Please could someone kindly tell me the difference....

[Missy1981]

.....between this lens

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-30...7CJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358512098&sr=8-1

and this lens

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-70-30...4KB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358512205&sr=8-1

I know one is Canon and one is Sigma and the Canon has IS.

Is it just that Canon make better lenses than Sigma? There is such a big difference in price.

I am currently doing a photography evening course which I am really enjoying and we have to present a 10 photo project at the end of the course. I was going to use my husbands snakes (as mentioned in a previous thread) as a subject and asked my tutor what lens he thought would be good.

He suggested the Sigma 70-300mm. Then I saw Canon also do a 70-300mm and just wanted to know what the difference was.

I'm so new to all of this and I find shopping for lenses so confusing. I don't mind spending a bit more for a good lens as I will be using it a lot. My husband wants me to take photos for his website and also his Facebook page.

Thanks in advance for your help. This forum is fab and I know I can always rely on here for an answer to my amateurish questions

 

[Nod]

Have a look at the Amazon reviews. At a guess, there'll be some reports of poor QC from Sigma and fewer of them on the Canon. Have a look for the APO version of the Sigma and they possibly do an OS (their version of IS) one too.

 

[DazJW]

They're different "levels" of lens.
That particular Sigma is a bottom of the range lens while that particular Canon is closer to the middle of the range.

The Canon equivalent of that particular Sigma is probably this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-75-300mm-4-0-5-6-III-Lens/dp/B00005K47Y/

They also do this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-70-300-4-5-6L-USM-Lens/dp/B0040Y83X8/

Basically the same focal length (and even the same maximum aperture) doesn't mean the same quality.

---

As for the advice you were given - the focal length (this is the number in millimetres) you want will depend on how close you're going to be to the snakes, how big they are and how you want to frame them (i.e. the whole snake in shot or close up shots). You also need to consider how bright the lighting is because trying to use a lens at 300mm and f/5.6 when the subject is only lit by something like a dim light in a tank is going to result in a slow shutter speed and it'll become hard work to get sharp shots unless both the camera and subject are near-absolutely still.

 

[Dunloadin]

Theres also this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm-f4-5-6-Macro-Canon/dp/B000ALLMI8/ref=pd_cp_ph_1

Which looks like the stabilised version of the Sigma lens

And this from Tamron

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358515498&sr=1-3

Which is supposed to be a very good lens for the price.

If memory serves the Tamron lens got an excellent review in a magazine a while back. There is another cheaper tamron lens which is around the same price as the cheaper Sigma one, I suppose it all comes down to budget.

 

[weybourne]

Theres also this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm-f4-5-6-Macro-Canon/dp/B000ALLMI8/ref=pd_cp_ph_1

Which looks like the stabilised version of the Sigma lens

And this from Tamron

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358515498&sr=1-3

Which is supposed to be a very good lens for the price.

If memory serves the Tamron lens got an excellent review in a magazine a while back. There is another cheaper tamron lens which is around the same price as the cheaper Sigma one, I suppose it all comes down to budget.

That's not the OS version of the Sigma but the APO (type of lens element) version. The OS version is this : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-30...8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358528718&sr=1-8 which Amazon do for a more comparable £280.80.

 

[andyred]

.....between this lens

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-30...7CJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358512098&sr=8-1

and this lens

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-70-30...4KB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358512205&sr=8-1

I know one is Canon and one is Sigma and the Canon has IS.

Is it just that Canon make better lenses than Sigma? There is such a big difference in price.

I am currently doing a photography evening course which I am really enjoying and we have to present a 10 photo project at the end of the course. I was going to use my husbands snakes (as mentioned in a previous thread) as a subject and asked my tutor what lens he thought would be good.

He suggested the Sigma 70-300mm. Then I saw Canon also do a 70-300mm and just wanted to know what the difference was.

I'm so new to all of this and I find shopping for lenses so confusing. I don't mind spending a bit more for a good lens as I will be using it a lot. My husband wants me to take photos for his website and also his Facebook page.

Thanks in advance for your help. This forum is fab and I know I can always rely on here for an answer to my amateurish questions

Hi Sarah

As you can see there is a significant difference in price between the 2 lenses. If you can then I'd opt for the Canon 70-300IS lens of these 2. I think you'd be a little disappointed with the Sigma..

I've one for sale in the classifieds if it's of interest http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=455781

Cheers
A

 

[Missy1981]

Thanks for all the responses everyone. You have all been very helpful as always

It seems to make more sense to me to spend a bit more money to get the better lens as you obviously get what you pay for.

Better get saving my pennies

 

[hoochy1]

sarah can you post some photos of where you will be taking the photos? the reason i am asking is as some 1 has said before the sigma isnt all that good in low light

 

[kullas]

I can't really tell you the difference as I'm wondering myself, but my Dad has been a professional photographer for 30 years now, and he still uses Sigma lenses on his Canon, so I honestly wouldn't have much worries about getting a good Sigma lens. They seem just as good as the Canon ones.

 

[hoochy1]

ok here is a photo taken with a sigma 70-300 apo at iso 6400/(1/60)/and around 70mm



IMG_1347 by hoochy1, on Flickr