| Latest Review Posted | Sigma AF DL Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
It is so cheap that most defects can be ignored.
I own the "APO" - apochromatic - version (it has a red line running around the front lens), it is a bit more expensive than the basic, but with a better color rendition and reduced aberrations.
Of course, sharpness and contrast are not at top level, but - for example - chromatic aberration is very good.
Macro is available only between 200 and 300mm, but you must enable/disable this mode with an unintuitive switch on the barrel. Macro minimum focus distance (0.95cm with ratio 1:2) allows to shot insects and little animals without frightening them, but good results are achieved only with a plenty of light.
Around70mm -150mm it is very fun to use for portraits.
At 300mm / 5.6 is quite difficult to get good shots, but having this glass in your small bag gives you the opportunity to shot in the distance...
When mounted on my K200D, most of times the focal length was not automatically recognized, and I have to dismount/remount the lens several times before the body get recognizing what lens are mounted. Few days ago it seems I fixed this, applying a drop of penetrating unblocking oil to the lens contacts.
Overall, despite it has some defect, the value for the money is really great, and I recommend it to anybody needs an inexpensive, easy to carry and versatile long focal zoom. |
