Thanks Alan, This puts a huge smile on my face as I love your Steelers shots...Were some (or all) of the game shots taken with this lense?
Thanks for the kind words! :) My most recent shots of the Steelers games were indeed with this lens. My earlier ones were with a cheaper (and slower) 300mm one. I got the new lens around October, so I shot the rest of the season with it.
I've been quite happy with the Sigma... having a 2.8 lens makes all the difference in the world for the sports stuff, and I really like the depth of field I can get from it. My next purchase will have to be a teleconverter, though, since 200mm doesn't really cut it too well for the football games.
We had a Toronto GTG at the zoo this past weekend and although I was happy with my shots, I now the 2.8 would have helped a great deal.
Sports is a definate plan this summer. I plan on spending some time at Toronto Argo games (although I hate the CFL), Woodbine race track, and some sporting events here in town for neighbours and friends who have asked me to take some pictures of their kids.
I shot these this weekend with the Sigma 70-200 and a 1.4X teleconverter.
Great combination for sports. A little soft wide open. I don't use it at F/2.8 (F/4.0 with teleconverter)unless I have to due to lighting conditions. At F/3.5 and up I find it very very sharp. Not to say that F/2.8 is unusable but you do sacrifice some sharpness compared to smaller apature settings.
Thanks to you to Steve for posting those shots. The results are exactly what I am looking for...Is it safe to say that you are also pleased with the results?
Thanks to you to Steve for posting those shots. The results are exactly what I am looking for...Is it safe to say that you are also pleased with the results?
Yes, I am quite pleased with the results. It is the fastest focusing lense I have ever used (but unfortunately my experience is quite limited). Like I said before I am a little disappointed at the sharpness wide open but I am quite picky when it comes to sharpness of focus and every lense I have ever tried is a little soft wide open.
Overall for the price I would recommend it. Take a look at used ones on ebay. They cost almost as much used as they do new. If you keep it in good condition you can always sell it later if you find that you don't like it.
