Product Details

• Brand: Sigma
• Model: B000ALLMI8
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 3.00" w x 4.80" l, 1.17 pounds

Features

• Optimized for use with digital SLR cameras
• Multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduces flare and ghosting
• Minimum focusing distance is 37.4 inches at all zoom settings
• Features 14 lens elements in 10 Groups
• High-performance lens ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sigma APO 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras is a telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro functionality. Optimized for digital cameras, this high-performance lens has two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group. It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1:2 at the focal length of 300 millimeters. It's the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

The multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduce flare and ghosting, which is a common problem with digital cameras, and it also creates an optimum color balance through the entire zoom range. High optical performance is demonstrated throughout the entire zoom range. The lens features a switch that converts the lens to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters, with a minimum focusing distance of 37.4 inches. In normal mode the minimum focusing distance is 59.1 inches at all zoom settings.

Customer Reviews

Go for the Canon. This is cheap, cheap, cheap.
Based on the reviews here at Amazon I bought this lens. Within 5 minutes after it arrived it was out of the box and I was shooting, but I was extremely disappointed. It looks cheap and feels cheap. The zoom operation is stodgy and for the life of me I had a hard time getting nicely focused, hand-held pictures. I knew every time I used this lens I'd end up hating it, so I wrapped it back up and ordered the Canon. That arrived last night and there is absolutely no comparison. The IS USM version costs a little over $500, but it's worth it in my book.

Well worth the price
This was my first lens after getting started with the world of SLRs. Initially as a novice, I was much apprehensive on seeing such number of available lens but the reviews here helped me choose this one and I am way happy with the results I am getting.

So how do i feel about it? Let me summarize it in a line. For money's worth this is a real good starter Telephoto lens.

Its tack sharp. Some of the photos I have taken recently on a trip are way better than expected. Many of them are on 300mm and so tack sharp! Even the Bokeh looks nice :)

For Telephoto: Its a perfect amateur lens that one can take to the zoo or outings. The DOF is just right and captures things real well. Though the zooming and focus might take some used to.. Zoom out, focus and then Zoom in. Well you cannot USM like performance from a $200 lens. In good daylight (around sundown) this can still well work in a hand-held mode for taking photos with a shutter of around 1/50

For Macro: A valued Added feature, but many times i have to wrestle the button to change from Macro to Normal, but the lens is sturdy to handle it. I haven't tried it extensively for Macro as I seem to have to back up a bit to get subjects into perspective (200 to 300 mm range). And it seems that the DOF is a bit thin for the macro range.

So will i buy a new telephoto lens? Unless you are considering a 70-200mm 2.8L(1200$, into wildlife photography or need ultra fast focusing) as your next choice this is a much versatile and did i say well-worth-the-money lens.

Best Lens for the Price
I've owned this lens for several years now, and I've used it on both 35mm and digital SLR's. I have to start off by saying that it's a wonderful lens for the price. People who claim the lens isn't sharp might be referring to the non-APO version, which is about $100.00 less. This version, I have found, is tack-sharp between 70-200mm, and still very sharp from 200-300mm. The macro feature gives a 1:2 reproduction ratio, which is more than sufficient for most subjects. Keep in mind, on a digital camera with an APS-sized sensor, this lens is really a 112-480mm lens, taking into account the 60% crop factor. If my math isn't fuzzy, that should also make the reproduction ratio 1:1.4 on a digital SLR. That's pretty darn good for a consumer-grade lens. Sure, it's not "L" Series glass, but you're not paying over a grand for it, either. For someone on a budget, this lens is as good as it gets.