Sigma 120-300 lack of os ?

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thesmileyone

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Hi, to anyone who has owned or owns or has used the Sigma 120-300 F2.8, has the lack of OS when shot handheld made you regret it ?

I am considering either that or the Nikon 70-200 VR2, but thinking the 200mm (300mm on D300s) might be too short. I will be using it for motorsport, air shows etc. I have a redsnapper tripod (the biggest one) and head but dont like carrying it around with me. I also have shakey hands however my cameras good iso speed means i can just turn up the iso upto around 1600 and get a higher shutter speed :)

I currently have a 70-300G (non vr) and struggle holding it steady at 300mm, but then its light and so i cant hold it as steady due to having big hands.

Thanks :)
 
I don't have the Sigma, however I do have the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 which weighs roughly the same at around 2.6kg, which is roughly six times that of your current lens, so if your struggling to hold that steady then I think you'd be in for a hard time with the Sigma.

The 300mm f/4 AF-S by comparison is just over 1.4kg and the two versions of the 70-200 VR are either side of 1.5kg.

If you do decide to go for the Sigma I'd recommend investing in a decent, strong monopod too.
 
Dont you find it limiting being 100mm less at the long range ?

I will be using it for alsorts from birds to sports such as hockey. People suggest a 300mm prime but what happens when the ball gets to my part of the court... i cant take any pictures then. So i need the flexibility of a zoom!
 
thesmileyone said:
Dont you find it limiting being 100mm less at the long range ?

I will be using it for alsorts from birds to sports such as hockey. People suggest a 300mm prime but what happens when the ball gets to my part of the court... i cant take any pictures then. So i need the flexibility of a zoom!
Click to expand...

Yes, I do sometimes find the 70-200 too short, so bought a 120-300 to go with it, not instead of. I sold a Nikon 300mm F4 as it was too restrictive without the zoom.

The lack of VR hasn't been as issue really as I hardly use it anyway.
 
i love the reach of my 70-200 on a crop body. so looked at this lens if i was to go FF. but its HUGE. wouldnt consider handholding that beast :D

Shame nikon dont have anything similar to canons 100-400L IS USM.
 
I've got one and hand hold it 90% of the time. It's no trouble really - at first I couldn't really hold it for more than about 5 mins (at that point camera shake was too much to guarantee a crisp picture), but that is a combination of not being used to the weight and not holding it 'efficiently' - if you're willing to change your shooting style you can use it without discomfort for an hour no probs.

Basically you want to shoot by resting the body of the camera on your left shoulder and support the end of the lens with your left hand. simples - not only does that minimise the amount of work your arm has to do but it maintains a much steadier lens so you can use lower shutter speeds.

anyway, in answer to your question I don't notice the lack of OS or have a need for it (I've got a 70-200 IS and it's spent most of it time with the switch in the Off position)

The monopod you want is a Manfrotto 681B :D

Hope that helps

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Edit: I've just realised the first paragraph makes me sound like a meat-head. I'm a skinny, malnourished 25 year old student... there are always ways around a problem rather than an expensive solution (like IS, OS, VR etc)
 
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thesmileyone said:
I currently have a 70-300G (non vr) and struggle holding it steady at 300mm
Click to expand...

What shutter speed/ ISO are you using when you see the problem?
 
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I have a 120-300. Can quite happily handhold it with the 1.4x tc attached at motorsport events, but then I think I have reasonably steady hands.

The only thing I think VR would help with is vertical movement when panning.
 
Most motorsport photographers switch IS/OS/VR (or whatever you wish to call it) off ... the only time I turn it on is when taking ambient light shots around a service area.
 
adsayer said:
I've got one and hand hold it 90% of the time. It's no trouble really - at first I couldn't really hold it for more than about 5 mins (at that point camera shake was too much to guarantee a crisp picture), but that is a combination of not being used to the weight and not holding it 'efficiently' - if you're willing to change your shooting style you can use it without discomfort for an hour no probs.

Basically you want to shoot by resting the body of the camera on your left shoulder and support the end of the lens with your left hand. simples - not only does that minimise the amount of work your arm has to do but it maintains a much steadier lens so you can use lower shutter speeds.

anyway, in answer to your question I don't notice the lack of OS or have a need for it (I've got a 70-200 IS and it's spent most of it time with the switch in the Off position)

The monopod you want is a Manfrotto 681B :D

Hope that helps

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Edit: I've just realised the first paragraph makes me sound like a meat-head. I'm a skinny, malnourished 25 year old student... there are always ways around a problem rather than an expensive solution (like IS, OS, VR etc)
Click to expand...

hello ads, havent seen you about for a while :wave:

im the same, use mine handheld 99% of the time with no major bother..

i find tucking your left elbow tight into your hip/side helps hugely with support.
 
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