Canon v Sigma

[digitalfilm]

I am looking to buy a telephoto lens. I can't afford 'IS' or 'L' glass so my choice is between the Canon EF 75-300mm MkIII USM or a Sigma 70-300mm APO f4-5.6.

Which is the best?

[kb244]

Hrm, I'd still go with the 75-300 Nothing is really faster or as fast as the USM without paying equal ammount of money. And I find most of the time the Canon to be sharper than the sigma, especially if you are comparing it to a sigma thats 100$ cheaper. Good example would be my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro , which I bought because I was on a budget, its not as sharp or fast as the canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, but it was "good nuff" for me. The same may be true with your choices.

[Mike Panic]

i personally wouldnt buy that lens to start w/.... its got barrel distortion from 210-300 and tends to be a bit soft from 70-110...

given the choice, id take canon

[Penguin_101_1]

I have the 75-300 and love it. The focus is kind of slow, but not any slower than the fastest P&S. It also has a great price.

[RichardtheSane]

If you can pick up a Canon Ef 100-300 F4.5-5.6 USM then you will get a good quality lens with quick af... better than the two you mentioned anyway.

[ron chappel]

here's a good comparison between the sigma APO and canon 75-300
http://www.pbase.com/argylemonkey/lens_comp

And a comparison between the canon 75-300 and 100-300 usm
http://members.dodo.net.au/~l8r_ron/index_2.html
http://members.dodo.net.au/~l8r_ron/index_3.html

While i've never seen the canon 100-300 and sigma apo compared directly i would guess that they are about equal in sharpness.They are different in two important ways though-the sigma focuses to 1:2 macro and the canon is the only consumer telezoom that i know of that has genuinely fast focus -which makes it pretty much essential for sport

[mdr]

I fully agree. It is much better than the two you're considering, and even better than the 75-300mm IS when it comes to autofocus and optical quality. I speak from experience, as I've owned and used the three Canon ones. You can pick an as new one up for very little on the second hand market.

[mdr]

You'll find that the 100-300mm autofocus is the fastest and quietest you can buy for that kind of money.