Review on 📷 Sigma APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Minolta and Sony SLR Cameras, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG by Pamela Howard

I've been looking for a telephoto zoom lens for a year and looked at the options from Canon, Sigma and Tamron and settled on this lens as the best value for money. There's a lot to see here, so I'm trying not to write a book and stick to the facts. First, it's a true apochromatic lens, meaning the design focuses light twice through the body to eliminate the prism effect that many lenses see, which is where we see the worst chromatic aberrations, or color fringing. Images are fairly sharp and clear at 250mm, the softness of the 300mm zoom is just beginning to show and to be honest it's only really noticeable if you zoom in heavily afterwards. For regular output, even poster-size prints, it produces stunning photos with beautiful color and depth. The zoom range of the Canon APSC sensor body creates an additional magnification so you see the actual range from 112mm to 480mm. When you're shooting the moon, or even shooting from across the gym, the subject is zoomed in so close that it completely changes the way you shoot. This lens is fully compatible with both EF and EF-S cameras which is a must when buying a lens as I will be working with both APSC and full frame bodies. At full zoom, this lens still maintains a stable f/5.6 aperture, so you can shoot fast enough without having to bump the ISO up too much. Daylight photography is perfect, well-lit interiors are great, but of course in darker environments you'll probably need to increase your shutter speed to over 1/320s, which I would never do without a tripod and without using a camera. remote trigger. Even 1/320s at max zoom can produce poor handheld images unless you are completely stable and I would recommend 1/500s handheld unless your hands are very stable. meters away from the sensor, which is actually surprisingly close. Even small objects often force me to zoom out closer to 200mm or even pan back to make sure I don't crop. The macro switch can only be operated at a distance of 200mm or more and locks the zoom in this range. Switching back usually requires switching to manual zoom to adjust focus in the macro range, because if you focus close to the macro switch it will lock. There's no notch for full-time manual focus, which can be annoying. Focusing with the automatic switched on puts a strain on the motor and can damage the lens. Also, it's often useless as the autofocus system will often correct what you're trying to change. Learn the switch positions and be prepared to use them, especially in darker conditions that can often hamper your camera's autofocus capabilities with long lenses. There's no image stabilization on this lens, but I've generally had no luck with IS on any telephoto lenses. . The best stabilization is a solid professional tripod and remote shutter release, and if you feel you need it better, look for wide-aperture professional lenses to ensure faster shutter speeds. In terms of aperture softness, it's pretty minimal, especially considering the price of this lens, and not really dramatic for a bezel-framed APSC sensor, really only on the corners of full frames. When you drop the aperture down to f/8 everything sharpens dramatically, and at f/11 everything is flawless. II lenses that do not work with full-frame cameras. The apochromatic structure elevates image quality above Canon's mid-range, and while it's not as good as pro lenses, it goes well beyond what an amateur needs, but there's no reason not to buy better than you need , if the price allows it. It's not directly compatible with 2x teleconverters, but can be mounted and manually focused for incredible close-ups. Please note that this lens uses a conventional focus motor, so this lens may be noisy when focusing and autofocusing during movie recording. absolutely not recommended. For the sub-$200 price range, this is without a doubt the best manufacturer out there, and in many ways outperforms more expensive competitors. It's worth it.