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Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6 Review RSS Feed

Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6

Sharpness 
 8.0
Aberrations 
 8.0
Bokeh 
 8.1
Handling 
 7.7
Value 
 9.4
Autofocus 
 7.3
Reviews Views Date of last review
43 197,410 Sat January 13, 2024
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
98% of reviewers $185.03 8.12
Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6

Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
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Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
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Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
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Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
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Description:
The 70-300mm range zoom telephoto was made in numerous versions and generations by sigma - 6 versions in this review section (and two 75-300mm versions). The "apo" designation normally suggests a premium/higher end version.
See here for the current non-"apo" version.

Sigma’s 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG APO Macro is a compact autofocus telephoto zoom lens with a zoom ration of 4 to 1. Its range is useful for portraiture, capturing children playing in the backyard, amateur sports and capturing animals at the zoo. In macro mode the lens offers 0.5x magnification.


Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
Yes (A setting)
Diaphragm
Automatic, 9 blades
Optics
14 elements, 10 groups
Mount Variant
KAF
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4-5.6
Min. Aperture
F32-45
Focusing
AF (screwdrive)
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
95 cm
Max. Magnification
0.5x
Filter Size
58 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 23.1-5.4 ° / 19.4-4.5 °
Full frame: 34.3-8.2 ° / 28.7-6.8 °
Hood
Included
Case
Included
Lens Cap
Included
Coating
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
76.6x122 mm (3x4.8 in.)
Weight
550 g (19.2 oz.)
Production Years
N/A
Pricing
USD current price
Reviews
User reviews

Buy Lens: Buy the Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
Price: $199
Mount Type: Pentax KAF2/KAF (screwdrive AF)
Price History:



Add Review of Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6 Buy the Sigma APO DG Macro 70-300mm F4-5.6
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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Ascending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 43
Senior Member

Registered: February, 2017
Posts: 146

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 4, 2018 Recommended | Price: $65.00 | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: Sharp wide open (compared to da 55-300), good CA resistance, Close focus ability
Cons: Noisy AF, lens hood, loss of contrast with backlight
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 5    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-70    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: Used   

I've owned two copies of this lens (slightly different versions), one recent, one older. My recent copy is significantly sharper.

For £50-£100 it is an amazing value lens. Better sharpness, bokeh and af performance than the two da 55-300 I previously owned.

Most photo samples cropped a bit:


Mandarin Duck by Tiago Cardoso, on Flickr

Mouse by Tiago Cardoso, on Flickr

Lagartixa-da-Madeira (Lacerta dugesii) by Tiago Cardoso, on Flickr
   
Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2009
Location: East Bay Area, CA
Posts: 6,611
Review Date: May 18, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros:
Cons:

For some reason, my photo of the non-APO DL version of this lens is pictured above (purple velvet background), so just a note of correction that the lens in the picture is actually this one:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/Sigma-70-300mm-F4-5.6-DL-Macro-Super...or-Pentax.html

my review has been deleted.

I'll say this another way, the photo of the lens in this thread (purple velvet background, lens has a red ring) is the non-APO version. I submitted that photo for the DG version and it got used here. buyers beware.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2015
Posts: 12

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 30, 2015 Not Recommended | Price: $120.00 | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: The IQ between 70mm and150 mm is accepteble
Cons: It should be called 70-200 not 70-300
Sharpness: 4    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 6    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Camera Used: K10D K3    Autofocus: 4    New Or Used: New   

It is usable up to 200mm not more
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2007
Location: st. louis
Posts: 1,170
Review Date: March 16, 2008 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: price, pretty tough lens
Cons: my zoom ring is tight. not the sharpest lens. not very fast.

I got this lens as part of a kit with the 28-80 and 70-300 together for $250 USD...brand new with a warrantee.

I have always liked this lens. I dropped it once on to concrete from about 4 feet.....no problems with it.

Its got a 'macro' switch which is really just a close focus switch, but it is usefull. Shooting macro at 300mm is pretty cool.

I bought this lens before I started on the professional route and I still use it on weddings when I need the reach....

I prefer to use this lens only outdoors in bright daylight. The aperture isnt very fast, so I need to keep my shutter speeds up. However, senior portraits, models, wedding pics turn out great with beautiful bokeh.

I like it.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Chester
Posts: 719
Review Date: August 22, 2011 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: Range Price Optics at long range Bokeh
Cons: Poor macro Stiff zoom ring Feels cheap
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 3    Value: 7    Autofocus: 5   

A decent lens for a reasonable price. It feels horrible to use though. I've had old manual focus lenses and brand new DA* lenses. Compared to these, this lens feels like you got it at McDonald's. But if you can get over the way it feels, it's actually a decent performer. Don't be fooled my the macro though. It can focus close, but the quality drops rapidly.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2014
Posts: 1

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: June 6, 2014 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: macro 1:2 at 300mm; macro 1:2.9 at 200mm
Cons: sharpness at 300mm
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Camera Used: K-r (12 Mpx)    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: Used   

My Pentax FA 100-300 f/4.7-5.8 is better at 300mm...
   
Senior Member

Registered: May, 2012
Location: Mission, B.C.
Posts: 166

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 20, 2013 Recommended | Price: $190.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Decent macro, good working distance, decently sharp from f/8, decent IQ at lower focal lengths, decent manual focus,price
Cons: Soft at the long end, soft when not stopped down, loud and very forceful auto focus
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: New   

This lens is overall decent. Decent sharpness (from about 70-250mm) Decent IQ (when stopped down), decent bokeh and autofocus (though the lens feels like it's knocking the camera around when it hunts, which it doesn't do as often as you would think). My favourite point about this camera is actually that it's quite nice to focus manually. That and the price. For what you pay, if you don't need pro quality IQ and are looking for longer focal lengths, this lens is a winner. The 1:2 macro is nice to have as well, it's enough for larger insects like dragonflies and butterflies, and the working distance is pretty good as well.

   
Pentaxian

Registered: April, 2011
Location: Lost in translation ...
Posts: 18,076
Review Date: July 16, 2011 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Overall bang for the buck (or Euro, in my case), Ap ring
Cons: No zoom lock + creep, clunky hood, difficult "macro" shift button
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Autofocus: 7    New Or Used: New   

Bonjour,

I am relatively happy with this lens, except that the top end (+ 200mm) is rather soft. The pseudo "macro" function is nice to play with, but the shift buttom on my copy is getting harder and harder to manipulate recently. Cons: AF can be slow, hunt, noisy ... and there's lots of other possible complaints, but what do you want from a lens at this price point? (DA* IQ, speed, etc.?) In comparison, I prefer the DA 55-300 that I purchased after this lens, somewhere around 50%+ more cost, but worth the additional investment, especially for the top end focal range. Hopefully, someday I will be able to compare these two lenses to a DA* zoom ... pocketbook willing, of course.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2010
Location: san francisco bay area
Posts: 28
Review Date: December 9, 2010 Recommended | Price: $209.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: sharp wide end, macro, sturdy, nice hood, value, full frame
Cons: long extension, soft beyond 200mm
Sharpness: 6    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 6    Value: 10    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: New   

As some of the others have pointed out and as some professional reviews show (see slrgear, photozone.de) this is a pretty sharp lens from 70 to around 140 mm stopped down with good contrast and color. It also has no distortion or CA's in that range. As a result it is great for outdoor portrait shots of kids and pets. Surprisingly the out of focus background is smooth too.

The lens is even decent at 200mm @F10, but it gets progressively less sharp as you go from 200mm to 300mm and it is only sharp in the central part with soft corners. Honestly it is poor overall at 300mm.

Macro can be activated for the 200mm to 300mm range and it does very well with butterflies,bees and fl owers. A very useful feature, although it does not completely replace a true Macro lens (Tip, use HS flash setting on external flash if possible and get that F stop up with 250 shutter for better macro shots). Somehow it seems to be sharper with Macro on and close focusi ng.

The build quality is good and sturdy. However, the zoom ring is a little stiff and non linear which detracts some from the quality feeling. The focus ring works wells which is handy for Macro mode. The hood is large and it includes a nicely made and padded storage case. Relative to other z ooms it is fairly compact and light. It is not much larger than the DA 17-70 for example.

Overall I'd say it is a very good value. How is that, you say, when it is terrible at 300mm? Well it is so good at the other end that I strongly recommend this lens for outdoor portraits and larger macro work with the 200mm - 300mm range handy in a pinch. However, I do not recommend it if your primary goal is to take sharp nature photos above 200mm.






   
Review Date: March 4, 2010 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Macro 1:2 at 0.95m is very cool for insect shooting, cheap
Cons: Slow AF

I got this lens a few months ago, it is quite sharp, good color under day light.

@70mm, f/5.6, 1/4000, ISO-200, +0.7EV


@70mm, f/11, 1/1250, ISO-200, +0.7EV


Macro:
@300mm, f/8, 1/180, ISO-200
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2007
Location: Ankara, Turkey
Posts: 401

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 28, 2008 Recommended | Price: $250.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Low price, fine performance
Cons: Almost nothing (see text)

It is for bright light; you have to live with that. Its resolution and color is just fine as long as you don't expect miracles. The contrast is not great; you have to play with, when necessary, during post processing.

It has a wide grip for manual focusing and the barrel rotates about a 1/4 turn from 1.5 m to infinity.

Between 200-300m it has a macro function (1:3), which is very useful. The rotation of the barrel is about 180 degress for macro focusing, which helps while doing it manually. No aperture ring is present.

The closest focus distance for normal use is 1.5 meters. (For macro, it is 95cm). So, theoretically it can be used as a portrait lens if you are satisfied with f/4. I tend to use the 17-70mm for portraits even though it is slightly slower at 70mm. Maybe I am too lazy to replace it with this one.

The verdict: This is a lens with a comparatively low price tag. You certainly have alternatives which cost more than two times the price, providing better image quality and better low-light performance. However, for an amateur who only occasionally uses a tele zoom, I cannot see anything wrong with this lens.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2016
Location: Prague
Posts: 123
Review Date: January 13, 2024 Recommended | Price: $260.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharpness at 70-135mm, colours, macro ability, weight, build
Cons: General sharpness at 300mm, wierd macro switch, slow AF
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-x, K-70    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: New   

I own this lens for 15 years, took a lot of pictures in different situations (animals - especially birds and insects, action, planes, nature etc.). I bought it as a new lens for 260 USD and was using it with the K-x and then with K-70.

I love the versatility of the lens, you can use 70mm on landscape photography and switch it in one second to wildlife lens and use 300mm. Another great advantage is the macro ability (1:2 ratio).

The sharpness is excellent from 70mm to 135mm, very good to 200mm and good in the center area at 300mm, all at f8 - f11 (corners are weak at 300mm). The colors and contrast are excellent. The main disadvantage of the lens is the autofocus. It is very slow and loud so you need to have a lot of patience when taking photos of fast subjects, however this is not a problem for the non-moving subjects.

After 15 years of usage the zoom ring is very stiff and non-accurate (the repair would be more expensive than the lens itself), but the focus ring is OK (mostly for macro). Therefore I decided to buy the Pentax 55-300mm PLM as a replacement, hope I will be happy with it the same way as I was with this lens.

Recommended for the beginners or people who do not need to take photos of the moving subjects as flying birds. This is a very good lens for the price!



   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: December, 2009
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 2,437

4 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 10, 2019 Recommended | Price: $60.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good IQ, relatively compact and light, low CA, great value for money
Cons: Not so good build quality
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 5    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-1    Autofocus: 7    New Or Used: Used   

This is a very useful lens for the money. Relatively compact and light and so often carry it.

IQ is pretty good. Center sharpness is good and usable wide open. Borders and corners is Ok but really needs to be stopped down a stop before they get sharp.

The main downside is build - on my copy the zoom is sticky at times. But overall well worth having - and incredible value for what I paid.

Samples:
1. 170mm f8
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/48627300528
2. 300mm f6.7
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/48663530632
3. 108mm f4
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_jono/48610357948
   
Senior Member

Registered: June, 2010
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 126

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 20, 2018 Recommended | Price: $80.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Light, Good zoom range, Macro/close focus, matte finish
Cons: Average build quality, soft wide open, Sunny day lens
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-7, K-5, & K-3    Autofocus: 8    New Or Used: Used   

This Sigma lens replaces a Tamron 28-300mm lens that met a tragic end. This was a budget purchase used for $100 CAD ($80 USD). This is a very useful lens with a nice reach (450mm equivalent) when attached to an APS-C body like the K-5/K-3. The 70-300mm is a light weight lens with a nice matte finish. The macro/close focus option is only available in the 200-300mm range and is activate by a switch on the lens body that can be temperamental at times (read "sticky / finicky").

Sharpness is better at the short end of the range 70-150mm. If there is enough light to keep the aperture in the f8 - f11 range, then images are relatively sharp (for the price of the lens). They do not compare to my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 but that lens is in a whole different category.

There is almost no lens creep on this lens - unlike the Tamron 28-300 which actually has a lens lock to prevent the guaranteed occurrence of lens creep if the lens is tilted below horizontal. The lens hood has sufficient depth to nicely shade the front glass and improve contrast and minimize flare.

With a nice light lens body, it makes for a great companion on an all day hike, or a day at the rodeo when you have the camera to your eye for most of the time.

Is it the "perfect" lens - No, but definitely great value for the money and when you keep in its "sweet spot" it will produce very acceptable images that you can be proud of.

Couple of samples:

https//flic.kr/p/29VYXiw

   
Senior Member

Registered: October, 2014
Posts: 119

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: January 27, 2016 Recommended | Price: $170.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: really sharp at F8 great color rendition especially blues PRICE! sub 200 for great IQ
Cons: none really especially for the price
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-3    Autofocus: 9    New Or Used: New   

Proud K-3 owner: with that said
when i was a Nikon owner i had read in a tip somewhere about a great little lens that could do wonders and that was really really Inexpensive-sharp at F8 -macro abilities- good AF speed- and great colors at the beach-spot on tip so when i changed camera manufacturers back to Pentax (started on a k1000) i wondered if they made this lens in a K mount?
Yes Sigma did!-i then knew that it would be a nice inexpensive addition to my shabby kit
8mm f3.5
35mm f2.4
50mm f1.8
sigma 17-50 f2.8 (fav walk around lens)
sigma 150-500 for reach
a dedicated water housing for the K-3 and 3 ports
a couple of old manual zooms round out my bag also Gopro Hero 4 black (amazing device)
the Sigma 70-300 fits right in and does the job i need it to do-when the light is good and you can shoot F8 or better @1000sec this lens is a great lens for budding photographers on a budget

http://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/sigma/70-300mm-f4-5.6-dg-macro-apo/review/
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