I am seeing a lot of warm and fuzzy talk about the Sigma. And I'm really happy the OP has found his dream lens. Everyone has their likes and dislikes.
But let's talk reality...all this talk seems to be turning into a sales pitch for the Sigma. But before we mislead alot of new visitors here who seem to be ready to jump on the Sigma wagon I think there should be a little talk of other lenses that may provide other people with better options.
If I had $1900 to spend, (what this lens sold for awhile ago) or $2900...(what it lists for now) I would SURELY pick up a used 300 2.8 in either IS or non (depending on whether you are spending the lower number or the higher).
If a zoom is absolutely necessary and you must have 300 2.8 on the long end then the Sigma is pretty much the only lens out there that fits the bill. Yes it's a fairly sharp lens in the same way that any quality zoom is sharp...they are compromise lenses.
I am sincerely glad that Dann is happy as a clam But we need to reign this thread in a bit before new visitors think that the FM forum is all aglow about how the superior Sigma is the only choice
Joe, I had not intended to mislead newer FMer's to believe this is the one and only sports glass to get. I'm also aware of the many issues some here have had.
I agree regarding other lenses and options, but for versatility and price and add to that outstanding results from photogs whose work I admire this Siggy is the only option for church mice like me who are not anywhere in the sports photog chain to have my images pay for a proper lens yet alone this model.
Even in the used market my chances of getting this siggy at a decent price over a used IS/VR or non lens is pretty slim.
The difference in cost for the siggy and a Nikon/Cannon is too great to consider buying the real thing and that cost can be extended to TC's. My preference would be to get a new lens and return defective lenses until I hit the perfect gem.
For now I will have to stick w/ my Bigma in the daytime and my short 80-200/2.8 for evenings.
Oh no, I completely understand budgets, needs, wants etc. But there might be a few new people stopping by to see what the FM people are talking about today.
They see a thread devoted to the Sigma, which is fantastic. But I thought I'd throw another option out there for someone who might have jumped in here and thought it was the bees knees and all the guys on FM were using them so they just had to go out and get one.
No worries...there is something for all of us out there.
Well for what it's worth last week I had a 120-300 2.8 Non DG I got from the B&S fourm. Maybe something happened it shipping but I couldn't get the thing to work worth a D@mn on my MK3 or MK2. Now maybe it was a bad copy but I have never seen a lens track that bad on both my bodies. The Sell used it on his MK2 and the samples where sharp so maybe our bodies are not the same spec I really don't know.
The other issue that really worried me was how short the lens hood was. Now if you only shoot in good weather you might be fine but I would be very worried if it was raining. Now sure you can put a rain cover on it but with the hood being so short I'm sure you have issues with rain blowing in. This is a huge issue for me as a newspaper shooter as I'm stuck out there no mattter what and I can't afford to have a lens fail on the job.
Maybe the 300 2.8 IS ruined me but after my 24hrs with it I was not impressed. I'm sure there are good copies out there I'm just wondering how many you have to try out to find one. I'm not sure how my dealer would be about me return 3 of more copies of the lens.
Not raining on your Siggy love fest Dann just offering a counter point I got nothing but love for ya
Bryen
Is that a super clamp you have it connected to (flash)?
Do you have any images that show that closer up. Trying to decide if I should get a bracket or do what your doing for high school games this year.
Matthew - Yes, I believe I used a Super Clamp that game. I also shot one game with, I believe, a Justin Clamp. The Super Clamp was MUCH sturdier (Duh... ).
I tried several different flash configurations last year - even shot one game with one flash on the monopod like this and one above on a Stroboframe bracket. Spent most of that game trying to get the flash levels set properly.
I liked having the flash under the camera as it didn't have to be flipped every time I switched from vertical to horizontal, but I found the shadows to be a little funky. This year, I'm sticking with the Strobframe (unless I replace it with a better bracket (http://www.justritebracket.com/Home.html)
Those are some really nice pics you've posted there, thanks for sharing those! Your images have given me some inspiration to work with my 120-300mm with some more sports-related shooting. I've had my "Miss Siggy" since the springtime and "she's" been a real treat to work with (I wanted something to give me a bit more snap than my Sigma 80-400mm OS, especially in less-than-optimal lighting conditions). I recently shot a benefit golf outing a few weeks back and the 120-300mm performed like a champ...this was my first attempt at a sports subject. I spent the better part of five hours walking the golf course looking for different sorts of action shots and different perspectives to shoot from (my thanks to all the golfers for not nailing me with my inline attempts!).
I am curious to hear a bit more detail from the folks who, in their experience, found that "Miss Siggy" can be temperamental. I've used "her" mostly for up-close birding and general nature, landscape and wildlife and have no complaints as to how she "acts". In fact, while using this lens for the golf outing I shot just over 300 images and had only 4 OOF images that were, quite frankly, my fault for either accidentally firing the shutter too fast before getting focus (2 images) or by my not making sure I had a proper subject focus before I composed my shot (the other 2).
Now the only thing I can fathom is my choice of AF, that being One Shot versus AI Servo or AI Focus. I'm pretty much a spot-metering, center-point focus, exposure adjust and recompose type of shooter. Would it be a fair guess that for sports I should begin to explore other options/techniques? I only ask as I have never really used (beyond some experimenting) any of the high speed shutter modes (seems too much like using the camera like a machine gun to me.). Nor have I been a fan of letting my camera select which focus point it wants to use.
Any insights on "Miss Siggy's" behavior, and/or the art of sports shooting, would be welcome. (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have an "in" at a local high school to shoot some varsity football this fall! Not a gig, just to learn my chops.) And, again, nice job on your pics, I like your sense of timing on the action shots and your sense of the moment for the candids!
But we need to reign this thread in a bit before new visitors think that the FM forum is all aglow about how the superior Sigma is the only choice 
