Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 APO EX DG Macro II Lens For Nikon Digital & Film SLR Cameras

First bear in mind that this lens is the mk.II variant of the original, so when reading reviews on other sites please look out for the 'II' designation to be sure you're looking at the right lens (as we all know the first incarnation had its flaws) I'll briefly talk through a couple of areas that I feel important about this lens and list them below:

Build:
Let it be known that this lens is built like a tank, it feels very solid and its also quite heavy, but there is definitely a feel of quality when you use it. The focusing and zoom rings are nicely damped and large enough to be used comfortably. They each have rubber grips that never slip, and have good durability too. The EX finish on the lens is nice, it is hard wearing, and takes abuse quite well, but please don't abuse the lens.

Optics:
This lens has a lovely bokeh, very creamy and soft, and when stopped down it can be tack sharp. At f/2.8 it is soft, and the depth of field is like a razor, stopped down to f/8 or so for portraits is a dream, but I would never go further than f/11 because the quality drops from there (not a bad thing though) I found the sharpest results to be at 100mm f/4 and I use this for portraits as its my favourite setting. There isn't much CA, and hardly any distortion on either end of the zoom scale. All in all, the image quality is very good.

Features: The autofocus is silent and fast, even in continuous auto tracking focus mode it hardly ever drops out of focus and has to hunt, this is really a good lens in that respect. The shorter focusing range of 1metre is great for macro, and you can resolve a lot of detail at 200mm. The lens comes with a really nice pouch, quite big but very padded. It also comes with a lens hood that is nice and deep and well built (although plastic) and there is a tripod ring too (which is metal)

Notes: There isn't any weather-proofing on the lens, and there certainly isnt any image stabilization, but if you're sniffing at these aspects, you're looking at doubling the cost of the lens by going for the pro Canon or Nikon range...

I hope this helps, any questions feel free to contact me.

I photograph bands, among other things, in often dark and badly lit pubs and where the difference between focussing on the microphone, guitar strings but not the face can make/break a picture. I need a lens to look serious, but not flashy, to compete with the press boys (& girls). Without wanting to sound self important, people do realise you've got a job to do and give you the space if you look the part and have the kit. It's like a taxi - you expect and are reassured if a decent and safe vehicle turns up.

I've removed the tripod collar and though it's not the shake reduction model, I can handhold at 200mm at 1/50 sec, slow enough to get a drummer's sticks blurred. It handles a dream on my D700; images are bitingly sharp and can withstand cropping. That bright viewfinder really penetrates dark corners of venues and in such confines the 3x zoom range really pulls you into expressions on faces. Shallow depth of field at f2.8, 3.2 or f4 can really isolate your subject, making them more 3D and the lighting can look really effective as it gets defocussed quickly behind them. Zoom back out to include the musicians.

In pattern and nature shots the versatility of a shallow depth of field is a big creative bonus. It focusses quite close - down to 1metre. It's also a superb portrait lens as you can keep a variable but comfortable distance from your subject.

The layout of the focal lengths is in small, simple white numbers on the matt black of the barrel and embellished in gold is "EX Sigma", their top range, as is "Apo" (for apochromatic) which is Sigma's tried and trusted use of special glasses that help focus all three colours of the light spectrum at the same point. You may not know this, but they don't normally and this anomaly gets worse as the focal length increases.

The lovely, ribbed rubber (& chunky) zoom and focus rings are reassuring and to me, in the right place - focus at the front and the narrower zoom nearer the camera. I've now developed a way that I can keep my right index finger on the shutter, my left hand fingers on the focus and fine zooming, for composition, with the top edge of the left thumb, all at the same time. It does sound 'all fingers and thumbs' and only works in practice but the balance with the D700 makes it all fluid and practical. The actions are nicely weighted and smooth - certainly less stiff than my Sigma 24-70 f2.8 EX HSM, whilst IF (internal focus) means that the lens doesn't change in physical length whilst zooming, so zoom creep (either shooting up into the sky, or downward when carrying) cannot be a problem.

A/F is immediate, silent and largely very effective. It can be fooled (or the camera can) by high contrast objects (such as those microphones and guitar strings) and so I prefer to follow the action, ready and wait for my shot and fine tune the focus myself. Most pro's do the same. It's about feeling and being in, control.

The Nikon equivalent might well be one of the best made but the cost, now is round about three times what I paid for this Sigma. Admittedly, that is with their VR (vibration reduction) model, the Sigma equivalent OS (Optical Stabilisation) is around double. That is serious money indeed and well out of reach for all but the well-heeled or successful professionals. But this Sigma is still such a good all-round performer and (comparatively) good value - you get a lot of good glass for the cash - that people will still want it if one needs to sell.

The deep, well made, petal-shaped hood is effective, except if a low sun shines right down the barrel - causing a lot of ghosting, but any long lens will suffer that. A decent, well padded lens pouch with shoulder strap supplied as standard means good portability. The 77mm filter size might seem big but many lenses use this, especially modern, high spec zooms. I use a simple Tiffen 'protector' filter, which is plain glass and currently only £14 on Amazon.

As more pics made with this lens get into my local paper than any other lens I've used makes me wonder how I coped (or not!) before getting this beauty. It instantly became essential kit.

I have owned this lens for about 9 months now. Overall I am very pleased with it. Build quality is very good with a solid well made robust lens body. Image quality it pin sharp, I have got 3 customer images loaded on this page. As yet I have no negative things to say about it. It has been used in several non camera friendly situations and has yet has been 100% reliable. Just a small moan I have got small hands but I still find the finger grips on the tripod mount a little tight to get my fingers into. This makes it difficult to hold whilst using as a hand held camera ( Canon 7D) I just hold the lens body and despite its weight it is well balanced. I feel if you were doing a lot of hand held fast work ie motor sports or air shows you might struggle with it. On a good quality tripod is is just fantastic as the pod mounts onto the lens body. Another nice lens from Sigma at about half the price of the Canon lense. This lens is not for everyone due to its weight. I carried my kit through the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim after 20 miles I was regretting bringing it along. After 50 miles I was sorry I had even thought of bringing it along and was a little sick of it. Comes with a nice carry case and a very good lens hood. As say not for every one but I love my lens.