As budget lenses go, this Sigma telephoto represents a class of SLR lenses that are designed for the amateur in mind. And Sigma has really done a heck of a good job in building the 70-300mm DG MACRO around the budget conscious amateur. Is this the holy grail of budget lenses or is it just another flop like the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM? Find out more in the review!
BUILD QUALITY
Sigma lenses traditionally always had good build quality, and the baby DG MACRO is no different. Plastic and rubber it may be but, the plastics and rubber complement each other in a way that gives the 70-300 DG MACRO a very premium feel, definitely much better than the horrendously plasticky Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM.
IMAGE QUALITY
As far as budget telephoto lenses go, this lens has arguably one of the best IQs of them all (umm… well two, because there are only two budget telephoto lenses that are still being sold today). Chromatic aberration is visible but minimal. Spherical aberration is minimal even while wide open. Vignetting is quite substantial but really, do you guys really care about vignetting when all of you are putting vignette filters on your photos with Instagram? Colour reproduction/contrast is fine, if not excellent, comparable to Canon kit lenses (which by the way are pretty good in terms of colour reproduction).
FEATURES
Lenses this cheap don’t usually come with very many toys to play around or boast about like ring USM or internal focusing. But, the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG MACRO does have something up its sleeve, the word MACRO from its name. Yes, this budget leaf blower packs in a 1:2 life size macro focusing mode that allows you to take those insect photos you’ve been seeing floating around the National Geographic Magazine. I’ve been fooling around with it and it is a very, very nice addition.
I’m still getting to grips with the world of macro!
FOCUSING
Auto-focusing is done by means of a micro motor just like your kit lenses. Bzzz…bzzz… Manual focusing is very nice, with a smooth focusing mechanism and large focus ring. However, the front element does move up and down, as well as rotate with changes in focus. But frankly, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think the people who will buy this lens will ever use a grad filter on it.
FINAL WORDS
The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG MACRO is very good value. It gives the budget conscious a properly built telephoto lens that shoots great photos:Sigma Customer Photos
If you want a lens that will capture your memories or even do landscaping, the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG MACRO will handsomely suffice. And, at just USD 199 (without Sigma’s never ending discounts), it’s a steal as well.
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