"APO" vs. "L"

[DeltaWebb]

I'm still very new to photography and have a few questions.

What's the difference between Sigma's APO and Canon's L? I know that both are their upgraded optics, but is there a huge difference between them and is L exclusive to Canon?

Thanks for the help.

[condyk]

The SIgma Ex range is arguably equivalent to Canon L. Only Canon do L's. Tamron do SP and Tokina do Pro. These are supposed to indicate the best build/performance lenses the brands do.

Apo info from Sigma:

'APO lenses. These lenses use apochromatic design and Special Low Dispersion glass (SLD) for minimum color aberration and ultimate telephoto image quality, improving contrast and sharpness. Apochromatic (APO) telephoto lenses greatly minimize color aberration, a phenomenon created by different wave lengths of light refracting at different angles. This causes each color to have a slightly different imaging point, resulting in poor image quality.'

APO can be EX or non-EX, but EX lenses are the best Sigma do. There are good and not so good EX lenses. APO lenses are not just Sigma.

[DeltaWebb]

Has anyone seen the NEW Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO MACRO Super DG? This is the one that my wife bought me instead of the Canon 75-300mm IS USM. Is this an upgrade?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Well said...
APO only refers to the actual elements..
EX refers to the overall build quality.. it's Sigma's high end line of lenses.. like Canon's "L"

[RichardtheSane]

Has anyone seen the NEW Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO MACRO Super DG? This is the one that my wife bought me instead of the Canon 75-300mm IS USM. Is this an upgrade?
Depends on how you define an upgrade...
The canon has IS, the sigma doesn't.
Optically I believe there isn't a lot in it
and the canon is better built.

But the difference in price is also pretty big too.