I got my Sigma 120-300 2.8 today

johnaalex

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I was lucky to spot a great deal from a guy in the States who wanted to sell a Sigma 120-300 2.8 with the 1.4 and 2x TCs - I paid less than 1200 quid for the lot and the gear is in perfect nick :thumbsup::thumbsup:

During a gap between the showers today I managed to get down to Gunnersbury Park and play with my new toys :D

1) No pp on this just cropped, 300mm at f2.8, ISO200


2) No pp on this just cropped, 300mm plus 1.4x TC at f4, ISO200


3) No pp on this just cropped, 300mm plus 2x TC at f5.6, ISO200


4) Cropped and tweaked in PSE6 300mm plus 1.4x TC at f4, ISO200


5) Cropped and tweaked in PSE6 300mm plus 1.4x TC at f4, ISO200


6) Cropped and tweaked in PSE6 300mm at f7.1, ISO200


7) NOT just feathered fliers to be seen ;) Cropped and tweaked in PSE6 300mm at f7.1, ISO200


8) Yep - another mallard :) and tweaked in PSE6 300mm at f7.1, ISO200


So far, so good, I think I am going to love this lens - providing I don't collapse carrying it around :D It will take some time to get the hang of handling it and the TCs work well with AF working fine in all cases.

Click on a picture to see a larger version.
 
Nice pics there John, looks a great bit of glass on my monitor :thumbsup:

(can't believe I'm the first to take the trouble to comment on these pics given when they were posted, sadly confirms the "cliques" I've long believed exist on this section of the forum)
 
(can't believe I'm the first to take the trouble to comment on these pics given when they were posted, sadly confirms the "cliques" I've long believed exist on this section of the forum)

Save that for the Photo comp :oops: :nono:

Anyway, interesting shots. #2 seems a bit sharper than #1 even though you have added a 1.4x converter.

Looks like a very useful lens at 2.8 all the way through to 300mm.
I really like #4, dunno if you cropped the legs off, but would be nice to see the full goose (is it ?). And taking photos of ducks is always good stock photo material.
 
The TC doesn't degrade the image at all in #2, in fact it looks like more detail has been captured compared to #1 (f4 I suppose helps).

Good fun with a new lens!

:smashin:

(can't believe I'm the first to take the trouble to comment on these pics given when they were posted, sadly confirms the "cliques" I've long believed exist on this section of the forum)


A bit harsh?
 
Thanks for all the comments, I think another key difference between 1 and 2 was the available light.
 
Nice shots, but it seems to confirm tests that I did with a 2X Canon converter. I found that taking a picture of a signpost at 200mm then adding the 2X converter & taking the same shot. I then cropped the two pictures & the cropped 200mm without 2X converter was as good as the 200mm with the 2X converter. It would be interesting if you crop the original pictures without the converter then with the 2X converter. Perhaps just the head of the bird, then post the results. The 1.4 converter looks a lot better.
 
Hello there

This looks like a great bit off kit you have here, and you paid a good price for it.

Like other have said #2 looks sharper than #1, but like you said it could be the light.

Looking forward to seeing other shots from this lens.


Cheers Holo:smashin::smashin:
 
Amazing lens isn't it. I only have the 2x with that lens and I'm thinking of getting the 1.4x, since I find the degration of quality a little bit too much for my taste with the 2x. How do you find the 1.4x. Is it possible you can post 100% crops?

Thanks
 
Nice pics there John, looks a great bit of glass on my monitor :thumbsup:

(can't believe I'm the first to take the trouble to comment on these pics given when they were posted, sadly confirms the "cliques" I've long believed exist on this section of the forum)

yeah, how dare people not reply within 14 seconds of a post. :rolleyes:


John, i'd like some more impressions of the TCs when you get time. i'm looking at a 1.4x to go with my 70-200 f4L IS so I can get back some of the length I lost selling my 70-300IS. But I'm a little concerned about image quality and practicality. How easy is it to remove/attach?

Also, is yours the Canon one, or sigma/kenko? I'm leaning towards kenko purely due to cost :)
 
Nice shots :)
I'd be interested to see a photo of that lens on your camera to get an idea of size etc.
 
Looks like a good buy there. Nice & sharp, and a good usable zoom range too. The TCs dont seem to have affected the image greatly, certainly nothing a quick sharpen cant sort out for the 2x one. Good work.
 
That bird in the first three posts stayed amazingly still whilst you took the lens off, added a tele-converter, put the lens back on, took the lens off, took the tele-converter off, added a different tele-converter and remounted the lens.........are you sure it wasn't a plastic one? :laugh:

Seriously though, nice shots and at that kind of focal length f/5.6 still produces some nice DOF :smashin:
 
it does make me wonder about the 2x. I've seen it instantly dismissed by many people on forums, and I'm sure for day to day use if you need the length, buy a dedicated longer lens. But for occasional use it looks reasonably sharp.

I was looking at getting a kenko pro 1.4x anyway, as I'm used to 300mm and I've dropped down to 200mm recently. But now i'm considering getting both that and the 2x. the 2x won't AF on my f4 lens so no good for tracking motorsports but could be good for static stuff.
 
That bird in the first three posts stayed amazingly still whilst you took the lens off, added a tele-converter, put the lens back on, took the lens off, took the tele-converter off, added a different tele-converter and remounted the lens.........are you sure it wasn't a plastic one? :laugh:

:D I wish the herons where I go were as still as that, one glimpse of me with a camera and they're gone !
 
Probably nothing to do with the camera John :hiya::p

:) I think you're right mate, it must be the England shirt I always wear ! They've obvioulsy heard of the England fans reputation ;)
 
Nice shots :)
I'd be interested to see a photo of that lens on your camera to get an idea of size etc.

Here, here and here.
It's when I first got mine, these are some threads of mine, first one showing actual photos of the lens attatched to a camera and by itself compared with other lenses.
 
JohnG- good set of shots that give a good real world demo of what it means to use a lens like this.
God I want one:rolleyes:

Stylgeo-missed your thread 1st time. Felix shots are fantastic, even if he did help out alot:smashin:
 
JohnG- good set of shots that give a good real world demo of what it means to use a lens like this.
God I want one:rolleyes:

Stylgeo-missed your thread 1st time. Felix shots are fantastic, even if he did help out alot:smashin:

It was someone else who posted pics from that lens, I'm in the same position as you mate, wanting to win the lottery :D
 
Oops. That's pretty bad isn't it?:suicide:

johnalex-sorry mate. Thank YOU for giving such a good real world demo of using a lens like this.

And I still want one.:rolleyes:
 
That bird in the first three posts stayed amazingly still whilst you took the lens off, added a tele-converter, put the lens back on, took the lens off, took the tele-converter off, added a different tele-converter and remounted the lens.........are you sure it wasn't a plastic one?

All the birds were very subdued - no doubt hacked off by the crap weather like the rest of us ;) As soon as there was a glimpse of sun, he was off without letting me get a shot of him in flight :thumbsdow
 
How do you find the 1.4x. Is it possible you can post 100% crops?

How are these?

600mm (with 2x TC)
2454312035_a581bcbb91_o.jpg


420mm (with 1.4TC)
2455139632_de985a5cfe_o.jpg


300mm
2454311833_952957185d_o.jpg
 
John, i'd like some more impressions of the TCs when you get time. i'm looking at a 1.4x to go with my 70-200 f4L IS so I can get back some of the length I lost selling my 70-300IS. But I'm a little concerned about image quality and practicality. How easy is it to remove/attach?

Also, is yours the Canon one, or sigma/kenko? I'm leaning towards kenko purely due to cost :)

It is a bit fiddley, but that is mainly due to the 120-300 weighing three tons. I have the Sigma TCs.

On the subject of IQ, I would sooner have a slightly soft image than none.

John
 
You seem to have gotten some movement blur at your 300mm. Well, your shutter speed might be down due to the different lighting, but the 420mm looks sharp indeed!
The 600mm looks just like my results with the 2x tc. Not bad but not good either!!
 
I really do need to some more tests with better light, but all things considered it is not a bad start. I am looking forward to doing some shots with my 150mm and the TCs this weekend in Sicily (I didn't bring the 120-300 due to carry on restrictions on the plane).
 

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