Sigma vs Canon

[Tim N]

Hi all,
Thoughts please !!
I am in the market for a 70 - 200mm f2.8 lens.
The sigma lens is a new model in their range and has had some decent reviews and retails around the $1000 mark.
The canon is a tried and tested model with fantastic reviews and said to be one of the best zoom lenses in their series. The f2.8 (non IS) retails up closer to the $1500 mark.
Is the canon that much better than the sigma that you would notice the difference in picture quality ?
Is the canon worth the extra $500 (or so) ?
What would YOU do !?

[Helen]

Call it a bit of lens snoberism (if that's a word), but I bought the Canon... f2.8 IS version at that. It wasn't a decision I made lightly and was before the the f4 versions were released, although I still would have gotten the same lens I have now if they had been available, which, by the way, took me two years to save for when, as a grey import, they were still pulling $2700. I gave up smoking for this lens... glad I did, too.

Sorry, I digress. Sigma's reputation seems to be getting better year by year, I have no doubt that the quality of their 70-200mm f2.8 would be getting up there with the Canon version, especially seeing as the discontinued Sigma AF 70-200mm f/2.8 EX APO HSM DG, faired really well with reviewers. A newer version surely would be an improvement.

Hope that helps.

[Tim N]

Call it a bit of lens snoberism (if that's a word), but I bought the Canon... f2.8 IS version at that. It wasn't a decision I made lightly

Thats the problem I am having ! I would love to have the lovely white barrel of the canon, and I KNOW the quality as I have the 300mm f4 L and its amazing. I guess it depends on my patience, can I wait for a while to save or can I not !!

[Truckman]

When I start shopping for a new goodie for my arsenal, I always think back to the 35 years I spent as a mechanic...I sometimes bought tools from Sears or hardware stores or garage sales just because the price was right...Usually they worked OK even though they sometimes didn't feel right or were slightly inaccurate...When they did fail me, it always cost me big time to correct it...When I bought tools and equipment from SnapOn, they always felt right, always performed flawlessly and never let me down even though the price was always higher than the rest...

That is why when I ventured forth into the world of photography and decided on a Canon 40D, all eight of my lenses are Canon as are my flash unit and most of the accessories when I had a brand choice...The only inadequate equipment I have is the nut behind the viewfinder and it is being upgraded slowly...Ben

[Analog6]

If you are talking about the L series lens, and have the money to go for it, then get the L lens, in my humble opinion it is definitely superior.

I'd love to have all L lenses but ATM the budget prevets it.  I hope to be able to save up for the 100-400L and get it in the new year

[Ross and Cher]

Tim

Don't know about anyone else, but if money was no object, I'd be driving a 'roller', have a 'blad' slung around my neck and a camera kit that weighed more than Ned Kelly's armour.

If life and livelihood are on the line, then Ben is correct - tried and trusted! If not then you need to decide if the Canon is 30% better, will make you feel that much better, what else you could/should be doing with the extra loot etc etc.

Don't know about 70-200, but we are looking at getting a 10-20, and the research says the Sigma is better than the Canon, as does a professional photographer we know!

Good luck with the decision, but I am sure you will be happy whichever way you go (and look forward to seeing some of the results!)

[Tim N]

Thanks all for your input. Think I will most likely go for the canon 70 - 200 f2.8 L ... non IS ...

Ross + Cher, I have the 10 - 20mm sigma ... its a great lens, it has good weight to it, feels really solidly built and is a lot of fun ... you can really get some interesting effects with it ! Plus the image quality is excellent too !

[admin]

My ten cents worth is that the "name brand" will generally deliver all you hoped for...and when it comes time for a serious upgrade (and that time will come), then the brand lens will repay you the difference.

Having said that, both Sigma and Tamron, both make some very good lenses now with appreciable price savings.

The big issue in this lens is the foregoing of IS.
IS is worth a couple of stops for hand held shooting. It is one thing to be able to shoot wide open, and another for it be achieved at acceptable hand-held speeds.
Some of you will know that the rule of thumb is that for acceptable image quality, the shutter speed should exceed the focal length ( ie at 200mm, the shutter speed should be 1/200 sec or higher.)
As you gain experience with the lens and by bracing an elbow into your chest (or a nearby support item)...and holding your breath, and squeezing off the shots, you can increase this a bit.
But, at a very low threshold you will find yourself either shooting an increasing number of throw-aways, or upping the ISO to compensate.
'Image Stabilis(z)ation' of any kind is a marked increase in technology that I do not believe should be lightly discounted, unless you use a tripod ( at which point IS should be shut off anyway due to tripod vibration).

[Wintermute]

...and holding your breath, and squeezing off the shots, you can increase this a bit....

Dunno if anyone else finds this, but if I hold my breath I get shakey hands a little.  I was told a trick by a sharpshooter that you basically breath in deep, let it out slowly and shoot half way through your outflow.  Works for me anyway.

[Truckman]

Dunno if anyone else finds this, but if I hold my breath I get shakey hands a little.  I was told a trick by a sharpshooter that you basically breath in deep, let it out slowly and shoot half way through your outflow.  Works for me anyway.

That's the way I was taught to shoot a rifle...And it works...Ben

[aprillove20]

I think Sigma's reputation seems to be getting better year by year.

[OZZI-BLOKE]

Although this is an old thread, I thought I would add my 2 cents worth. I have not long got the Sigma APO 70-200mm f2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro version of this lens. Build quality is very good, there is a fair bit of weight in the lens (1.3kg) which means it will get a bit heavy for some people after a while but its not to bad, on my Pentax K20D the combined weight is around 2.3 kg. A monopod is very handy with this lens but I use mine hand held with no problems while shooting motorcross. The built in HSM focus motor is meant to be (from what I have read in reviews) the best one around, very fast and virtually silent, myself, I think it is brilliant.
Image quality is very good but I can't compare it to other brands, but have read in reviews that it is right up there with some other top lenses. Because it is a full frame lens, the slight bit of image softening towards the outer edges of the frame do not show up on APS-C sensor equipped camera's so the images are good all over the frame. Its a great lens for the money, maybe not quite as good as the Canon & Nikon but its not far behind and considering the price, its well worth getting. Also, this lens has just been updated with new lenses and coatings and has also had OS (optical stabilisation) fitted to it, but the price has also gone up a bit, now over US$1600 but the price should probably come down a little after a few months.