Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG IF HSM APO Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

I shoot 2-3 sports events a week and while I love my D3 needed more reach (had been trying to shoot soccer & track meets with Nikon 70-200 & Sigma 100-300). I concluded after a lot of thought & soul searching it would be more strategic for me to buy D300/Sigma 120-300mm combo than a 200-400mm for the D3. [the 100-300mm is a great lens too, but that extra stop is so sweet!]

For me, I definitely wanted a f/2.8 lens and felt a zoom would be more versatile than the Nikon 300 f/2.8 (& cheaper too).

There's no question it's a heavy lens by most people's standards, but I always use with a Monfrotto 681B monopod (which I love too).

Have only had this combo for about a 2 weeks but love it. The pictures are tack sharp, and the bokeh is awesome--rivaling Nikon 70-200mm IMHO. People always mention you have to get a good copy from Sigma but buying new I was fairly certain this would not be a problem, and I knew I could always send it right back to Amazon for another copy with no problem.

[....]In summary this combo has helped me take my game to a whole new level, and I'm very, very happy with this lens.

I've had this lens for about 1 year now and am very happy with it. I have no complaints with the quality of the unit or its photos. Some other reviewers have had a complaint with the mount screw holes, stating that they were of poor quality and stripped easily requiring the purchase of a new upgrade mount from Sigma. After using this lens extensively, I can authoritatively say that the mount is very good quality and should provide years of service free use. If you treat it respectfully, you won't have any problems. If you are interested in this lens, I would advise that you get it ASAP, because its price is rapidly rising every year. It has increased a full $400 in less than 8 months!

Got this lens for use with a Nikon D3 and D300. I shoot mostly sports and needed something a bit longer than my old 80-200/2.8 for field sports like baseball and lacrosse. I also have used this lens indoors for volleyball on my D3 so I can sit way up in the stands and still get close enough while looking down onto court at a cool angle. The 2.8 really comes in handy since my gym's lighting is absolutely horrible.

Anyway, I also got the Sigma 1.4x TC (which only AF and meters with a few lenses, including this one and the 300/2.8 prime, but they don't tell you that until you read the booklet insde the TC box!) So combining my 1.5 crop D300 with the 1.4x TC and this monster lens, I get about 250-630/4. In the full-frame D3 I get about 168-420/4 with the same setup. I have heard that some copies of this lens don't zoom all the way out the the claimed 300 mm but my metadata shows that my max focal length is actually 420 mm with the 1.4 TC on the D3, FWIW.

I thought about getting the 300 prime but really wanted the zoom feature since moving around a lot is not really an option for most sports shooting. I would love to get the Nikkor 200-400/4 but at $5K, that's not really an option and besides, I have a 2.8!

Pros: Good image quality, even with 1.4x TC, on par with or better than my Nikkor 80-200/2.8; great in low light at f/2.8; fast and quiet focusing that can keep up with fast action sports; way cheaper than anything Nikon makes (especially since they don't even make a 120-300/2.8 zoom!)

Cons: Cheap metal finish quality (thin, matte paint that shows scratches easily, if it doesn't chip off entirely); the zoom ring is reverse of Nikon direction (not bad if zooming is slow and deliberate, but I have issues when I need to snap in or out quickly and old habits take over from using Nikon lenses); zoom ring feels a bit stiffer than my 80-200 (don't know if it's just my copy, but I only need gentle fingertip pressure on the 80-200 to zoom but the Sigma requires a firm finger "squeeze") which affects how fast I can zoom in and out and thus how I shoot; lame lens cover "sock" that doesn't stay on when the hood is deployed

Other thoughts: Great lens for the money, especially when paired with 1.4x TC. The zoom ring issues I'm dealing with ok, it's just annoying at times, but not a deal-breaker for me. The biggest niggle is the cheap paint that flakes off (especially on the handle of the rotating collar and the edges of the hood--places that see the most action)

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars