Telephoto Shootout: Sigma vs. Sigma

Our field tests show that the prime 300mm f/2.8 is sharper and crisper than the zoom 120-300mm f/2.8 when shooting the same subject, although a bit of RAW tweaking can correct for the zoom's slight flaws to the point where many a photographer would be content with the results. It adds a marginal amount of time to the RAW processing workflow, but just a few mouseclicks per image to sharpen the RAW file, and tweak the lens fringing settings to get the 120-300mm's output similar to the primes.

So here's the story thus far: The prime is a touch sharper, but the zoom is more versatile. For many a modern shooter who grew up on zooms, a prime requires some adjustment. You've got no zooming, but you do have feet. Want to loosen the shot? Back up ten feet. Tighten up the composition? Move closer! But that's not always possible. Sometimes there's a stadium wall or a building or a cliff restricting the photographer's movements. That's where zooming out (or in) comes in handy. You've got many more framing choices with a zoom, but there are tradeoffs. While the zoom is bigger and heavier, it offers a lot more versatility for the target market, which we think is mostly sports and wildlife photographers.

For sports and wildlife photographers, long, fast glass offers two serious creative and aesthetic advantages based on the optical physics of fast telephotos: action-freezing shutter speeds with extremely shallow depth of field at maximum aperture to isolate and separate the subject from the background.

If you drop down 100 millimeters to a 200mm focal length, there's a great selection of amazing 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms available in all the AF mounts the Sigma 300mms are offered in. These are the smallest of the big lenses, and both Sigma 300mms are much bigger than this class of glass. For many a photographer, the step up to a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens from a variable aperture zoom is a milestone in their growth and dedication to quality optics to better excel at their craft.

In many ways, the Sigma zoom is a super-sized 70-200mm f/2.8. Let's be honest: with telephoto zooms, no one's buying for the wide end; it's the reach you're paying for. If you've been thinking about a 70-200mm f/2.8 but haven't yet made the plunge, and pondered if maybe you'd like even more reach than 200mm for those birds in the backyard or the outfielders on the local baseball diamond, you should give serious consideration to the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 zoom.

If you've got a quality 70-200mm f/2.8 in your bag, you'd be duplicating a good bit at the wide end with the Sigma zoom. Go for the prime. It's a little sharper and a little faster in AF in both bright and dim conditions, and the difference between 200mm and 300mm, while not negligible, isn't dramatic.

If you really want a 300mm f/2.8 but can't totally break the bank, either of the Sigma 300mms won't zap your savings account quite the way some of the competitors will. There are some trade-offs for the savings, such as no focus limiters or Image Stabilization -- although this isn't an issue for many Pentax and Sony shooters with sensor-shift stabilized cameras -- but both the zoom and the prime have a lot to offer at this focal length for significantly less than some of the OEM competition.

Tech Specs:

PRIME Sigma 300 f/2.8

Lens Construction

Optics: 11 Elements in 9 Groups

Angle of View: 8.2 degree

Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9pcs

Minimum Aperture: F32

Minimum Focusing Distance: 250cm/98.4 in.

Maximum Magnification: 1:7.5

Filter Size: 46mm (drop-in type)

Dimensions: Diameter 119mm X Length 214.5mm 4.7 in. X 8.4 in.

Weight: 2400gr/84.6oz/5.3 pounds

Corresponding AF Mounts: [APO 300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM] SIGMA, CANON, NIKON (D) [APO 300mm F2.8 EX DG] SONY/MINOLTA PENTAX

In the box:

• Front Cover

• Rear Lens Cap

• Lens Hood

• Carry Case with Strap

• 46mm Normal Filter

• 46mm Circular Polarizing Filter

• 1-Year Worldwide Warranty + 3-Year Extended USA Warranty

ZOOM Sigma 120-300 f/2.8

Lens Construction

Optics: 18 Elements in 16 Groups

Angle of View: 20.4 -8.2 degrees

Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9 Blades

Minimum Aperture: F32

Minimum Focusing Distance: 150-250cm/59.1 in.-98.4 in.

Maximum Magnification: 1:8.6

Filter Size: Diameter 105mm

Dimensions: Diameter 112.8mm X Length 271mm 4.4 in. X 10.7 in.

Weight: 2600g/91.7 oz./5.7 pounds

Corresponding AF Mounts: SIGMA, CANON, NIKON (D)

In the box:

• Front & Rear Lens Caps

• Lens Hood

• Case

• Strap

• 1-Year Worldwide Warranty + 3-Year Extended USA Warranty