Filter Reviews

I'm photographing wildlife as a hobby for about 6 years now and before this lens I used the regular 70-300 zoom lens and due to budget I could'nt buy any of the brand's telephotos until I found this lens ,at first I was suspicious because it seems too cheap for a 500mm lens but this was before I received my first photos and transparencies from the lab because it turned out to be way better than I could ever imagine, the photos were great, very nice color and contrast, not to mention the depth of field of a telephoto which is very shallow and makes the main object very strong ,the image comes with a very nice blurred background and a very shrp main objects ,image wise this lens is very good (not only for the price range )and the only drawback is the slow auto focus . Anyway, this lens forces the use of a sturdy tripod so you should take it in account. after about a year with this lens I can say that I'm more than satisfied ,there is no match for it in the price range

I shoot nature semi-professionally, and use a lot of pro Nikkor glass. This lens is among the highest in optical quality that I have worked with. The images remain sharp and contrasty at all apertures (remember that DOF is very shallow at 3.5 and 4), and the bokeh is very nice opened up. The color may have a slight warmness compared to Nikkor's 60mm/2.8. I have been banging this lens around in the field for a month or so; the build quality seems excellent, and the tripod mount is nicely balanced. Focusing is silent, fairly fast, and very accurate on F5, N90s, and N80. The manual focus (primary mode in macro photog.) is nicely dampened for an AF lens. I am shooting transparency film on a tripod with a cable and focusing stage.
All in all this is a fine optic and it is priced reasonably.

I've used this lens for about 8 months and have come to love it. I keep it attached solely to My Nikon D100 for which I think it is especially suited. The "35mm equivilant" focal length, while on the D100 is 36-105mm which works quite well for me.
Key Points:
Strenghts:
1.)Consistant f2.8 max ap - this is a FAST lens in this class, giving me a bright viewfinder screen and making focus (auto or manual) faster and easier in dim light.
2.)Auto Focus speed - quite fast, especially given it's weight
3.)Sharp - especially at f4.0 or smaller. - note the fast 2.8 max is great for focus and composition, but there are no lenses out there that I know of that don't benefit from closing down at least 1 stop. Don't get me wrong though - this is great glass, and clearly worthy of Sigma's top-o-the-line EX designation. Edge of field sharpness - nothing to complain about here
4.)Color - really is great, likely benefits from the exotic glass.
5.)Focus Clutch - when in autofocus mode, push the focus ring to AF mode, which essentially takes it "out of gear" so you don't inadvertently try to overcome the lenses focus motor.
6.)Range - on my 35mm film SLRs, I use primarily a 28mm+ for wide shots but especially on a D100 or D1x, this lense turns out to have, for me at least , a great range as I get the "equivilant of 36mm given the CCDs chip size as compared to film. Note that especially with Digital SLRs the last thing I want in the field is a lot of lense changes to get dust in the camera and onto my CCD sensor (n fairness - not the sensor but the moire filter in front of it). I wish someone made a 20mm-70mm f2.8 but I think the chances of seeing that any time soon are small.
7.)Cost - look at other manufacturers, the same specs from nikon would cost >$1000 IF you could get it. And again, this is a great pice of glass, not just a great piece of glass for the price.
Issues to know about:
1.)Size - this is a big fat lens - clearly not that much fun to carry. Also the caliber of the lense makes access to the aperture ring difficult, so you'll clearly want to set and lock the aperture at minimum and control it from the camera front control wheel (on the F100 you have a choice, not so on the D100) if your camera allows that
2.)Filter diameter - the lens front filter thread diameter is 82mm! It took me a month to find a 1A filter in that size (Contax makes a nice one, ended up getting it at BHphoto)
3.)Resistance to zooming - going from ~30 to 24mm involves twisting the zoom ring a little harder - you are moving some big elements when you do this, and if you put the camera down, lens up, the weight of the optics will cause it to "collapse" ie to zoom back to ~50+mm
4.)Finish- this lens has a dull black finish which I like a lot - some people might want the polished or black laquer finish.
5.) Brand - not all Sigma lenses are great...but I think this one is. No apologies.

Picked 5 stars since I couldn't pick 4 1/2 stars. I bought this lens to replace the 35-80mm lens that came with my Canon EOS Rebel 2000. Having used Sigma lenses with my Pentax 35mm I knew I couldn't go wrong. This lens is light weight, quick to focus and quiet. Focus ring (for manual fousing) is smooth and in just the right spot. The zoom ring is not quite as smooth as the focus but it's not a hinderance. The 28-105mm zoom range is ideal for beginning and experienced photographers and provides more flexibility than the 35-80mm lens I replaced. All three rolls of film I've shot with this lens look great! Included lens hood is ideal for preventing lens flare when taking pics outside.

I use Minolta XTSI camera...
Earlier, I purchased 28-80 and 70-210mm lens.It was very difficult to carry two lens and change it also.
So i purchased Sigma 28-300mm lens,With little hesitation...
But when i see the result of the photos ..Our entire family is very very happy....I say A++++++..n times..
I am going to buy another camera with the same lens for my sister also..

No need to change lens ...All in one lens..The best lens....and very echonomical also.........

Lens provides excellent image quality with wide angle shots and close-ups in macro mode. Lens is very compact and lightweight perfect for traveling.

I love this lens. It is very good for indoor photography , because the relatively wide angle it covers lets you take in what is happening in an enclosed space, and the speed lets you hand hold your camera without a flash. It autofocuses quickly, and is plenty sharp. Because it's wide angle, the depth of field at large F-stops isn't hideously narrow. Well worth the money.

I love this lens. It is very good for indoor photography , because the relatively wide angle it covers lets you take in what is happening in an enclosed space, and the speed lets you hand hold your camera without a flash. It autofocuses quickly, and is plenty sharp. Because it's wide angle, the depth of field at large F-stops isn't hideously narrow. Well worth the money.

I love this lens. It is very good for indoor photography , because the relatively wide angle it covers lets you take in what is happening in an enclosed space, and the speed lets you hand hold your camera without a flash. It autofocuses quickly, and is plenty sharp. Because it's wide angle, the depth of field at large F-stops isn't hideously narrow. Well worth the money.

I love this lens. It is very good for indoor photography , because the relatively wide angle it covers lets you take in what is happening in an enclosed space, and the speed lets you hand hold your camera without a flash. It autofocuses quickly, and is plenty sharp. Because it's wide angle, the depth of field at large F-stops isn't hideously narrow. Well worth the money.