Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX DG HSM

There are quite a few second hand ones floating around.... It is a beauty.

I think even secondhand will be too pricey (can get the 70-200 for £370 new)

Sell your 24-70 and get the Sig 24-70, 100-300 combo (only flaw is that the 24-70 doesn't have HSM dammit!)

Only got the 24-70 a coupla weeks ago, and love it to bits. Actually, I'd sell the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or Canon 85mm f/1.8 possibly. . . . hmmm

Where N of london are you goatee? Could meet up and let you have a play with my 100-300 in return for a clutch of your 24-70!

Sounds like a plan Lets continue this via PM .

Here's a few shots taken with my 100-300mm Sigma, this is a great lens and fantastic value for money. It also works very well with my 1.4x and 2.0x converters.

These are with my old 350D...

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Heres a couple of mickeys shot with the Sigma teleconverter:

420mm, f/8, 1/250sec (430EX max sync), ISO 200:

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Any1 have photos of birds and stuff with and without a TC attached?

I do. I'll try to post some tomorrow. You can also search for threads by me in the Bird forum since most of those are taken with the 100-300mm.
Reed

Thanks Reed, will do.

Here's a couple of test shots I took yesterday...

My comparison is between the 100-300 vanilla and the 100-300 with a Canon 1.4x extender. I think you'll agree the effect of the extender is seemless. (EDIT: by that I mean effect on IQ... there is a definite degradation in AF speed)
Somehow this goose managed to strike the same pose twice..? These are all straight from the camera - no PP except for resize.

Sigma 100-300 f/4 @ 300mm, f/14, 1/250, ISO100 hand-held

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...and 100% crops. Same shots as previous post.

Vanilla

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hand held at 1/250th at 300 and 420mm and they are still quite sharp. Nice shots, great lens.

I guess not quite hand-held... I was sitting on the ground and resting the lens on my knee. It's a super lens and I am definitely impressed with it although I can now appreciate why people love IS at long focal lengths. Weight is a bit of an issue if you are shooting for long periods of time so a monopod would be beneficial (next on my to-buy list )

If Sigma stuck OS in this lens it would be killer although that would increase the price at least 50% and make it even heavier.