Using Sigma's original OS (Optical Stabilizer) function, two types of sensors inside the lens detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera. To deal with all kinds of photographic situations, the system has two camera-shake compensation mode:1 which detects and compensates for both vertical and horizontal movement, and 2 which compensates for vertical movement only.
Key Features
* Lens Construction: 20 Elements in 14 Groups
* Angle of View: 30.3 - 6.2 degrees
* Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9 Blades
* Minimum Aperture: F32
* Minimum Focusing Distance: 180cm
* Maximum Magnification: 1:5
* Filter Size: 77mm
* Dimensions: Diameter 95mm x Length 192mm
* Weight: 1750g
Registered: July 2005 Location: Berkshire Posts: 1150
Review Date: Thu September 7, 2006
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £799.00
| Rating: 8
Pros:
Good short to long range.
Cons:
It's damn heavy.
I bought this lens a fair few months ago with the thought of using it for motorsport and airshow photography.
I've used this lens for just one airshow that being Biggin Hill and found it be good at close range as well as the long range, focus was ok although I did at times swear and curse as the lens went into hunt mode and not finding my intended target in time. The tripod mount/holding handle feels ok a bit thin but at short to mid range gives good support but at long range I tried holding the grip but found the lens to wave around to much so moved my hand further along the lens for greater control.
Zooming in and out I found the twist grip to be some what stiff but I have read that this does ease with use, on a whole the AF worked fine just that every now and then it wouldn't focus on fast moving planes, as for the two stage optical stabalizer it came in handy for those slow shutter speed shots to blur them props a little more. Also giving you confidence to drop maybe a little lower than you would normally. Having said that I wouldn't recommend the OS for motrosport as the speed and distance of the cars will be some what less than at an airshow and not giving the OS time to allow for any movement.
Using this lens with the Sigmas 1.4 x and 2x TC's you will lose the AF and have manually focus yourself as with lossing one stop for the 1.4 and two stops with the 2X TC's your apeture will drop below the f5.6 mark. The 2xTC will give an effective range of 160mm to 800 f9-11 plus any sensor crop factor that maybe needed for your model of camera. With the 1.4x TC will give you an effective range of 112mm to 560 at f6.3-8 again plus any crop factor for your sensor and model of camera.
Down sides I only have two.
a) weight this lens is no lightweight use this lens for a day at an airshow and your arm will tell about it later on when you get home and rest it, a tripod or mono pod is a must with this brute.
b) No HSM the AF is rather noisy although you do get used to it as the day goes on it's just one of those things you pay good money for this lens HSM would have been the icing on the cake.
Overall.
If you are in the market for a lens of this length you really should put this into the pot of consideration as it is a very good lens all be it with for me a couple of small minner downsides.
