb creature of habit/instinct like me, you'll miss a ton of shots because in fast action a lens like that causes you to zoom OUT when you meant to zoom IN. For me, in fact, it's a deal-breaker (nothing "wrong" with the lens, mind you; just with me!).
That said, I've used both lenses and I think the IQ is close enough not to be a deciding factor and the Sigma build quality is much better.
RalphJ wrote:
I'll note (as I always do) that the zoom ring on a Sigma turns the opposite way of a Canon zoom lens.
If you don't use any Canon zooms, or you're not shooting fast action, or you adjust almost instantly to the zoom direction of whatever lens is on your camera, that's not a big deal at all.
On the other hand, if you're a dumb creature of habit/instinct like me, you'll miss a ton of shots because in fast action a lens like that causes you to zoom OUT when you meant to zoom IN. For me, in fact, it's a deal-breaker (nothing "wrong" with the lens, mind you; just with me!).
That said, I've used both lenses and I think the IQ is close enough not to be a deciding factor and the Sigma build quality is much better....Show more →
