Are Sigma lenses good enough?

I am on a very tight budget and need to purchase a couple of lenses. I am looking at the Sigma EX DG 20-40 and the Sigma DG APO 70-300. I can get both lenses for less than $500, which is about the extent of my budget.

I am relying on your heavyweight expertise to help me make this decision, because I have spent many hours searching the web and am still having a dificult time making a decision.

Thanks in advance!

I'm not familiar with the first lens, but the 70-300 APO has a very good reputation for qualityrice ratio.

Sure there are fine Sigma lenses out there. 90 percent of my lenses are Canons but I have two Sigmas - the 20mm f/1.8 EX DG, etc.. and the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX "Macro". The 24-70mm is excellent and is as sharp as any Canon zoom that I own.

I'm not a huge fan of Sigma's "push-pull" clutch mechanism to control auto or manual focus but it's not a show-stopper.

There have been some issues with older Sigma lenses on newer Canon bodies but if you buy a new lens you won't have any problems.

I suspect that there are very few (if any) people who could tell you if a given image was shot with a Sigma lens or a Canon lens - assuming there's a decent photographer behind it. Just my .02 cent's worth... Good luck!

I still have the Sigma 70-300 APO Macro II - think of it as a 70-240 and the quality is very good. Towards the 300 end it becomes soft.
You also get a 1:2 Macro which can be further enhanced with extension tubes.
The build quality is much better than that of the new Canon 70-300IS USM!

I've not used the other one but I have just received the Sigma 10-20 EX earlier today and so far image & build quality seems brilliant.

Sure I've got a photography memory...... just needs developing!

If your main concern is image quality, Sigma is a good deal. However, are you planning on shooting in less than ideal light? If so, Canon autofocus wins hands down. Every Sigma I've owned or tried hunts far more that Canon.

While Sigma image quality can be excellent at times, I dissagree with a previous post. Give me 10 Sigma shots and 10 Canon shots of the same subject all unproccessed and I can definitely tell the difference. Does that mean Sigma is not a good value, definitely not. It simply means they are different.

Kevin Willis said:

I am on a very tight budget and need to purchase a couple of
lenses. I am looking at the Sigma EX DG 20-40 and the Sigma DG APO
70-300. I can get both lenses for less than $500, which is about
the extent of my budget.

I am relying on your heavyweight expertise to help me make this
decision, because I have spent many hours searching the web and am
still having a dificult time making a decision.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

I'd avoid that 20-40 if I were you. Very poor overall rating. Dissapointing because it's specs are good. Sigma make some very very good glass as do Tamron and Tokina. Have you tried to get a Canon 20-35 f/3.5-4.5. I'm not sure of price but they are a decent lens and get good reviews.

I choose the Canon 17-40L over its Sigma counterpart because I thought the Canon's images had much less distortion. Having said that, on my Pentax 1.6x sensor, my favorite lens was the Sigma 15-30 EX, it produced shots that rival shots taken with my 17-40L and Canon 1.3x sensor. I would take the Sigma 15-30 over the 20-40. Also, I would stick to the EX line. Over the years I've owned 3 non EX Sigma lenses and the build quality was horrible, as was the performance. If you can, save up and get the excellent Sigma 100-300 EX F4.0........

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Frank from Phoenix
Canon1DMk2,1D,Oly5060 and lots of typos

You will find that the lens is not nearly as limiting as the photographers vision, meaning you can take great shots with cheap lenses if you know your subject and your equipment. That said, I own one Sigma EX prime, the 180mm macro, and I love it. I think I might listen to Frank, as he seems to have some experience with Sigma lenses. If you want quality, stick to the EX line. Still, I understand the Sigma 70-300mm is good for the money. The 18-55mm kit lens is pretty good for about $150. These two might serve you well. I hope this helps.

Ian
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bughunter
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/iangreyphotography

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