Thoughts 16 Aug 2008 08:28 am

120-400mm Sigma

Sigma has come a long way in the last few years. I now own three of their lenses.

  • A 12-24mm that’s nice but not as sharp as my Nikon 12-24.
  • A 150mm macro that is beautiful.
  • And the newest toy, my 120-400mm.

    • ====================================================
    120-400mm sigma
    APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM

    21 Elements in 15 Groups
    Angle of View 20.4 - 6.2 degrees
    Number of Diaphragm Blades 9 Blades
    Minimum Aperture F22
    Minimum Focusing Distance 150cm / 59.1 in.
    Maximum Magnification 1:4.2
    Filter Size Diameter 77mm
    Filter Size Bayonet-type Hood
    Dimensions Diameter 92.5mm X Length 203.5mm
    3.6 in. X 8 in.
    Weight 1750g/61.7 oz.
    Corresponding AF Mounts SIGMA, CANON, NIKON, PENTAX (1*, 2*), SONY (1*)
    ====================================================

    I’ve had my 120-400mm Sigma for a couple of weeks now and have decided that I like it.

    The HSM works great and in the park on a sunny day, stopped down to f/11 the autofocus is fast and sharp.
    However:

  • The optical stabilization is noisy and doesn’t seem to work quite as well as Nikon’s VR.
  • It tends to hunt a bit if the target isn’t fairly high contrast.
  • It’s slower to focus than I’d like it to be. -But that’s probably from moving that much glass, and it’s certainly faster than Nikon’s 80-400mm, but it’s too slow for fast moving targets.
  • The f/4.5-5.6 limits it’s use without a tripod in low light conditions
  • Depending on which focal length and f-stop you’re using the bokeh runs the gambit from very good to annoying.

    • –The problem with trying to quantify a thing like bokeh is that, except in extreme cases, it’s a matter of personal preference.

    As a general rule glossy magazines expect the background to be effectively invisible, while newspapers are not nearly that fussy and your Aunt Jane, while looking at a portrait of her favorite niece, probably wouldn’t notice a slightly out of focus Mime.

    The limitations of this lens are pretty much what you would expect from any lens with similar specs. And keeping in mind that I don’t shoot for poster size prints, I find the picture quality to be excellent.

    Basically this turned out to be a great all around lens.

    I wouldn’t hesitate to take it to a daylight auto race, although my old Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5.6 manual focus would be my first choice, but soccer under the lights in a park is pretty much a wasted trip.

    I received 2 emails asking for a more detailed explanation of Bokeh:
    I recommend you read Ken Rockwell for a far better explanation.

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