Advice on Sigma 70-300mm APO DG macro lens


Status
Not open for further replies.

oneheart

New Member
Oct 27, 2006
382
0
0
West
Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie and i'm keen to explore macro but not ready to spend so much on canon macro lenses. I'm also hoping to shoot full body portrait with shallow DOF but couldnt really do it with my canon EF 50mm f/1.8. My friend recommended that i should get Sigma 70-300mm APO DG macro. Has anyone tried this lens before? Can you tell me the pros and cons of it? Thanks!
 

Hi bro,

The Sigma 70-300mm is a good lens for its price. The build quality is also not too bad.

You can see some examples I took last sunday at http://forums.clubsnap.com/showthread.php?t=212095&page=18 msg #880.

Cheers

Kelvin

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie and i'm keen to explore macro but not ready to spend so much on canon macro lenses. I'm also hoping to shoot full body portrait with shallow DOF but couldnt really do it with my canon EF 50mm f/1.8. My friend recommended that i should get Sigma 70-300mm APO DG macro. Has anyone tried this lens before? Can you tell me the pros and cons of it? Thanks!
 

i recommend the 70-200 macro one instead..its better...
 

70-200mm APO DG macro is at least 3times plus the price than 70-300, think the TS dont wanna spend so much...

Anyway 70-300 is a nice lens, thou focusing abit slow. But produce good images..
 

this is a very high value for money lens....
it is sharp, cheap and bokeh looks good (though not perfect, but stilll good)

it is the first zoom lens i bought and it is still around, while many other zoom have come and gone....
only gripe si that the build quality is not the pro type... but can't expect so much for this kind of price

example of how sharp it can be, plus the bokeh:

 

Con : max. F/5.6 at 300mm. You have to pump up your ISO to very high in order to get the desired shutter speed (e.g. faster than 1/200 if using tripod or 1/300 for handheld) for indoor events if shooting at 300mm.
 

I use my 70-300mm mainly for telephoto shots. As for macro I would suggest getting the Tamron 90mm which has a magnification ratio of 1:1 as compared to Sigma's 1:2. But nevertheless, it is still a good lens for the price you pay. Just one thing to note if you do want to shoot macro with 70-300, switch to manual focus because the autofocus is very slow and inaccurate (at least to my experience).
 

Thanks so much everyone for ur valuable feedback.. would like to view pictures you've taken using this lens.. would u like to share w me!
 

Maybe you can check out this thread. It's discussing abt this lense and there are some pics / links to show picture taken with this lense too. Hope it helps :)
 

I'm also considering this value-for-money lens... :think: Tamron one cheaper leh...
 

tamron cheaper but made in china as far as i know. i saw it at the back of the box...
 

Hi Sis,

I am using this lens also, of course mine is a different mount. Good lens I would say. Price is cheap and quality is good. But there's haze in one of the elements in my lens. :cry: Some of the pictures I took with this lens at the Botanic Gardens. Images were not PP.

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m238/galdor_photo/Flora Photos/

Worth getting.
 

this was my first telephoto lens. focus is slow compared to USM. but then for the price it is more than acceptable for this good piece of glass.

get it 2nd hand :D
 

this was my first telephoto lens. focus is slow compared to USM. but then for the price it is more than acceptable for this good piece of glass.

get it 2nd hand :D

Yeah! thanks for the advices! I've got my lens, going to try it out today! Last night was trying it out to shoot some macro pics on my seashells, realised that it is quite hard to shoot without tripod for macro right? Would u mind sharing some experiences with this lens? For eg, how abt shooting at 70mm without tripod? What do u usually use this lens to shoot?
 

Yeah! thanks for the advices! I've got my lens, going to try it out today! Last night was trying it out to shoot some macro pics on my seashells, realised that it is quite hard to shoot without tripod for macro right? Would u mind sharing some experiences with this lens? For eg, how abt shooting at 70mm without tripod? What do u usually use this lens to shoot?

I rarely shoot macro with a tripod. I go to SBG without a tripod nowadays... just practice keeping your hands steady...
 

I rarely shoot macro with a tripod. I go to SBG without a tripod nowadays... just practice keeping your hands steady...

Would u mind sharing w us ur pics? :)
 

Yeah! thanks for the advices! I've got my lens, going to try it out today! Last night was trying it out to shoot some macro pics on my seashells, realised that it is quite hard to shoot without tripod for macro right? Would u mind sharing some experiences with this lens? For eg, how abt shooting at 70mm without tripod? What do u usually use this lens to shoot?
You already say last night... 70-300 is a daylight lens. Try shooting at the morning/afternoon where it is at the brightest, you can survive without a tripod/monopod.
 

Would u mind sharing w us ur pics? :)

Head over to my gallery and check out the recent pics taken at SBG. And as ExplorerZ stated, this is daylight lens. Best used in day time conditions as it makes the focus hunt easier than in areas with less light.

Ps. my lens is the older version of the apo macro dg, but it works the same principally.
 

shoot at night also can la...

the bokeh is just fantastic!!!
the tasmania cat is in front of the mickey mouse, so it is oof...
about 5 to 6 cm in front.

get this lens, you won't be disappointed.

 

Status
Not open for further replies.