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. 

Oregon Fall Color Report

For most landscape photographers and nature lovers the the change of fall foliage represents an exciting time. Oregon has far fewer deciduous trees and therefore will not display quit as dramatic change of seasons as lets say New England. Having said that you won't be disappointed if you know where to look. I routinely make trips through the Oregon coast range and find that there is a dramatic change in color this week mid October as opposed to just one week ago.The seasons have definitely changed and been pushed back from years past as summer hangs on much longer now.Our trip to the Japanese Gardens proved to be quite a disappointment as my earlier blog mentions.The Hoyt arboretum at Washington Park continues to be a perennial favorite where you will find some 8000 different planted species. You may also find a great show along the banks of the Columbia river and the eastern part of the Gorge. Catherine Creek Wayside on the Washington side is very popular as well. Although I did not make the trip this year The Indian Heaven Wilderness is one of my favorite places in any season with 20,000 acres of pristine wilderness dotted with small alpine lakes and beautiful meadows. Another option would be the Oregon Garden near Silverton.It is a fantastic place with many varieties and water features. Don't get bogged down always looking for that grand landscape to show off the changing seasons. I'm guilty of this as much as the next photographer. Simply pull out that macro lens from your bag and a whole new world will open up allowing you the photographer many more ways to communicate this colorful time of year. Happy fall, From Shawn at
ShalamarImages.com