The Sigma 120-300/2.8 lens I rented for the past week has been boxed up and is ready to be shipped back. It’s been a fun shooting with it, and I’m sad to see it go back.
Pros:
- Sharp, even wide open
- Minimal vignetting wide open
- Being able to shoot 300/2.8 without being locked into a prime lens is really handy during a shoot.
- Being able to cover the entire 120-300 range at 2.8 is really, really handy.
- Usable without a monopod (but barely)
Cons:
- Heavy. Very heavy. 1DX + this lens + 600EX-RT is almost 12 pounds.
- Focusing is a little on the slow side. (It’s not THAT slow, but it’s not a true sports lens by any stretch.)
- It’s not cheap. However, there’s no other lens like it, and it’s a lot cheaper than say, Canon’s 200-400/4.
- Very conspicuous. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this many comments about my lens before. Carrying the lens definitely makes you stand out.
Should You Buy It?
If you need a f/2.8 zoom lens that goes beyond 200mm, this is an excellent value. If you rarely need to shoot beyond 200mm at f/2.8, consider the Canon 70-200/2.8 instead.
Will I Buy It and Why?
Probably — there are many times when shooting cosplay and my kids that I want to go beyond 200mm and still have the bokeh from f/2.8.
