SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 II APO EX DG MACRO A Personal Review

   I am giving a Sigma Lens review for my Sigma 70-200 mm F2.8 II APO DG Macro Lens with a Pentax “ K“ Mount that I purchased about one year ago. If you are looking for a more detailed tech heavy Sigma Lens review then I will steer you to a better sight for that later. I am not trying to re-hash facts that are already on the web but rather give my personal experience with this Sigma Lens.

   I love Sigma Lenses for the following reasons:
                                        

• Great packaging
• Well built and sturdy
• Economical in comparison to Canon and Nikon
• Shipped with a great case with strap
• Responsive auto focus and tracking
• Large smooth focus and aperture rings
• Lightweight
• Manual/ Auto focus button on lens
• Alternative focal lengths from Pentax
• Tripod mounting collar

                              
   I initially bought this Sigma Lens for the sole purpose of photographing my daughter’s high school dance competitions. I really needed the F2.8 aperture for the poor lighting that is in most gymnasiums. The Sigma Lens worked very well for this intended purpose; although I still had to crank up the ISO to 1600, which enabled me to stop the action I needed. Here is an image from one of the competitions.

   As I continued to use my Sigma Lens I grew to love it more and more. I have used this lens to photograph The Upper Clackamas River Whitewater Festival with great success. Here are some shots from that event. Another great uses I found for my Sigma 70-200 mm Lens is photographing the Portland Zoo. This Sigma Lens aloud me to isolate zoo animals and block out distracting man made objects giving a much nicer natural look at these animals. Take a look at this small gallery I took at the Portland Zoo.

   I have used this lens for Macro Photography as well. With a minimum focusing distance of 100cm I was able to get some very nice shots of mushrooms at Silver Falls State Park. This Lens is also great for floral or insect Macro work, as this focal range will give you more working distance from your subject.

   This Sigma lens is priced at around $800.00 US; compare that to a Canon 70-200 that sells for around $2,200.00. I will say that this Sigma Lens is not as sharp as the Canon or Nikon lenses in this category it is a great alternative for the budget minded hobbyist or budding pro. Get your Sigma Lens here.
*NOTE* For a detailed review of this lens heavy with all technical data go here. 

Pentax K5

   Thinking about a new camera for the new year ? I certainly am considering a new purchase this year. I currently shoot with a Pentax K10d and while it does a fine job it has become quite dated now and I really would like some added features like: 16.3 mp, improved metering,refined LCD screen, live view, faster burst rates and improved ISO performance. Although I certainly cannot afford to get every new model that comes out I think Pentax has finally enticed me with there latest offering the Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 3-Inch LCD (Black Body Only)
   If you consider yourself a proud Pentaxian or maybe just want to step up to an advanced mid-level DSLR then I would urge you to take a look at what the K5 has to offer. Certainly a well built and completely weather sealed chassis, this camera is built to last and take on the elements. For an in depth review I recommend DP Review the go to resource for all things photographic.