Sigma 70 300mm F4 5 6 DG OS Review | 54 Data compared

The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens is a high-value, budget-friendly option featuring low distortion and an effective, quiet Optical Stabilizer for enhanced handheld usability. While offering strong resolution at shorter focal lengths, the lens suffers from noticeably softer image quality at 300mm. Key drawbacks include a rotating manual focus ring during autofocus, a lack of ultrasonic motor for faster/quieter AF, and an inconveniently designed lens hood.

The LensTip review evaluates the Sigma 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 DG OS, focusing heavily on how it stacked up against its predecessors and direct competition at launch. While the addition of optical stabilization (OS) was a welcome feature, the lens suffered from a doubled introductory price, the omission of an ultrasonic focus motor (HSM), and a significantly downgraded macro mapping scale from 1:2 to 1:3.9. Consequently, the reviewer notes that it struggled to compete effectively against Canon and Nikkor alternatives, which both offered ultrasonic motors at a similar price point. LensTip.com On a technical level, the lens delivers a long list of positive optical traits but falls short on the edges. The prominent pros include a solid build quality, good image resolution in the frame center, well-corrected chromatic aberration, low vignetting on full frame, and slight distortion. It also handles bright backlighting well and exhibits non-bothersome coma. However, its distinct cons include insufficient image quality at the edge of a full-frame sensor and a notably noisy autofocus motor, which ultimately placed it behind its quieter, faster rivals. LensTip.com

📷 DXOMARK Review Summary 📉 Score & Overall Verdict The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS Nikon is a budget-friendly zoom lens released in September 2009. When tested on a Nikon D800E, it achieved a modest overall DXOMARK score of 21, showing its best performance at a focal length of 70mm and an aperture of f/4. Its core metrics include a sharpness score of 13 P-Mpix, a transmission value of 5.4 TStop, and a vignetting measure of -1.1 EV. Despite its appealing low price point, the lens is generally considered a mediocre performer by testers, scoring poorly overall and failing to match the caliber of the high-resolution bodies it is mounted on. ⚖️ Pros vs. Cons Analysis 👍 Pros: 💰 Low-cost telephoto solution. 🔍 Distortion is managed well (0.4%). 🌙 Tolerable quality in low light up to 200mm at f/5.6. 🎯 Minimal chromatic aberration of 6 µm. 👎 Cons: 📉 Weak overall benchmark performance. 😶 Subpar sharpness for high-res sensors. 🤔

The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens is a third-party telephoto zoom option that offers great value, scoring an overall budget-friendly appeal at a street price of around £300. Its strongest features include an exceptionally quiet single-mode optical image stabilisation system that works effectively in real-world environments. The autofocus mechanism is fast enough to easily capture common subjects. Additionally, sharpness testing shows good MTF optical performance when shooting at the 70mm and 135mm focal lengths. On the downside, the lens suffers from design quirks and optical compromises at longer focal ranges. The forward-positioned manual focus ring rotates during autofocus, which limits your grip when the lens is extended and blocks manual focus usage below 200mm when the reversible lens hood is attached. Attaching or removing the lens hood also forces the barrel to rotate in an inconvenient manner. Furthermore, the autofocus motor is somewhat noisy, the lens lacks environmental weather sealing, and image quality dips noticeably at 200mm and 300mm max apertures.

The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS is a completely redesigned zoom lens optimized for full-frame DSLRs and compatible with APS-C bodies, offering focal ranges up to 480mm depending on the camera mount. A major highlight of this lens is its robust build quality and its highly effective 4-stop optical stabilizer, which delivers strong performance against camera shake—especially at long telephoto settings where it outperforms camera sensor-shift stabilization. Furthermore, it delivers impressive sharpness at the maximum 300mm focal length, even when shooting wide open at its largest aperture of f/5.6. However, the lens lacks a HyperSonic Motor (HSM), relying instead on a standard electric motor that produces a quite noisy autofocus operation. Photographers should also note that the front element extends and rotates during focusing, which can complicate the use of certain filters. Finally, unlike its cheaper 70-300mm APO predecessor, this version features only one Special Low Dispersion (SLD) element instead of three and lacks a dedicated macro facility, which reduces its maximum magnification factor from 0.5x down to 0.25x.

The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS is identified in Pentax Forums user reviews as an affordable, compact telephoto lens featuring effective optical stabilization (OS) and a smooth manual focus, making it suitable for handheld shooting. While the build is considered decent for the price, the lens is frequently criticized for significant, persistent issues with both focus and zoom creep. Optically, the lens is described as producing very soft images and causing unexpected underexposure, leading many users to seek better alternatives despite the fast autofocus performance. This combination of soft output and mechanical issues ultimately limits the lens’s overall appeal for users seeking high-clarity telephoto images.

The Photo Review assessment of the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens highlights a compact, lightweight full-frame telephoto zoom offering solid build quality, including a smooth, matte black barrel and a stainless steel mount. Key strengths noted in the review include attractive, circular bokeh from a nine-bladed diaphragm and good control over flare, ghosting, and aberrations, resulting in high-contrast images. Photo Review However, the review cites notable limitations, particularly that the front section rotates during focusing, complicating handling and the use of polarizing filters. Additionally, the lens exhibits slow autofocus performance and a lack of critical sharpness at the 300mm extension, limiting its performance for demanding, long-distance photography.

The Sigma 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens was introduced as an update to the company's highly popular, budget-friendly 70-300 mm APO Macro bestseller. While the addition of optical stabilization (OS) addresses a major criticism of the older version, this upgrade came with significant trade-offs that impacted its market value. Crucially, the lens launched at a price point nearly double that of its predecessor. This positioned it directly against strong, well-regarded competitors like the Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM and the Nikkor AF-S 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 VR. The main advantage of this newer model is the long-awaited inclusion of optical image stabilization. However, the cons are prominent when compared to both the previous model and its direct rivals. Unlike the Canon and Nikon alternatives, the Sigma lens lacks an ultrasonic autofocus motor (HSM). Furthermore, it lost the highly useful 1:2 macro capability of the original APO version, with the maximum reproduction scale dropping to a less impressive 1:3.9. Ultimately, because it lacks these critical features at a premium price point, the review notes that the lens must deliver exceptional...

Here is a specific summary of the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS lens review: The Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS is a compact and lightweight consumer-grade telephoto zoom lens priced around $400, making it an attractive and budget-friendly upgrade for amateurs looking to extend the reach of their standard 18-55mm kit lenses. A major benefit of this lens is its Optical Stabilization (OS) system, which Sigma claims provides up to 4 stops of hand-holdable compensation to help combat camera shake. Additionally, it features a rounded 9-blade diaphragm that creates a pleasing background bokeh, Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass to minimize aberrations, and a Super Multi-Layer Coating that reduces flare while maintaining high contrast. In practice, the lens can deliver sharp imagery, particularly at the wider 70mm end, and it excels as a decent candid portrait lens when subjects remain relatively still. However, the lens features notable trade-offs due to its consumer-oriented, plastic-heavy construction, which feels somewhat fragile and allows visible internal elements to move when shaken. Performance is limited by a slower, non-HSM autofocus system that tends to hunt when...