Super telephoto zoom lenses make the heart's "pitter-pat" speed up just a little. We are referring to a lens that has a focal length on the long end of more than 300mm. Thus, you can get up close and personal with just about any subject, even some critters that are very skittish and not at all social.
The Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM is just such a lens. The good news is that it can be had for less than $1K. Compare that price to the most popular Canon lens in the same focal length arena, the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L which tips the economic scales at more the $1.5K and you have a real bargain.
But the good news isn't over yet. If you have a camera with a "crop sensor", you will be shooting at the equivalent focal length of 192-640mm. This is with a Canon APS-C sensor camera such as the 60D or a Rebel T3i. At that length, you can pretty much see the nose hairs of a Dallas Cowboys running back from the end zone, or, if you are a birder, the feather patterns in a Carolina Chickadee at 100 feet.
The Sigma 120-400mm lens is ideal particularly for photographers who are looking for a lens to take photos of sports action, wildlife, and even street photography (the photographer can remain totally anonymous with regard to the photo subjects). Other types of photography that have been the target of the buyers of super telephoto lenses are nature and landscapes in special instances. Obviously, this is not a wide-angle lens, but when you want to photograph the moon or Mt. McKinley from a distance, this lens will fill the bill.
An important feature of the Sigma lens you don't want to overlook is HSM. This stands for hyper-sonic motor which determines how fast the focus locks in on the subject. HSM is awesome, especially for subjects that tend to move around quickly (like that Chickadee already alluded to above).
A couple of hints about expectations from this or any other lens with super telephoto focal lengths. The lens comes with a tripod collar for a reason. Use it on a tripod whenever possible. Yes, it has "OS" - Sigma's version of image stabilization, and the lens will perform pretty well when light is good. However, the longer the focal length, the more difficult it is to hold the camera steady. The least little movement is magnified simply due to the focal length.
Also, try to get a shutter speed at least as high as the focal length you are shooting. For example, if you are zoomed to a focal length of 300mm, you want to have about a 1/300 sec shutter speed to keep the blur to a minimum. You can boost the ISO on your camera to help get a faster shutter speed.
This lens has been quite popular at the online camera stores. It has a 4.5 out of 5 rating, which is almost as high as the Canon L lens. And just a reminder, it is about $500 less expensive.
As far as negatives are concerned, the most frequent comment was that it is heavy. The other comment that appeared several times was that these is some "lens creep."
Overall, this looks like a great alternative to the more costly super telephoto lenses, especially if price is a concern (and isn't price always a concern?).
Please see http://canoneoslenses.org/ for more about Canon EOS Lenses. There is a whole section devoted to Canon zoom lenses.
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