The Big Zoom Shoot-Out Photo Gallery by lightrules at pbase.com

The Big Zoom Shoot-Out

Mar 23 2007 --- Tested here are FIVE EXCELLENT TELE-ZOOM LENSES:
Sigma 100-300 f4 EX DG HSM [AEX]
Sigma 120-300 f2.8 EX DG HSM [BEX]
Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM [CL]
Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM [DL]
Canon 70-200 f4 L IS USM [EL]

TEST NOTES:
*Write down or memorize the lens abbreviations shown above in [brackets] as you view each test page. For example, "BEX" refers to the Sigma 120-300 in the tests.
*Not all focal lengths tested include all lenses.
*Kenko Pro 1.4x and 2.0x TCs were used for tests exceeding native ability.
*All tests show 100% center crops.

LENS COMMENTS:
*Each lens in this test obviously has its strengths, and interestingly, each has very few weaknesses. They all perform admirably with excellent overall sharpness and color, swift and silent ring AF, and exceptional build quality. Choosing from these top-class telezooms depends on what you MOST NEED; you need not concern yourself much over image quality as they all perform well.

*CANON 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM: There is a reason why this is the most-desired, most-professionally used telezoom on the planet. It has everything you want in a 70-200mm lens with superb image stabilization, high image quality, quick AF, fast and constant f2.8 aperture, weathersealing, and top-notch build. Fantastic lens, enough said.

*CANON 70-200 f4 L IS USM: This new lens has stormed into the telezoom market and left no prisoners. In terms of absolute image quality, it's "king of the hill" in the "70-200" category. It's also got Canon's best image stabilization unit yet, weather-sealing, super-fast and silent ring AF, and all in a relatively tiny package. What's not to like?

*CANON 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM: Here we have the most popular wildlife telezoom on the planet. It's focal range coupled with image stabilization and a reasonable street price makes it so desirable. Some call it a dust magnet and others say it's old, but I say get one for yourself and you'll be hooked. Classic "L".

*SIGMA 120-300 f2.8 EX DG HSM: The beauty of this lens is not only its optics and build, but its incomparable versatility. That is, there is no other lens that offers constant f2.8 and 120mm-300mm range. And you can shoot at f2.8 all day (with a monopod!) and all throughout the focal range with confidence. Colors and sharpness are top-class, not unlike its little f4 sibling. Bokeh, build quality, and ring HSM with full-time manual only add to the joy of shooting with this lens. Of course, it is quite a beast (9.5 lbs with my 20D and grip), so carrying it around will take its toll on your body. But that's the compromise of a 300mm f2.8 lens. Add a 1.4x TC and you've got a 420mm f4 lens (672mm FOV). It is truly one of Sigma's finest and one of the very best lenses available in Canon mount.

*SIGMA 100-300 f4 EX DG HSM: While not a small or light lens (about the same as the 100-400 IS), it is dwarfed by Sigma's other superb telezooms such as the 120-300 and 300-800 and newly announced 200-500, but make no mistake --- the 100-300 EX is everything its bigger f2.8 sibling is but without the weight, price tag, and of course, f2.8. This lens delivers excellent sharpness and color; it also takes a TC very well. If you can do with its f4 aperture and lack of IS, there is no reason to get anything else in this range.

[Here is a comparison between the 120-300 and 100-400 from a POTN member http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=150405 ]

Lenses1	Lenses2	Lenses3	Lenses4
Lenses5	120-300 DG	120-300 DG	120-300 DG
120mm	200mm A	200mm B	200mm C
300mm A	300mm B	300mm C	400mm
600mm

comment |

glsammy		11-May-2008 22:03
Just thought I should let you know I got hold of a new 120-300, and was devastated to find it performed extremely poorly. The biggest problem with it was that it was incapable of focusing accurately. In tests I did comparing it to my Sigma 50-500, set @ 300mm, the 120-300mm miss focused on over 50% of the static shots, whilst the Sigma 50-500mm never failed. This was on a 40D body. I ended up sending the lens back.

lightrules		21-Feb-2008 15:23
Graham, the 120-300 is an extremely good lens. You will enjoy it for many (many) years as a pro-grade optic.

Graham Gamble		21-Feb-2008 13:41
Thank you for doing these test. I've been trying to decide for ages which lens to go for. At the moment I've got the Bigma. Much as I like it, I want something which will perform better in poor light. I'd virtually settled on the Sigma 120-3000 F2.8, Your site and tests have just about clinched it for me. So much better than to me meaningless MTF charts!

Guest		20-Dec-2007 03:36
Here's a nickname suggestion for the 120-300: "Sig Mama!"

lightrules		01-Dec-2007 01:59
See the "Test Notes" at the top of this page, which says the TCs used were the Kenko Pro. I don't think the Sigma TC would have shown any IQ improvement over the Kenko Pro units.

Markel		30-Nov-2007 21:08
Was the 2X converter the dedicated Sigma version? If not do you think it would have produced better results? I've read elsewhere that the dedicated 2X is quite good paired with the 120-300.

lightrules		30-Sep-2007 14:17
Paul, the 120-300 takes a 2x fairly well. Of course, there is a resolution loss along with contrast reduction and slower AF, but it's still a good 600mm f5.6 result. I plan to put up some test shots within a week's time. Hopefully I can get around to it. If you want further correspondence on this matter, feel free to email me.

Paul Burton		30-Sep-2007 14:07
Have you had a chance to try the 120-300 with a 2X converter ? I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

lightrules		02-Jun-2007 00:03
I've found the 120-300 to be very close to 300mm at infinity focus, but as you near MFD, it does seem to drop off closer to around 280mm. I would say 210mm is far from accurate, in any case.

Stefano Di Domizio		01-Jun-2007 21:58
Thank you vey much for another absolutely interesting and useful test. I have a question for you about actual focal length of the sigma 120-300. I read elsewhere that at the longer end this lens should be quite shorter than 300mm, something like 260mm. In the other hand some people declared max. focal length was depending on the focus dustance: from 210mm at minimum focus distance to 300mmm at infinity. Did you notice something or conduct tests about the effective focal length? Thank you very much again for such an interesting site.

lightrules		24-Mar-2007 05:18
Hi Tom, AFAIK, there is no nickname for the 120-300 as of yet, but it deserves one. It's a "beauty and a beast", but I don't think that nick will stick --- too long! Anyway, it indeed has very high contrast reproduction, and it seems to not exhibit the "Sigma yellow" cast that many report about other Sigma glass. AF speed is a tad slower than the Ls, but it's still quite fast with its ring HSM. In terms of sharpness, all these lenses are very good; subject distance (I am seeing more and more) can really determine how any given lens performs at any given focal length. One lens might excel at 100mm and close up, while that same lens can drop to the bottom of the pack shooting at 40 feet or toward infinity focus. But all things considered, these lenses are so good that you really need to pixel peep to see the slight differences. As I mention elsewhere, it's quite a load to walkaround with, but that's the nature of the 300mm f2.8 beast. As for selling off some of the lenses, I'll be deciding that shortly, but your suggestions make sense. I hate to see any of them go; time will tell. Thanks for the good comments.

Tom Yi		24-Mar-2007 00:35
Hey Jojo, nice comparison. I must commend the performance of all the lenses here. It seems like the 120-300 (is there a nick name for this lens?) has more contrast than the others. Sharpness wise, they are very similar though. But as contrast is important for making an image pop, it should not be discounted. I'm surprised how well the old pumper did though. As for TC, the biggest loss is CA control IMO, till you stop down 1-2 stops. I'm not sure if I'd recommend a 2x TC based on how slow it would make the lenses and the amount of CA though. Does this mean you're selling the 100-300? If it was me, I'd keep the 70-200f4L IS for travel, 120-300 for sports, and pumper for wildlife, and sell the 70-200f2.8L IS and the Sigma 100-300EX.

Guest		09-Mar-2007 19:06
CAN'T WAIT! This will be the be-all-end-all! Add the 100-400 Jojo! Thanks for taking the time! Mike

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