Latest Review Posted | Sigma APO EX 100-300mm F4 I've owned this lens for a few years now, and while it's not one I pull out frequently, it never disappoints. I purchased it used on eBay and it didn't come cheap, but this is one of those lenses that's just good enough and rare enough to be worth paying the premium price for.
There really aren't many alternatives for this focal length range with a constant aperture in a Pentax mount, so it's a good thing this is a good lens. The only alternative I can think of is the Pentax DA* 60-250 F4, which I seriously considered instead of this Sigma. But when I tried the 60-250mm at a local camera shop, I was disappointed with the auto focus speed of the built-in motor. I was also concerned with failure of the SDM motor in the future, since I've had a very bad experience with a DA* 50-135mm. There are a bunch of XX-300mm lenses with variable aperture from many manufacturers, but those tend to be bargain basement items.
I guess this wasn't a very big seller when it was on the market, since there really aren't many of them available. Or maybe all the original owners are hoarding them :)
Build quality is top notch. It's tough to tell what the materials are, but it feels like a plastic/rubber coated metal for the main barrel with poly-carbonate for the zoom and focus rings. The tripod mount is made of metal. It stays solidly in place when tightened down, and turns smoothly when it needs to. There are no notches at the 90 degree marks, which is unfortunate. The original tripod moun... |