Wrote this review for another forum first but thought I should post it here as well.
I got this lens a few weeks back of Ebay for about 900 shipped. It is alot more expensive for the pentax mount than Canon or Nikon since Sigma didn't make very many of them and have since stopped producing them for the Pentax mount completely. I bought this lens as an upgrade from my entry level 50-200mm f4-5.6 zoom. It was a great lens in good light but I am shooting more and more sporting events and other things that require 2.8 glass so I decided the Sigma was the way to go. I couldn't be happier with my decision.
Specs-
Focal Length: 70-200mm
Minimum Aperture: F32
Maximum Aperture: F2.8
Lens Construction: 17 Elements in 14 Groups
Angle of View: 34.3°- 12.3°
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9pcs
Minimum Focusing Distance: 180cm(70.8”)
Maximum Magnification: 1:7.8
Filter Size: 77mm
Lens Hood: Petal Hood
Dimensions: Diameter 86.2mm (3.3”) x Length 184mm (7.2”)
Weight: 1270gr/44.7oz
Focusing- This lens is not the HSM version that Sigma currently has in production so it relies on a screw drive type AF. Mounted on my K100D, The AF is quick and accurate even in low light. It does hunt a little sometimes and I kinda of wish I had a focus limiter on it, but I can deal as its not very often I have this problem. Focusing is a little bit loud compared to the HSM version but not to bad at all for screw drive AF. I don't find it an issue.
Build Quality-
If I had to describe the build of this lens in one word it would be rock solid Solid. Oh damn thats 3 words. Anyways. This lens is built like a champ. It is built mostly of metal with the ultra tough Sigma finish that I love. The zoom and focus ring are nice and smooth and large enough to give you great control especially if you are manually focusing. The tripod mount is nice an strong and rotates nicely out of the way to help with zooming when shooting hand held. It is also removable. The mount is almost big enough to use as a handle to carry the camera around although nothing like the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L tripod mount which is just awesome. It is also alot bigger than the nikon 80-200mm 2.8 which I find way to small for my liking. Not a big deal but yeah.
Size- Uh yeah, this thing is a monster. It weighs in at around 3 lbs and is 7.2" long. The great thing about IF and internal zooming is that the length doesnt change no matter what focal length you are at -- A big plus over consumer zooms. The weight is slightly annoying at first but you really get used to it and its not an issue. Everything I pop on my kit lens or 50mm, It feels like something is missing from my camera because im used to the heft of this lens.
Image Quality- This lens will blow all of the consumer zooms off the map in Sharpness, Contrast, Color Reproduction, Bokeh etc. It is very sharp from 2.8 and up but gets razor sharp at about f4. Can't wait to try it out with a 1.4x TC which Im getting soon. The bokeh is silky smooth, and just plain amazing.(
example A)
Samples More o be added in a few days. Extremely Busy Conclusion-
Overall this lens is probably the best 2.8 tele zoom for the money. You cant beat its IQ and build for the (relatively) low price you pay compared to its new Nikon and Canon counterparts. You can pick these up for around 500-600+ for Nikon and Canon mounts but expect to pay close to 1000+ for a Pentax Mount lens. I got lucky and got mine for 900 :P. If your looking at getting a tele zoom and are thinking about getting a slow 70-300 zoom or something of the such, I would really consider this lens. It is really worth the extra money and you won't regret buying it. I know I didn't.
Last edited by Unregistered User 8; 07-08-2017 at 07:14 AM.
Reason: remove swearing