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Ellen Chase photo
Finland, Helsinki
1 Level
483 Review
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Review on πŸ“· Sigma APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Minolta and Sony SLR Cameras, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG by Ellen Chase

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good cheap DSLR lens Lenses

To praise the resolution or autofocus capabilities of such a cheap lens would be almost disingenuous. If you buy this lens expecting L quality and are subsequently disappointed, you have no one to blame but yourself. But if, like me, you buy a lens based on its price and hundreds of photo samples on sites like flickr, chances are you'll be happy with your purchase because you just know what to expect. It's easy to read a professional review and find the same information that many others have posted here in the Revain reviews section: AF isn't particularly fast, and when it falls short, it's a lot. It tends to be everywhere, especially in macro photography. Af is loud. The aperture range is not large. Sharpness at 300mm is nothing special. On the negative side, you definitely need to weigh such a product against its price. However, here is my list of positives (Canon 5d mk ii front lens): -70-300mm is an excellent range covering a huge distance. This makes the lens a good hiking companion, especially for budget nature photographers who need that kind of range. Autofocus is slow but not terrible. While I would question its suitability for fast-paced sports with a lot of players, it works great in most cases. Of course, it can get squirrel-like in the macro range, but you should still focus manually for that. -300mm absolutely usable. On my first outing with this lens I had some 300m sentinels that were sharp enough to print large and was perfectly happy with the results. Of course, the sharpness drops off at 300mm. No questions. And at that distance, it takes a damn steady hand or a very fast shutter speed to get it right. But if you take your time and use the right setup and/or tripod, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The 1:2 macro capability is excellent for this type of lens. You only get that at 300mm, but then again, this lens costs under $200 and has a ridiculous zoom range. That you can even get 1:2 out of it is pretty incredible. It costs less than $200. So is this a 5 star lens? nope But in terms of value for money, I put it at 4 quite comfortably.

Pros
  • Confident
Cons
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