120-300 or 300 f2.8

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Hi all,

Hoping to get some input from the forum.

Background:

Looking at either a Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 or 300mm f2.8
Will be purchased used.

Will be mostly used to shoot motorsport, so good AF a must.

I already own a sigma 70-200 f/2.8 plus 1.4TC.

Now my thoughts:

I have read that the AF is slower on the zoom compared with the prime, is this a very noticable difference?

The prime hasnt got OS, whereas the newer versions of the zoom have - but are more expensive (I do have a monopod, but prefer to shoot handheld). The older versions of the zoom do not have OS which balances the field.

What will be sharper at 300mm? Im guessing the prime?

I know the main question is what focal range i will be using - the fact that i have a 70-200 and a TC negates alot of the zooms range. Using f4.0 with the TC isnt bad because motorsport isnt really shot at f2.8.

I feel like i am better off finding a prime as it will be slightly cheaper overall.

Thoughts? User reviews?
 
I have the 120-300 f2.8 which I've used with my Canon 7D and not found it lacking in the AF department, only shoot motorsport occasionally but they came out OK, also use it handheld.
 
I have the 120-300 f2.8 which I've used with my Canon 7D and not found it lacking in the AF department, only shoot motorsport occasionally but they came out OK, also use it handheld.

Have you got any pictures you can share? Flickr?
 
Ive got both the sigma 120-300 sport and the nikon 300mm f2.8 vr 2 in the house atm. Not sure how much help i can be as i think the nikon your referring too is a different lens but i will say this;

The sigma was wildly out of calibration when it arrived across all my bodies. Ive got 300mm sorted at all programmable (with the dock) subject distances but it still needs some tweaking on the other values. Also id like to had a chat with the person responsible for the collar and foot design, their older design were much better in the hand.

Optically there is no difference in the formula used for the sport and its OS predecessor. The sport has a focus limiter and can be programmed with the dock. The older sigma lens was one of the most unreliable lenses around (theres an article from one of the lens rental places in the US talking about weeks between repair and the sigma doesnt do well) but optically it was fine.
 
The Sigma will take your Sigma TC, the Nikon lens probably won't.
The prime will have a slight advantage in overall IQ, but it lacks somewhat in versatility... I would/did choose the zoom lens.
 
I used to have the prime with 1.4x and 2.0x TCs. Liked it a lot, but ended up changing it for a 100-400mm MkII.

This was with 2.0x TC

Untitled by Glenn Wilson, on Flickr
 
Thought there would be some useful information on here.
I cant afford the Nikon 300mm. Well, not one of the newer models. Major lens lust though.
It is a comparison between two sigma lenses.

I agree with the versatility of the 120-300mm but worried that it wont be as sharp as i hope at 300mm. - It seems it is from a few reviews.
That is where alot of my shooting will be done, maybe even coupled with the TC.

@zeameth you are saying the older versions (Without OS) of the 120-300 arent as reliable?

@sk66 I know you were big fan of the Nikon 80-400 too!

There isnt alot on the used market at the moment so i havent got much to choose from! Patience :)
 
I agree with the versatility of the 120-300mm but worried that it wont be as sharp as i hope at 300mm. - It seems it is from a few reviews.
That is where alot of my shooting will be done, maybe even coupled with the TC.

@zeameth you are saying the older versions (Without OS) of the 120-300 arent as reliable?

its the version immediately prior to the Sport version that i remembered, it did have OS found the article here: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/09/lensrentals-repair-data-january-july-2012/

Ive not handled the non OS version myself
 
its the version immediately prior to the Sport version that i remembered, it did have OS found the article here: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/09/lensrentals-repair-data-january-july-2012/

Ive not handled the non OS version myself

Yeah they have released 2 versions without OS (one with DG) and 2 with i believe. (the newer is the sport)

Thats interesting, only a small sample size though. Its not something i have come across when googling and reading reviews so maybe just unlucky or a faulty batch?

I wish i could afford the new sport model, but they are rare on the market and prices remain high. I hope it will accept my TC (APO version) though?
 
Have you considered the newest version of the Nikon 300/4? It's excellent.
 
Yeah i spent ages considering it.

What swung it the sigma way is the fact i can get an f2.8 lens for the same money and it will work with my TC.

Its a cracking lens otherwise!
 
I had the Sigma 120-300Sport and used quit a bit for motorsport and often with a canon 1.4TC and it never failed to impress with it's auto focus on any of my cameras. Being f2.8 never came into the equation for motorsport as I was usually slowing down the shutter so f8 or more was the norm, it was a godsend for football though and I never shot at game at anything other than f2.8 if I can recall. It is weighty so a monopod might help though I did hand hold a fair bit.

I did sell the lens after I stopped doing football and now use a Canon 500f4, 300f4 and 70-200 for the track of if traveling light my Sigma 150-600C which is also more than capable at handling a race or two and 600mm does come in handy for motorbikes. The 300f4 is just so much lighter and still works with a TC quite well.
 
The Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 Sport is top of my wish list for a new sports lens. I think you'd find the versatility of a zoom to outweigh the slight image quality benefit of the 300mm prime.
 
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