Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- User Rating: 
Summary for Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- The SIGMONSTER
Notes on Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- This is an awesome lens and is a real must-have for birdwatching and other nature photography. The zoom range is extremely flexible and the f-stop reasonably fast, but keep in mind that this is a very, very specialized lens. First of all, yes, it is gigantic! This is not something you'll be carrying around day-to-day. It can be very challenging to get sharp pictures at focal lengths beyond 400mm or so. You MUST MUST MUST use a sturdy, high-end tripod and gimbal head. This will also preclude the "downward fall" described in another review. The lens alone is very heavy, and once you toss in a sturdy tripod you're talking 25+ pounds of equipment at a minimum; this is really going to limit your mobility and affect the way you shoot. It takes a lot of forethought to use this lens, but I prefer to think of that as an advantage.
When used properly, this lens has fantastic image quality -- very sharp, excellent contrast. When I say sharp, I am talking L-series sharp, even wide open. The HSM focus speed is fast, perhaps slightly slower than Canon's USM but not appreciably so. The only thing it's really missing is image stabilization (or optical stabilization, as Sigma calls it), which would really help out on those long shots. This is a minor limitation, though, to a great lens. If you have the discipline to learn how to use this lens properly (and if you can afford it!), you'll reap some great rewards.
Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- User Rating: 
Summary for Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- Very expensive, Very heavy, only "fair" photo quality
Notes on Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM APO ...- I bought this product with high hopes. I saw the price, saw the length of the lens, then hoped to be able to get some great nature photos. I used this produce only 5-6 times, all with some difficulty, as the weight of the lens alone is around 15 pounds. Add a heavy Nikon D1 camera, and the tripod has to support nearly 20 pounds.
Getting a good photo was difficult, even with a remote shutter control. Just getting the camera/lens to stay focused on the subject was tough, as the heavy lens kept falling, slowly falling forward. The real disappointment came when i downloaded the photos to my computer. I got a few shots of eagles nesting close to where I live, but they were nowhere near as good as I had hoped for.
I paid about $7,000 for this lens, including shipping. I would have never have paid that much for the results I got, had I knows in advance. $2,500? Yes. Over $7,000. No. Save your money.
