Telephoto lens: Sigma vs. Canon

[Iain]

Hi,

I am in the market for a telephoto lens to replace my 100-300mm and I am considering either the Canon 100-400mm IS or the Sigma 80-400mm APO.  If anyone has any experience with either or both, some advice would be greatly appreciated.  I have also come across the Sigma 135-400mm APO which is much more wallet-friendly, so I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that it does not perform to the same standards as the first two lenses I mentioned.

Thanks in advance,
Iain

[JTF]

Both are good lenses. The canon is usually more expensive but they both have comparable clarity and functions, so I would buy the sigma if it was cheaper.

[Kin Lau]

A lot depends on what you're shooting. The Canon has USM and focuses quite quickly. That particular Sigma model doesn't have the equiv HSM (high speed motor), so will focus slower.

I use a Sigma 50-500. It's _very_ heavy, but does focus fairly quickly. The speed king in this price range is the Canon 400/5.6L, very sharp too.

The Sigma 135-400 is nice, but again focus is slow. If you're near Toronto, I believe Vistek downtown rents the 100-400, so you could try it out for a weekend.

[Brian Bailey]

I don't have any experience with either lens, but I have seen lots of great shots taken with the Canon (it has been around since 1998).

When I've been shopping for lenses, I've found these sites useful:

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/index.php
and http://www.photo.net has a reviews section and several forums (fora?) that can be helpful.

I bought my first Sigma lens (10-20mm) early this year, and have been very impressed.  The optical and build quality are better than most of my Canon lenses for a lot less money than the comparable Canon.

Also, I usually shop at Vistek, but since they don't carry Sigma, I got mine from Camera Canada (http://cameracanada.com/).  I have been very happy with their prices and service.  (So happy that I shopped there again in August.)


BB

[David Shilman]

...I got mine from Camera Canada (http://cameracanada.com/).  I have been very happy with their prices and service.

You might want to throw in some "w"s.  http://www.cameracanada.com/

 

David

[Napper]

compare these prices to anything in Canada... this is where I bought my lens and saved much money............ Henrys was far more expensive maybee they have changed there priciig to reflect the cost in comparison to the U.S. dollar( they didn't when I bought..)

prices are U.S. dollars





http://www.sigma4less.com/sess/utn;jses ... Submit.y=7

http://www.sigma4less.com/sess/utn;jses ... ubmit.y=12

Napper :lol:

[Brian Bailey]

This is a pet peeve of mine.  The manufacturers and/or distributors continue to act as if the C$ is worth US$0.70!  I'm pretty sure it's not the fault of the retailers.  I have been very tempted, but I haven't bought lenses in the US because of concerns about warranties.  I'm really not sure how much good a US warranty is to a Canadian, and I don't want to find out the hard way.  There's too much potential for problems with an image stabilized, auto focus zoom lens!

If anyone has experience with US warranties, I would be interested in hearing about it because there is potential to save a lot of money.

BB

[Wulff]

I use the 100-400L and I really like it. Its incredibly versatile. Im not the best photographer from it actually if you want images I can link you to my pbase account. Any faults are "mine" and not the lenses.

As someone noted above. Without even getting into IQ specifics its safe to say that any other zoom option (sigma or Tamron) will AF slower. I know from testing the Tamron 200-500 myself when i was shopping that its AF is noticeably slower. Thats not an issue with larger, slower moving targets ( Deer, Great Blues) or static subjects but for birds in flight or birds that dont stay static on branches long...It is.

The 100-400L AFs faster than its contemparies.
***********************

Another option for you is as someone mentioned the Canon 400mm 5.6 prime. Same price range bracket as the Bigma, the Tamron 200-500 and the Canon 100-400L. The downside is like anyother prime vs zoom trade-off.

I myself am trying to see if I can locate and do a trade for it. My 100-400 for someones 400prime for the reasons above but mainly because it AFs faster and Im a sucker for bird flight photography.

So in the end try to pick the lens that best suits your needs.
If you want a great birding lens and good wildlife lens and are willing to sacrifice the versatility of zooms. Look at the 400L 5.6.

if you want more adapability than the Canon 100-400L or Bigma or Tamron 200-500. The biggest difference between these lenses are their AF speeds. Which would be the Canon, then the Bigma, then the Tammy.
________
Hot Box Vape

[Napper]

I bought a used Sigma from B&H in NYC. I have had no problems with it (other than dust) replaced it this past March with  newer technology.......

I received world wide warranty cards from my last two purchases..

Sigma, Tele convert from B.H.  in New york

and the Sigma lense from  "Sigma for Less"

Both cards read not usable in Germany or Austria...  thats it..  

Hope this helps...........

wow!!  both the Canon and the Sigma 80-400 are xpensive... Good luck with the decision....

napper

 :lol:

[Dave]

I'd go with the Canon. I use the 100-400 L myself, the auto focus is alot quicker which you will definitely need for birds and the image quality is amazing.

[Iain]

Thanks to everyone who put their two cents in.  After reading up on the afformentioned lenses (as well as a couple other options) I decided to go with the Canon IS.  I find myself frusterated with the old 100-300mm I use now because of its slow autofocus (I often miss the 'perfect' shot because I just cant get focused quickly enough), so the speed and overall reputation of the Canon lens was what sealed the deal.

I have yet to receive the lens, but if I have anything interesting to say about it after a couple outings, I'll post it.

Thanks again for all the input,
Iain