- = Jetzone 2000 = - : Sigma EX 120-300mm f2.8 IF APO Review

Lens Review: Sigma EX 120-300mm/f2.8 IF APO (Part 1)

Review Part 1

Review Part 2



::: I’ve made this review of Sigma’s big and fast zoom on request of several people who asked me how it handled. It is clearly in an other league than most of Sigma’s consumer range of lenses. I do not pretend this is professional review. I tried to give my consumer/prosumer opinion on the lens and the performance that I see. So no MFT graphs and statistics here, but a straight forward review with the emphasis on the full open and long end of this big zoom. But before I go deeper into testing the lens, it is good to know why I’ve bought this one and what kind of lenses I have used before.

::: Having used both Pentax and Minolta equipment for over 20 year, I switched to Canon Digital SLR’s in 2002. Starting with the Canon D30 and form 2003 onwards the Canon 10D. The D30 came with a Tamron 28-105mm/f2.8 a 28-300mm/f??. Those Tamron lenses were soon replaced with a Canon EF 28-135mm/f4.5-5.6 and a EF 70-200mm/f4 ‘L’. Both of them are keepers! The 10D that replaced the D30 offered better resolution and improved AF. To gain some extra reach for the airshow business, I tried a EF 1.4 x Type I extender on the 70-200mm. This was not a success as I lost a lot of sharpness and contrast. After having shot a day or so with a borrowed the EF 300mm/f2.8 ‘L’ IS lens, I was shocked by the quality of the images. (I was also shocked by the price !) But having seen numerous raving reviews of its smaller brother, the EF 300mm/f4 ‘L’ IS, this was the next logical step. The lens offers razor sharp images, fast autofocus and most important it was within budget! Replacing this prime with an EF 100-400/f4.5-5.6 IS ‘L’ for even more reach, it turned out to be a big disappointment. It was focusing slow and was not nearly as the 300mm prime. So out with the selling the zoom and start looking for a (used) Canon EF 300mm/f4 IS ‘L’ again. Other options I considered were:
::: Having had good experiences with buying (and selling) used equipment on well known Dutch sites like www.marktplaats.nl and www.fotoapparatuur.nl, this was the staring point for my quest for a ‘like-new’ Canon EF 300mm/f4 IS ‘L’ prime. As I was not in a hurry, I took my time and stumbled over a used Sigma EX 120-300mm/f 2.8 upon marktplaats.nl. It came complete with all accessories and had extras like a huge 105mm Sigma Multi Coated UV filter and the large TS-41 tripod collar. Having contacted the seller, who lived only 20km away, it turned out that the lens was only 20 months old. He was selling it for a very competitive price, as he was about to get his Sigma 500mm/f4.5 soon.

::: Ok, the first impression of the lens is that it is huge! Coming from consumer and 'prosumer' type of lenses, all of the pro-like lenses are big. Although slightly smaller than the Canon EF 300mm/f2.8 ‘L’ IS prime, with a stunning 2600 gram the Sigma is just a little bit heavier than the Canon. Comparing these two, one must take into account that the Canon is a fast (f2.8) prime with image stabilization (IS) and that the Sigma has no IS but it offers the flexibility of a zoom with an equally fast aperture of f2.8. Having used the Canon for only one day at a D30 body, it is fair to say that this is the best lens in its class and it will serve as a benchmark for this review. (I’m speaking for Canon mounts now. I’m sure Nikon or Minolta have their own top lenses, which are only unfamiliar to me.)

::: Opening the box reveals first the green/black pouch. It has a adjustable belt that allows it to be carried over the shoulder. There are no clips of Velcro to attach it to an existing photo(back)pack. The lens has the matte-black finish familiar from other pro-line EX lenses. The big rubber ribbed rings for manual focusing (MF) and zooming have a good grip are easy to operate. Both are within fingertip range when supporting the lens with the left hand under the tripod collar. The first ring (as seen from behind the camera) is the MF ring. The High Speed Motor (HSM) allows manual adjustment without having to switch the lens to MF. (More on the HSM and the focusing later in this review.) The even larger zoom ring allows smooth, but dampened zooming. Some of the first examples were of this lens were often returned to Sigma to loosen up a to stiff adjustment. This problem seems to be solved on current lenses. It is certainly not as stiff as some of the 50-500mm examples I have had my hands on. The current damping of the zoom mechanism is enough to prevent zoom-creeping when holding the lens vertically. Both zooming and focusing takes place internal and will not change length of the lens. Therefore there is (almost) no change in the center of gravity and makes the lens well balanced. Focal lengths are marked at 120, 150, 180, 200, 250 and 300mm.

::: Further to the front is the bayonet type lenshood mount. The included lenshood must be locked with a adjustable knob. Mounting the hood takes some getting used to. You have to look carefully on how to slide it into the bayonet fitting (especially when a filter is attached). When attached it is solid and you can put the lens and camera on it in a vertical position. The hood can be reversed fitted for storage. It lacks the soft anti-reflective inner lining that the Canon examples have. The hood is also a little short. Of course one should remember that it is constructed not only for a 8 degree view angle at 300mm, but also for a 20 view angle at 120mm. This to prevent vignetting on the short end of the range. On a APS sized type of camera like a 10D the FOV is 1.6 times smaller and a larger lenshood would be not a problem, but a full size sensor camera like a 1DS this hood is perfect. At the front end there is the option to screw on huge 105mm type of filters. Although a digital SLR has no need for UV protection (as film did), I do have a Sigma EX Multi Coated UV filter for scratch protection attached. There is no (conventional) lenscover supplied, but instead Sigma offers a leather/foam protective cover. It does the job, but a conventional squeeze-clip-on type would be more practical.

::: The MF/AF switch is conveniently placed near the camera body. Located near the unlock button of the lensmount, it is easy to access. The vertical plate of the tripod collar on the early models is very small and difficult to mount on a tripod. The limited space between the tripod plate and the MF ring makes it impossible to use it as a handle for carrying the lens/body. The separately sold TS-41 tripod collar is a far better option. This collar, familiar from Bigma’s 50-500mm, has more space between the MF ring and the tripod plate. The plate is also a much bigger and can be used as a carrying grip. Sigma has recognized this flaw and is now supplying the bigger TS-41 collar with the new DG grade lenses. Both type of collars can be easily adjusted and removal is a piece of cake, even with a body attached. If you don’t have the TS-41, I strongly advice you to get one as it improves the handling characteristics, but it expensive (± € 150,-).
:: So how is it in the test? Read more in Part 2 of the test.

Review Part 2 >>