feedback on Sigma service-review of 70-200 f2.8 EX DG

I had some trouble with the first generation Sigma HSM 70 to 200 F2.8 lens (not

the current macro)on my Nikon D70 and D200. Exposure was hit or miss, and focus

was slightly behind where it was meant to be. Since my Nikon lenses did not

have these issues, I finally sent it to Sigma for warranty

repair/calibration/chip upgrade a couple of months ago.

 

Turned out they had trouble getting the lens to work right even after a new chip

arrived from Japan, so they ended up sending me a brand new version 70 -200 f2.8

APO EX DG Macro!

 

Took some photos with it today, and all I can say is my 80-200 F2.8 AFD Nikkor

is probably going to be up for sale soon. Focuses fast and quiet and very

accurate. Color is superb. Sharpness is amazingly good even at f2.8 at all

focal lengths . At 200mm, it does improve a bit if stopped down to F4.0. It is

sharper than my 80-200 2.8 Nikkor, and seems to have less issues with CA. Flare

is very low as well.

 

The ability to get sharp focus as close as 1 meter at all focal length is very

handy as well-I hated it when I tried to get a shot of a butterfly or humming

bird and my Nikkor couldn't focus as close as I wanted to. This lens also

seems to be just as sharp at the close focus range as it is at further distances.

 

My overall rating of the lens is a WOW! Its a keeper. I think I will get the

dedicated 1.4X apo converter as well.

 

Andy

here's a photo from my sons soccer game today. haven't had much luck getting things to upload correctly at this site, even though I scale them way down.<div></div>

Here is another photo on the close focus setting<div></div>

One more shot at 140mm shot wide open at f2.8. Focus was dead on just about every shot I took wide open, unlike my original lens that would back focus.<div></div>

I have found Sigma have improved there game here aswell, it's a good lens at a great price and works well with the 1.4x, don't bother with the 2x and make sure you get the sigma convertor.

 

I use it's big brother the 120-300 2.8 all the time, it's probably one of the best lens I have used well at least one of the most versitile and I have most of them, I think the 70-200 nikor edges out the sigma but not by the gap that most would like to believe and if vr isn't crucial the gap gets even smaller, nice shots but too big for the forum..

 

Regards

 

Mark

This lens is on my short list and has been for a while. I have had really good luck with Sigma's EX lenses.

Andrew I like the lens as well and got mine upgraded to latest firmware for free. I got the version prior to the "digital update". At the time I bought it image quality was very slightly better than the corresponding Nikkor in some focal range but the Nikkor was slightly better in others so it was a draw - but the Sigma was cheaper and I decided for the Sigma. It works better on my D200 than on film. Perhaps Sigma improved its formula but so did Nikon.

 

I was less enthusiastic with the dedicated 1.4x converter.

Unless the larger image helps a bit when taking the shot - there is no reason to use it. Image quality was not better than a crop from the lens without the converter at higher magnification - so there is no gain in quality at least at the long end where I tried.

 

Actually my kenko pro 1x4 showed less AF hunting but was not really any better in image quality. Get longer zoom lens or a prime with the Kenko 1,4 x .