Sigma APO 170-500mm f/5-6.3 DG Lens

Hi and thanks for reading my review,

I'm an average guy and I don't take photo's profesionally, so my review is based on my expectations in tandem with my budget.

My existing Kit...I have a Canon Eos 350D (Rebel XT) and the ubiquitous 18-55mm EF-S Lens and also a Canon 75-300mm Mark III (Non USM).

I don't take photo's of any specific subject matter though I do enjoy wildlife photography, especially if you can get close to the subject so this lens is and wuill continue to be used to take photo's of various types.

The Lens

Ok, I'm going to keep this as simple as possible, more for my benefit than for any other reason.

The lens is massive, at full extension with the supplied lens hood it is near 39cm long, and it's heavy too, these factors make the lens harder to use in low light and windy conditions as camera shake is a near certainty unless you get at least a monopod (if you are mounting the lens use the lens mount don't mount it by the therad on the bottom of the camera, it weighs so much there's no way of being sure that it would be safe to mount by the camera).

I've not taken hundereds of photo's with it as I've only recently recieved the lens but I've had no problems with any kind of colour distortion so the glass seems up to the job.

Pro's

Massive zoom range,
Auto and Manual Focus
Digital and Film compatible (at least in the case of the version I have)
Solid construction (It seems well made in my opinion)

Con's

Eats the light like a norse god, you really need lots of light or high Iso speeds
Heavy
Camera Shake
Noisy Auto Zoom Motor (it's not that bad but it is noticably louder than either of my canon lenses.
No Lens Lock, which means trhe lens creeps if left pointing straight up at full zoom or if it's picked up by the bayonet end...this for me is a nuisance but trust me after it's droped open once in your hand and you hear the clunk as it snaps open to full zoom the sickening feeling in your stomache until you confirm it's unharmed is all you need to ensure that you always handle it properly.

To be honest I've read loads of reviews of this lens on-line and to be honest most of them say "It's an ok lens but it's no Canon L series"...Let's get one thing out of the way right now, this shouldn't be compared to a Canon L series lens because even brand new from a high street retailer it will be half the cost of an L series lens.

I've bought this lens and to be honest I don't regret it a bit...in buying this lens I used up nearly half of the budget I had set aside for upgrading my PC which has meant that my upgraded PC is a shadow of what it could have been and still I have no regrets, There are issues with this lens, a lens lock would have been a good addition and if you want a lens lock look no further than the sigma 50-500mm lens but that's going to cost you more.

Wether or not you like this lens is based on your budget, do you want a massive zoom lens and are prepared to be limited to tripod work for longer shots? Then buy it, if you can afford a canon L series lens then go get 'em tiger and enjoy that lens...I for one couldn't be happier, you can pick this lens up from ebay in some cases for half the RRP or less, that makes it a very attractive prospect.

Oh and remember if you're using it on a Digital SLR that means you have to apply the magnification ration of aprox 1.5 (dependant on your model of camera) making it equivelant to a 255 - 750mm lens!

Cheers and Safe Driving Gary