Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have a Nikon D200 body and both Sigma APO 70-300 as well as Nikon 70-300 (non-ED) lenses. I tested both these lenses at f4 and f10 apartures and at 70mm, 200mm and 300mm focal lengths. The camera was on a tripod, mirror lockup was used and tripod/camera were not moved at all during lens changes for perfect apples-to-apples comparison. Identical sources of ambient light and identical flash settings were used for both lenses. Here are my conclusions:
It was very difficult to determine which lens was sharper between the two even when blown up to large picture sizes. The colors on the pictures taken by Sigma were a little bit more appealing but again only when looked at under lot of scrutiny. The depth of field on Sigma was shallower at f4 vs the Nikon which is both good (for portraits) and bad (for non-portrait pictures). Sigma always produced brighter pictures compared to Nikon lens but that can be compensated by always over-exposing the Nikon. I can say safely that a picture taken by the Nikon with one stop higher exposure is comparable to the picture taken by Sigma with Sigma winning by a very small margin only and in terms of color richness only when the pictures are blown up to large sizes.
When you switch the Sigma to macro mode it sort of becomes an apples-to-oranges comparison since the Nikon does not have a macro mode. To make it a fair test I used Nikon's published lowest focusing distance for both Nikon and Sigma lenses and switched the Sigma to macro mode. Sigma was slightly better than Nikon again when put under lot of scrutiny.
CONCLUSION:
I was absolutely thrilled with the closeups that the Sigma took that the Nikon could never have taken since Nikon does not have the macro mode. If taking closeups or macro pictures is not a goal for you, Sigma is only marginally better than Nikon so whether you spend the extra $50 for the Sigma APO or not is up to you. Happy shooting...
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras
The Sigma APO 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Nikon 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.
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