As promised and after shooting with the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, this is my opinion of the lens.

Remember to read my earlier post about calibrating this lens HERE. If you don’t calibrate, you will not see how sharp this lens can be.

Build

I need to agree with almost all other reviews of the lens when it comes to your first impression of the lens. It is well built and I love the new black matte finish as compared to the earlier finishes that Sigma used on their lenses.

Unlike the predecessors, this lens comes with a lens cap, which I prefer over the fabric one.

The lens hood is more prolonged and substantial with ridges inside, which help keep light from bouncing around and give you lens flair. In addition, the attachment to the lens seems much more sturdy.

The good news is you do not need to buy another 1.4 or 2x converter if you already have one of the Sigma ones. My earlier 1.4 converters worked just incredible with the lens.

The tripod mount is more substantial than the earlier model.

This lens update compares a tank to a truck if you compare the current model to earlier Sigma 120-300mm lenses.

Bokeh

The Bokeh on this lens is much silkier than I had with the early version. When shooting wide open and close, the background of clutter goes to a smooth, soft tone.

Color/Contrast

I think the color and contrast are also an improvement over the previous model.

Focus

The four photos above are all part of a series I shot of a long touchdown run. There were more than 30 images, and all were in focus. So the lens and the camera combination kept up with the play. Not always possible with lenses.

I know this is quicker than the earlier version and faster than the first Nikon 200-400mm ƒ/4 lens. However, it is one stop brighter than the Nikon 200-400mm, so it may perform a little better with the Nikon D4 in low light, which was the case at the Georgia Dome.

Sharpness

Since photographers tend to talk about how sharp a lens is by something like you can see the sweat bead on the face, I chose to show you can count the threads in the patch on the end zone for my comparison.

I think this is highly sharp after calibrating the lens with the USB docking station that Sigma sells.

This lens also has Optical Stabilization, which helps keep those images sharp when the action is way down the field, and I am using a 1.4 converter and the 2X crop mode on the Nikon D4. I was optically shooting at 840mm ƒ/4 during much of the game. At that distance, just small vibrations affect the sharpness of the photo. The OS helped me get sharper images than I have in the past.

Bottom Line

For my Pixel Peeping skills, this lens rocks. For $3,599.00, this is a no-brainer for me to buy over the Nikon 200-400mm, which sells for $6,500.00. I will not consider the pain for the Canon shooters looking to the new Canon 200-400mm ƒ/4 for $11,799.00. Anyone putting out $8,200.00 more for the Canon lens had better be selling many photos for that price.

The new lens is not comparing apples, so it has it over the Nikon for me.

With a 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 starting point, I can easily just put on the Sigma 1.4 and now have a 168-420 ƒ/4 lens. Instead of the 1.4, I could stick on the 2x converter and have a 240-600mm ƒ/5.6.

The lens design makes the lens three practical lenses for different venues. I have used my Sigma 120-300mm in the past for meetings where the 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 was just not enough to reach. I put my 70-200mm on the shelf for the past ten years due to owning the Sigma 120-300mm. However, on rare occasions, I thought the 70-200 was more warranted than the 120-300mm, which was more due to weight issues.

I recommend that if you are in the market for a lens in this range, this would be a great lens, even if it was the same price as the Nikon 200-400mm because it is more versatile and makes it more valuable. Being $3,000 less in price makes this a no-brainer decision for me.

For the Prime Lens Lover

Rumor has it that Sigma is coming out with a new 300mm, 400mm, and 600mm, announcement shortly. So if you like primes, then one is on the way that will be custom calibratable with the USB Dock.

Photo by Dorie Griggs

The last shot was made by my wife when I was in the press box shooting some photos with the lens of the field.