Canon 70-300mm vs. Sigma 70-300mm

I had ordered the Canon 70-300mm IS lens. I called today since it had been a while since I had ordered it. Turns out its backordered because Canon is fixing a bunch that had problems. The guy on the phone said he would send me this lens for the price of the Canon one.

http://www.expresscameras.com/prodetails.asp?prodid=8921&display=2

Is this a better lens or am I getting ripped off?

I've got a Sigma 50-200MM lens for my Nikon and I have no complaints with it. I bought it used for about half the price of the Nikon Brand lens though....

You would be getting ripped off most likely. I have never owned either lens, however the Canon is an IS lens, which will help you handhold and get decent shots...

I am not a Sigma fan.

UncSki1218 said:

I had ordered the Canon 70-300mm IS lens. I called today since it had been a while since I had ordered it. Turns out its backordered because Canon is fixing a bunch that had problems. The guy on the phone said he would send me this lens for the price of the Canon one.

Is this a better lens or am I getting ripped off?

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Hi!

I have a Canon EOS 350D with 3 lenses:

Canon 28-90
Canon 75-300
Sigma 55-200 DC

and I have to tell you that since I heard good reviews of the sigma lense I ordered it in ebay from a store in New York (I live in Mexico City), and its the lense that I use over the Canon Lenses, is sharp, perfect...I only use the other lenses if I need something under 75 and over 200.

You dont say if your canon is a digital camera, if it is, you may check if the Sigma lense is DC, because its made for the size of the sensor that its smaller than the real film size.

cheers from mexico city

Yeah mines digital and so is the sigma lens. any more opinions?

just read yours a little more carefully. i'm sure the sigma would be fine at 200mm. but, the one i would get is up to 300. i'm afraid that without IS like the canon 70-300 has it might be a little tricky...

anyone else have any ideas on what to do?

With your maximum aperture being f/4.5 at 70mm I'd definitely spring for the IS. Cancel your order and go elsewhere if you must.

Yeah...The Sigma usually sells for around $200. Not sure why Express Cameras would have it for $599 (on sale from $750). They must have made some odd mistake. So as of now I'll be waiting for the Canon 70-300mm IS.

P.S. Sarahsboy I've come to trust your opinion in photography. Is there any zoom lens that you'd recommend over this lens that won't be a ton more?

UncSki1218 said:

Yeah...The Sigma usually sells for around $200. Not sure why Express Cameras would have it for $599 (on sale from $750). They must have made some odd mistake. So as of now I'll be waiting for the Canon 70-300mm IS.

P.S. Sarahsboy I've come to trust your opinion in photography. Is there any zoom lens that you'd recommend over this lens that won't be a ton more?

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I appreciate you saying that! :black:

I don't know exactly what you are planning to use it for... that being said I would probably at least take a look at the 70-200mm F/4L. The higher quality glass, faster AF and faster/consistent aperture across the focal range would make it a great option. It is one of those things where you would sacrifice some features such as IS for quality... but L glass also holds it's value much better for when it comes time to trade up.

That being said if you are really attached to idea of having 300mm than I think you've already found your lens... The DO and L comparable versions of that lens are great... but are also alot more money.

I'm pretty sure I want the extra range of 300mm.

I'll use whatever I get mostly for wildlife and sports (skiing, tennis, and lacrosse).

UncSki1218 said:

I'm pretty sure I want the extra range of 300mm.

I'll use whatever I get mostly for wildlife and sports (skiing, tennis, and lacrosse).

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Your actual focal length on the smaller chip would be 91-260mm. The nice thing about the F/4 version is that it has a better minimum focus distance putting your magnication at 0.26X which is pretty much the same as the 70-300mm(91-390mm) from what I can tell.

One other thing about the L glass is that you could probably put an 1.4X extender and get the longer focal distance and still have a higher image quality than the 70-300mm wide open.

UncSki1218 said:

P.S. Sarahsboy I've come to trust your opinion in photography.

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Thats a smart move, he knows what he is talking about...hence the three little green boxes under his name.

I am not familiar with all of Canon's glass however assume that they have some higer end lenses and lower end. If you can get a pro lens, it should focus faster on the camera which is important when trying to track moving objects shooting wildlife and sports. I think Canon offers a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens that would be perfect, and when you add a 1.4 or 1.5x teleconverter to it the lens becomes a 110-300ish in focal length that will maintain f/4 throughout its zoom. This option will be a bit more pricey, however you will love the results.

Odin_aa said:

I think Canon offers a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens that would be perfect, and when you add a 1.4 or 1.5x teleconverter to it the lens becomes a 110-300ish in focal length that will maintain f/4 throughout its zoom. This option will be a bit more pricey, however you will love the results.

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I had the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.... It was my dream lens... absolutely loved it and want it back... It was great with a 1.4X and even with the 2X on it. Unfortunately I had to sell it for some quick cash.

If you can afford to go to the 2.8L it is definitely worth it... It's just a matter of having the cash on hand as the non-IS version runs around $1300 and the IS version runs around $1700.

I have the 70-200 f2.8L IS and it is absolutely gorgeous. I love it to bits and would recomend it to anyone.

I think I may go the way of the 70-200mm f/4L. (Don't have quite enough to spend on one of it's siblings.) I'm doing 95% of shooting with this lens outdoors. So I don't think IS is a must...

the 70-200 2.8L is pretty amazing. its a great lens if you can spend the cash on it.

UncSki1218 said:

I had ordered the Canon 70-300mm IS lens. I called today since it had been a while since I had ordered it. Turns out its backordered because Canon is fixing a bunch that had problems. The guy on the phone said he would send me this lens for the price of the Canon one.

http://www.expresscameras.com/prodetails.asp?prodid=8921&display=2

Is this a better lens or am I getting ripped off?

Click to expand...

i have a 50-200mm sigma lens. i have no complaints, built well reliable gd quality.