Signum 70-300 + Macro

Paul870

Paul870

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I'm really new to photography, i'm pretty used to my 500D body, and the standard 18mm lens.
I'm not at the stage where Im looking at another lens, but unsure which way to go!
Ideally i'd like a zoom lens as alot of the shots I seem to go for are just abit out of reach for the standard camera.
However I love the macro shots I see on here and would like to give it a go!

I went back to the Jacobs shop I bought my kit from and found one guy who was quite helpful!
He showed me the Signum 70-300 zoom with built in macro, what he said was it does both!
The price was good, however maybe too good? Came to £133 incl vat, other lens seem to be about £250+
Does any one have any experience with this, or some advice on a lens to go for would be good.

Ive heard of nifty fifties, macros, zooms, fish eyes.. but not sure what to do for my first step!
 
Just a couple of friendly pointers so you don't get confused in the future....

Firstly, you talk about you liking a zoom lens as some shots are out of reach, but the term zoom just means a lens that has a variable focal length, it doesn't always mean a lens that is 200mm or 300mm etc. I once owned a zoom lens that had a focal length of 11 to 18mm! Also you can buy huge non zoom lenses that are 400mm, 600mm or 800mm etc.....these are a fixed focal length (also known as "Prime" lenses) so are constantly at a set focal length and can not zoom in or out. Sorry if you know all this already, I don't mean to belittle you at all, but it's definitely better to get to grips with all the terminology early, rather than back track later! :thumbs:

Secondly, it's Sigma not Signum! :p

Hopefully to try and answer your question, do you mind buying second hand, or would you prefer to buy brand new? :shrug:

And more importantly, what kind of photographs would you hope be taking with your new longer lens? Wildlife, people, motorsport, landscapes, street etc etc....
 
Haha, oh I do feel silly now! :gag: can someone change the title if possible?

No I am very new to photography, and sometimes feel I dont get many replies as my questions may be simple. I've literally bought my kit and went out and shot everything and learnt what I can.
I've not got to the stage where I'll buy books to learn things yet as I know im still very noobish to the scene - however this is what i'm to do next as i've gotten to grasps with what I can on my own.
I'm still grasping basics on shutter speeds and F ratings, thats about as far as i've got!
Equipment is a whole new ball game, so any help here would be great!

I wasnt aware about the information regarding the 200-300mm etc, I actually thought that was a zoom range.. however I suppose thats the process of learning, so I do thank you for pointing that out to me! very helpful :)

I wouldnt mind buying second hand, i've visited shops as I seem to learn more face to face with this sort of area, I don't like putting my self too far out there in case people get annoyed with my basics :shrug:
One of the reasons I bought my original kit was the warrenty!

The photos I seem to capture and enjoy at the moment have been landscapes, objects and wildlife. Id love to shoot motorsport or related things as such but theres not much local to me like that.

I missed a car event in liverpool one last week, the first time ive heard of car action around here and was in work, absolutely gutted!
 
The Sigma 70-300mm is an ok entry level zoom lens, but as with most things, you get what you pay for! The build quality isn't up to much but if you're not throwing it around everywhere then it should be ok. Image quality is ok too but obviously not up to par with more expensive stuff. The real let down though, is with the speed of the auto focus.....it's very slow and finds it hard to lock when you're in low light!

This is the cheapest of the Sigma 70-300mm range for £124: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-70-300mm-f4-5-6-macro-dg-lens-canon-fit/p1008573 Cheap and cheerful, but will get you on your way!

This is the APO version of the above lens for £174: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-70-300mm-f4-5-6-apo-macro-super-dg-lens-canon-fit/p1008569 Which has improved image quality but is the same in every other respect i.e. build etc.....this is the pick of the bunch for me as I think the extra money is worth the extra IQ that you get ;) I owned this lens for quite a while and it did me proud the odd time I used it!

This is currently the daddy of the Sigma 70-300mm range at just under £300: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-70-300mm-f4-5-6-dg-os-lens-canon-fit/p1033291 It has "OS" which means "Optical Stabilizing", OS helps with camera shake (your hands moving tiny amounts when you hold your camera to take a shot) which can be helpful in low light situations, but if you're outdoors in daylight most of the time then you probably won't need it. No idea about build quality etc as I've never actually seen one!

Most of these lenses crop up for sale 2nd hand in the talkphotography classifieds section every so often, just keep an eye out and you might grab a bargain! :thumbs:

Tamron do a similar lens which often comes up for sale very cheap but it rarely gets a thumbs up from people on here, never used it myself though!

Never feel silly for asking a question you don't know the answer to, I bet almost everyone on here, at some point, has thought about the same questions you'll be thinking of.....I know I have!! :D

Don't forget, you're not the only person on here who's just starting out with photography, there are plenty more....and by asking those "silly questions" you'll actually be helping them all......as they are probably too scarred to ask for themselves!! :thumbs:
 
Paul870 said:
Haha, oh I do feel silly now! :gag: can someone change the title if possible?
Click to expand...

You can change it yourself! Click on 'EDIT' then 'GO ADVANCED' and you can change the title.
I had the Sigma lens you are talking about. While it is 'OK' for the money, I found it very soft after the 250mm mark. I sold it on and got the Canon 55-250mm IS and NEVER regretted it. The IQ is better, the IS is a godsend, is not much more money, (I got mine mint for £160) and although a little soft at 250mm, is much better than the Siggy when cropped! It may not be quite long enough for motor sport, but I have had no problems and love the lens!
There is also a 300mm version of this lens, but will cost more!
 
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