View Full Version : Canon..or...Sigma???
i will be buying either the 100-400mm L Canon (not prime), or the 50-500mm Sigma, for my christmas present shortly, i have read varying reports on both lenses, and i am not sure which would be the best buy, some say that the canon having a push/pull lens lets in dust, could this be right, and some say the Sigma is just too long, so, my question is:
if you had the choice, which one and why...
Buy the Canon and don't go to dusty places :)
What do you want to use them for?
The 50-500 is good, but I'm thinking that L thing will just give it the edge. You've gotta try both lenses before spending alot of money.
Warspite
17-09-2006, 19:56
I think the Canon would be better. You have L quality glass, IS, negatives maybe the push/pull zoom (however people say this is quite fast to use once you get used to it).
However for example shots with a Bigma look for threads from Tommy6206, hes posted some great captures with that lens.
Buy the Canon and don't go to dusty places :)
What do you want to use them for?
like the reply steep, i think it would be so handy to have a lens that gives you 100-400mm of choice, or 50-500mm, i could get into nature with a lens like that..
it all started a couple of weeks ago, when two ballonists flew over my house, not too high, so i put on the 200mm lens, and it did nothing, they were still too far up, so i though, i need a bigger lens, was going to go for matty's 70-300 sigma, but the wife said ' i thought you wanted L glass' and who am i to argue:thumbs:
busterboy
17-09-2006, 20:18
The Canon 100-400mm is a sterling lens Boon, Stick to Canon if funds permit.:thumbs:
digitalfailure
17-09-2006, 20:31
Boon, you seek kerso ;)
trust me, the 100-400 is a great lens. the push pull system imo is much better than the twist zoom, and miles quicker to use. wont take you 5 mins to get used to it ;)
trust me, the 100-400 is a great lens. the push pull system imo is much better than the twist zoom, and miles quicker to use. wont take you 5 mins to get used to it ;)
haha, antc, i see you live in nottm, well so do i, nearly, any chance i could see this lens, pm me if you like, if not no bother, can go hmmm, where??
Steve I aint no expert, but I'm thinking the same as you, L in the first instance or sigma, although I'm waiting till after xmas, either to grab a bargin in the sales, or wait till Focus on imaging in Feb as I know I will be able to get either at a very good price. I 'll be watching this one with interest.
A friend of mine uses the 100 - 400 and loves it. Reckons it took no time at all to get used to the push/pull and he now prefers that to the usual twist zoom!
Go for the 100-400 - just for the L of it! ;)
Steve I aint no expert, but I'm thinking the same as you, L in the first instance or sigma, although I'm waiting till after xmas, either to grab a bargin in the sales, or wait till Focus on imaging in Feb as I know I will be able to get either at a very good price. I 'll be watching this one with interest.
not a bad idea glen, i would be gutted if i could have got it cheaper..
You will always be able to get it cheaper a few months down the line.
Boon,
If you go for the 100-400L I've got a voucher for £105 rebate you can have...
As an alternative, could you stretch to a HK import of a Sigma 120-300 2.8?
Ah, Joe throws in another good option ;)
From your first two I'd go for the canon, push pull hasn't caused any issues with dust either. But that 120-300..........
But that 120-300..........
...is a heavy bugger! :( :p
hmmm choices, choices. Not looked at the 120-300 2.8 sigma, but i have until the new year sales to choose, so not in a rush. When spending this amount of money, i want to get it right.
@pxl8 many thanks for the kind offer, not sure how they work, do you have to buy the lens from canon and then get the rebate, as i know where i can get the lens at an excellent price already.
@joe, do you have this lens??
EDIT:
holy shu-moley, get a load of that 80-400, or that 300-800mm, wow serious piece of kit.
The voucher can be used with any retailer - you fill out a form online and post it along with the voucher, bar code from the box, and purchase receipt to Canon who then send you money...
@joe, do you have this lens??
http://www.diesel-power.org.uk/CIMG0104a.jpg
One day I will get a decent pic of it, I promise.
I bought this lens from HK (via D-Rev), hence the price (I paid £1150, after reclaiming the VAT back from the seller).
Its a great lens for motorsport and wildlife. It is much more flexible than the big primes, and much cheaper than the Canon or Nikon 300 2.8s. For motorsport, the zoom is incredibly useful.
I use it with a Sigma 1.4 TC with no problems.
Due to the weight, I nearly always use it with a monopod (Giottos P-Pod). I have managed to learn to pan using a monopod, which isnt always easy.
I dont think it mounts all that well onto my D70 - there a very very small amount of 'play' in the connection, which is a slight pain.
If you cant afford a Canon/Nikon 300 2.8 and would like a lens of this quality, then I would recommend it.
If you have any further questions, please contact me. For examples, visit my website at www.diesel-power.org.uk. In the 2006 gallery all of the pictures with a focal length over 120mm will be taken with that lens. One of them is a Porshe panned at 1/25 at 300mm (its in the Le Mans Classic gallery)
Anyway, i hope this helps.
jeezus, thats a whopper.
Some impressive shots there joe, not sure if i want to push her to £1200 though, i need a tripod too, you see :naughty:
I think I'll defo wait till FOCUS and grab a bargin and use my voucher for the £105 off if i get the canon. Steve If you need one I've got a spare voucher book, I'll stick it in the post if you PM me your address, that way what ever route you decide to go you'll have the voucher incase.
I think I'll defo wait till FOCUS and grab a bargin and use my voucher for the £105 off if i get the canon. Steve If you need one I've got a spare voucher book, I'll stick it in the post if you PM me your address, that way what ever route you decide to go you'll have the voucher incase.
Are you talking about the Focus show @ NEC in Feb 07? If so, check your vouchers as mine are only valid for purchases before 31st Dec 06...
Ah good point, will have a look when I get home from work, thanks for that!!!:thumbs:
One day I will get a decent pic of it, I promise.
Reminds me a bit of Busterboy's pic of the 300mm plus converters on the 300D :lol:
busterboy
21-09-2006, 16:35
Reminds me a bit of Busterboy's pic of the 300mm plus converters on the 300D :lol:
Yeah but the Sigma has a good review behind it and at f/2.8 it has a low price tag too dod..;)
Trung_EP3CTR
26-09-2006, 01:52
I would stretch to the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 as Joe suggested.
Matt Charlton
26-09-2006, 06:37
Well Steve, as you know I opted for the 100-400L rather than the Sigma. Remember that the sigma doesn't have IS either - I'm pretty sure that the bird shot I captured at the weekend wouldn't have been anything other than a blur had I bought the sigma instead of the canon.
The battery grip should arrive this morning so I should know how that relates with the lens - it should make it a lot better to hold.
I massivly prefere sigma over the canon, end of story :)
My sigma 70-200 /2.8 + 1.4TC owns :)
hi matt
i have the battery grip and it improves the holding capabilities no end, i will wait for your view on it.
I massivly prefere sigma over the canon, end of story :)
My sigma 70-200 /2.8 + 1.4TC owns :)
hi marik
i have no problem at all with sigma, its just that a mate recently bought his canon 350d to work, along with his 70-300mm sigma lens, unfortuately i couldn't even focus the lens, even on auto setting the tree looked blurred, and he said he didn't get very good results from it at all, which has left me wondering.
Due to the weight, I nearly always use it with a monopod (Giottos P-Pod). I have managed to learn to pan using a monopod, which isnt always easy.
Still managed to drop it though ;) :'(
Matt Charlton
26-09-2006, 08:50
I don't know what to make of the grip at the moment, its probably because I'm so used to using the 350d on its own and I'm sure after some use it will feel a lot more comfortable to hold. Certainly is a strange looking thing isn't it - for some reason I thought there was a side piece for it too.
Having the shutter button on the bottom for portrait shots is fab.
you will soon get used to it matt, i couldn't go back, as they say..
Matt Charlton
26-09-2006, 09:37
Will try it out holding the 100-400L when I get home Steve and let you know :)
Just to balance things out here's a pic of my 100-400L fitted to my 350d and Opteka battery grip :) It really is a well balanced combination. I've not used the Sigma so I can't comment on that, but I know would not part with my Canon 100-400L IS.
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9496/canon100400lag1.jpg
Mike
it looks brilliant mike, ive just been out back swinging a sledge hammer about, think i need to go back and work some more yet, looks heavy.
ps, how do you or (matt) carry it about with you, have you got a rucksack or something??
it looks brilliant mike, ive just been out back swinging a sledge hammer about, think i need to go back and work some more yet, looks heavy.
ps, how do you or (matt) carry it about with you, have you got a rucksack or something??
It's not light Steve ;) I do have a large rucksack, but I usually carry it around in it's case which has a very thin neckstrap, which I'm about to swop for a wide camera strap. I find carrying it around attached to the camera fairly comfortable if I hold on to the tripod mount.
Mike
Matt Charlton
26-09-2006, 11:30
I haven't had much experience of carrying it around - I had to remove a load of dividers and it fits into my micro trekker 200 now but as for Saturday - we'll find out. Probably around my neck with the camera for most of the day, we'll see if I can do it without getting neckache now I have the new strap.
The case for the lens itself is actually at home in the box - I figured it'd be too much hassle to use it plus it adds more size to it too so I'd struggle to fit it into the bag.
Saturday will be the first proper field test so we'll see how it goes, if you can get up there Steve it might be a good oppertunity for you to try a 100-400L out? :)
WetSparks
26-09-2006, 11:37
Just to chuck in a little tip here. When you is walking around with the camera around your neck and the 100 -400L on it, don't forget to set the zoom friction adjuster to tight. Other wise you will find it keeps on shooting forward, like what mine did :shake:
Saturday will be the first proper field test so we'll see how it goes, if you can get up there Steve it might be a good oppertunity for you to try a 100-400L out? :)
would love to matt, unfortunately i gave up weekends (WORKING)in order to have 2 days together with the wife in the week.
Matt Charlton
26-09-2006, 15:11
Ah yeah I remember you saying somewhere near the start of the Chester thread, sorry mate :(
The grip makes the 100-400L ten times easier to hold, I could even almost shoot one handed with it :)
lovely thing.
hmm tempted with the new sigma 135-400mm DG matty has just posted about, i will try and find a test report on it. But i know its not L glass, but will that matter.
Diego Garcia
26-09-2006, 16:08
But i know its not L glass, but will that matter.
Not sure, but look at my night shoot at the Bristol Aztecs and the bristol Zoo stuff to see how good these Sigma lenses are. Lovely colours from the lens, razor sharp at 100% crop and fast, very fast. I have already sold my 100 - 400L.
Diego.
70-300mm Sigma apperantly aint the best lens on t'market
70-200 2.8 ftw :D
I like joes suggestion tbh, havn't read any posts in the thread, so not sure what's going on
Not sure, but look at my night shoot at the Bristol Aztecs and the bristol Zoo stuff to see how good these Sigma lenses are. Lovely colours from the lens, razor sharp at 100% crop and fast, very fast. I have already sold my 100 - 400L.
Diego.
hi diego
you have used both type of lenses, so which would you say, remembering i am no pro, not even sure i would notice the difference..:shrug:
busterboy
26-09-2006, 18:18
Stick with the Canon Steve..;)
Show me a thread dissing the 100-400mm and I will show my @rse in town..:eek:
AF in full use... Weather sealent..Tack sharp with excellent contrast and colours..And IS to round things off..:love:
Have you read this Steve (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-100-400mm-f-4.5-5.6-L-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx)...:)
Its a bit slow though..... :p
Diego Garcia
26-09-2006, 19:40
hi diego
you have used both type of lenses, so which would you say, remembering i am no pro, not even sure i would notice the difference..:shrug:
Difficult one to answer and I think you need to look at the bigger picture.
I loved the 100 - 400L but I call it a 'weekend' lens. Ideal for birding, nature, rambles and sport in great light but at 4.5F at 100mm and 5.6 at 400mm which is 680 ish on a 1.6 crop it is simply not fast enough for me anymore, hence why I went for the Sigma 300mm 2.8. I admit I wish I could have gone for the Canon 300mm 2.8 but I could not so we will end that there.
Dont let people tell you that the Sigma top spec lenses are no good, its all marketing. I love it already and its tack sharp which stands to reason as prime. The build quality is awesome. I spent thursday night with a fleet st veteran togger who loved the sigma and was blown away at the quality.
Personally, I look to shoot in prime all the time now though as before do not discount the 100 - 400L.
So, think about what is the right lens for you mate, not really about what others tell you or advise, you have to buy the lens that suits your needs and I think that the 100 - 400L is that lens but is it fast enough for you?
Diego. :thumbs:
RichardtheSane
26-09-2006, 20:33
I traded my 100-400 for a sigma 120-300 a few months back. The 100-400 is great for the reach and the push pull zoom wipes the floor with twist zoom (IMO) but the Sigma 120-300 - well that is something else entirely!
Wide open the sigma at F2.8 is just a little bit softer than the 100-400 at F5.6. The sigma suprasses the 100-400 at F4... I notice no difference from the colours out of the two but I find slightly contrastier shots out of the sigma.
BUT it is a heavy bugger - real heavy!
Here is mine on a 20D with grip
http://www.lindleypetphotography.co.uk/images/120-300/IMG_1830.jpg
Ooohh! First other person I've found with this lens!!!! Yay!
I have rarely been in a situation where the 5.6 aperture has been a problem. The IS lets you drop the shutter below 1/focal length.
Even if I had a Canon 300 F2.8 I would probably use it mostly at F4 or smaller
Boon the Bigma is a nice lens but heavy! Another one to consider which is lovely is the 80-400 with IS - again heavy but a quality lens - I have had both in the past plus a Canon 100-400 (not at the same time however! LOL) Now have a range of Canon L's that are superb - but it depends what you shoot and what you want.
wow, i am quite overwhelmed by the responce to this question, however, i am not sure what i want to do, this is my big dilema, but i would have thought that i will be covered from 17mm right through to 400mm with 2 excellent lenses, then all i would need will be a macro lens later.
@diego thank you for an excellent insight into these lenses..
@tim thanks for the link, learned you need to turn off IS when tripod mounted, good tip..
@RTS lens looks great on your 20D, but at £1600, its too expensive..
but as i have said before, there is no rush for me, it will be a xmas pressie, so i will continue to watch with baited breath as sigma and canon roll out new stuff ..
I have the Sigma 70-300 but find the aperture "shrinkage" at full zoom means some pretty long exposures so hankering after a F2.8 120 - 300 or similar and it looks as if the Sigma will get my pocket money before too long - failed to find a camera shop in USA - hit NY on a Saturday and closed for Sabbath!
The one thing that worries me about buying Sigma is that if you believe the reviews in the magaines or on the net, their quality control can be a bit hit or miss....
RichardtheSane
26-09-2006, 22:41
The one thing that worries me about buying Sigma is that if you believe the reviews in the magaines or on the net, their quality control can be a bit hit or miss....
Canon don't exactly get top marks in that department either ;)
With both manufacturers you usually get a top notch lens back from repair if need be - usually a better option that opting for a replacement...
Warspite
26-09-2006, 23:52
I think you really need to find a local Jessops or Jacobs (or any other retailers that are available to you) and see if they have any in stock, new or second hand - get a feel for the lens, see how you feel with the bulk and weight before you even consider any decision. Worst case scenario would be you buy your absolute dream lens spending alot of cash along the way and then never use it because you find its not portable enough.
Also another opportunity maybe to keep a watch for any group meets in your area, you have plenty of time yet for a zoo meet or other event to occur, who knows were the next ones may occur.
Just consider your options and take your time in deciding which to get, dont rush into anything.
(Not much material advice Im afraid - but plenty of options have already been suggested, now you just have to find what fits your needs best)
:thumbs:
when going into a jessops or whoever, do you take our camera, or just look at the lens ?
Warspite
27-09-2006, 20:55
Either - if you dont take your own they will attach it to one of their demo cameras. The important thing though is ideally you want to fire some shots off that you can view at home in detail - so I would try and take my own camera (dont forget the memory card).
Steve just asked Kerso how much he can do the 100-400 for, he's got it at £880 at the moment, which I think is a cracking price........very tempted.......anyone want a Kidney???:naughty:
Canon don't exactly get top marks in that department either ;)
With both manufacturers you usually get a top notch lens back from repair if need be - usually a better option that opting for a replacement...
Exactly. It's simply ridiculous that people use quality control as a reason not to go for other brand lenses. Look about and you'll find plenty of L glass having to go back for calibration, but that's okay :suspect: :thinking:
In fact, my sigma 70-200 F2.8 is peeling and I'd still recommend it.
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