The Canon lenses mentioned include IS - not important for sports photography but very helpful for other handheld scenarios. The 120-300mm focal length range also makes this lens a very capable indoor event and portrait lens, Note: The Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Lens has been replaced by the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Lens. The zoom range adds a great dimension the 300mm or 400mm fixed lenses do not have available to them. Exposures are averaging a bit bright - often about 1/3 stop brighter than compared-to Canon lenses.

There is also the risk of a problem that results in the lens and body manufacturers directing blame at each other. If you don't mind shooting wide-open, go ahead and shoot it on older cameras if you like. Even on a 1959 Nikon F you can focus manually and shoot wide open.and this makes lens changing an issue unless you have two bodies (which requires camera swapping during the action).

As always, I shot many other comparison tests - and the ISO 12233 chart brings out the worst in this lens - as it always does. Contrast-wise, the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 is excellent. Just make sure to keep that long lens hood on at all times, since contract might decrease greatly when sun rays reach the front lens element. The lens renders colors beautifully, so no complaints there either. Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 Performance with Sigma 1.4x Teleconverter Let’s talk about the weight issue now. At 3.39 kilos, this is not a light lens. And it is expected, given its fast aperture of f/2.8. The Nikon 400mm f/2.8G VR is also a monster of a lens for that very reason. However, this is no 400mm and the lens barrel is nowhere as long in comparison. So the central issue with the weight is the fact that the lens is too heavy for its compact size. I have shot with the 500mm f/4G VR quite a bit (which in my opinion is the best hand-holdable Nikkor super-telephoto) and while it is a slightly heavier lens (by about 500 grams), it is much easier to hand-hold. Optical stabilization was a major upgrade for the 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS Lens over its non-OS predecessor. A slot in the cover provides the hood thumbscrew space to pass through and a hook-and-loop closure keeps the cover in place.Moreover I prefer the flexibility of the zoom even though you need to get used to operating it in particular handheld with BIF. Using it handheld saves you the money for the gym. The Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is a physically beautiful lens that delivers also-beautiful image quality even with a wide open aperture.

To recall the set distance, tap any of the four front AF buttons. You don't need to hold it; one tap and it will spin all the way to your set distance. Control of aberrations is excellent, helped no doubt by the inclusion of four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, two in the front group and two in the rear. Halation and chromatic aberration are virtually impossible to induce and where they do show slightly is more likely a characteristic of the sensor as it is not evident on film. I shot this test on three different occasions (a very time-consuming process) - each including many samples shot using AF, In terms of features, the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM S offers everything that you need from a professional telephoto zoom lens. This very usefully includes built-in Vibration Reduction, activated by the OS switch on the lens barrel, which offers around 4 stops of compensation. The OS system has two modes - mode 1 is suitable for general photography, and mode 2 is best for panning shots of moving subjects.The Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Lens is available in Canon (reviewed), Nikon (D) and Sigma mounts. It weighs in at a hefty 2.6kg, and at first this seems enormous, and in all honesty it is! Once a camera is attached though, it’s a well-balanced monster that is still possible to hand-hold for brief periods. A tripod collar is fitted. This is essential and, again, is top quality. It can easily be removed with a half turn of the good quality knob and a small pull to release the catch. Performance at 200mm is equally impressive. The lens notches 2,351 lines at f/2.8 lines, with edges that are just shy of 1,900 lines. You don't get the even edge-to-edge performance at this focal length that you do at 120mm when you stop down, but the already sharp lens improves steadily as you narrow its aperture, peaking at 2,609 lines at f/8. There's about 0.9 percent pincushion distortion, which is essentially irrelevant in field conditions.

As for image stabilization, there are two modes. The first, OS1, is for general usage. If you happen to be shooting panning shots, you can switch it to a dedicated mode for that style, OS2. Sharpness Longer focal length lenses typically require shorter exposures/faster shutter speeds to deliver sharp handheld results than their wider angle counterparts do.

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As I have said several times before, taking full advantage of this added zoom range benefit requires another level of skill when shooting fast action. While nice, the case would be much more functional with a few additional inches of length - enough to allow a mounted DSLR to fit.