SIGMA APO 300mm F2.8 EX HSM
Full-frame, large-aperture telephoto lens
A review and Photo example of the SIGMA APO 300mm F2.8 EX HSM.
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Table of contents
Gallery
- The example photos were taken with a SIGMA SD10.
Review
1．Overview
The 300mm F2.8 EX HSM is a telephoto prime lens released by Sigma in 1999 for 35mm film and 35mm full-frame sensors.
Its main specifications are a lens configuration of 11 elements in 9 groups, a minimum shooting distance of 2.5m, HSM (ultrasonic motor), lens length of 215mm, and weight of 2.4kg.
The lens hood is cylindrical and can be attached in reverse, and a 46mm filter can be dropped in at the rear.
2．Usage
The 300mm f/2.8 is the lens I used when comparing telephoto lenses while using the SD10.
It provides a sufficient shutter speed and can suppress camera shake even without image stabilization. As is generally said, the image is sharp across the entire range from wide open aperture, and if you don’t care about depth of field, you can shoot at wide open aperture in any situation. You only need to stop down the aperture when you are concerned about the amount of blur in the foreground and background.
It was just the right size to fit into the Inujirushi Bags camera bag I was using at the time, but it was just the right size and weight to carry it by hand.
This 300mm f/2.8 EX HSM works with Sigma cameras when a 1.4x teleconverter (maximum aperture F4) or 2x teleconverter (maximum aperture F5.6) is attached.
When using the 2x teleconverter, the focal length is 600mm and the aperture is F5.6, making it suitable for small birds such as kingfishers. However, the camera I was using was an SD10, which has low AF focusing speed and focusing accuracy, so I often used it with manual focus (MF) because the AF performance was even worse and the camera’s continuous shooting performance was low.
This means that the usability is the same as the TAMRON MF 300mm SP 300mm f/2.8 LD [IF] that I used before, so there is no point in using an AF-compatible lens, so I gave up using the x2 teleconverter at a focal length of 600mm.
Things might have been different if the camera body had performance close to that of high-end Canon or Nikon, but that is not possible with a Sigma camera, and if you use a high-end Canon or Nikon camera, it is common to choose a genuine 300mm lens, so Sigma would not be a candidate.
Again, 300mm lenses are generally suitable for photographing large sports subjects or medium-sized or larger animals on their own, but I did not do any sports photography and the specs were too much for photographing animals in my neighborhood, in which case a 300mm F4 would be sufficient, so I decided that this lens did not suit my shooting style and got rid of it without using it much.
3．Add Info. 300mm f/2.8
At that time, Sigma had two 300mm f/2.8 lenses: a prime 300 and a 120-300 f/2.8 zoom. There’s no doubt that the zoom lens is more convenient for shooting, but I passed on it because I often only use the telephoto end of a telephoto lens, and the zoom version at the time of purchase was heavier and more expensive than the 300mm f/2.8.
Also, as is the case now, I can’t get rid of the idea that prime lenses are better for image quality.
The 300mm f/2.8 was a flagship lens in the SLR era, and every company always included it in their lineup. Anything over 400mm has a stronger feel for special purposes, and the 300mm was the envy of amateur users.
This is because, in the case of SLR cameras, the AF sensor uses different sensors depending on the brightness it can handle, with F2.8, F5.6, and F8 (not supported by Sigma), and F2.8 is the upper limit for bright lenses, and the aperture value of bright lenses in the SLR era was often F2.8.
Also, the effectiveness of F2.8 affects the brightness when you look through the viewfinder; when you look through the viewfinder with a lens with an aperture value of F4, it will seem a little dark, and F5.6 will seem quite dark.
With the advent of digital cameras and mirrorless cameras, and with improvements in the performance of EVFs and AF sensors, there are almost no conditions requiring F2.8, and long-focus telephoto lenses have mainly been replaced by zoom lenses. As demand from the market has decreased, F2.8 prime lenses are disappearing from companies’ lineups.
Specification
| Items | 300 EX HSM | 300 EX DG HSM | 120-300 |
| Focal length(mm) | 300 | 300 | 120-300 |
| Max aperture | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 32 | 32 | 22 |
| Aperture blade | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Lens Construction | 9群11枚 | 9群11枚 | 11群16枚 |
| Min distance | 2.5m | 2.5m | 1.5m(W)～2.5m(T) |
| Lens length(mm) (SAマウント) | 214.5 | 214.5 | 271 |
| Lens Max diameter(mm) (SAマウント) | 119 | 119 | 112.8 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 46mm （リアフィルター） | 46mm （リアフィルター） | 105mm 46mm （リアフィルター） |
| Weight(g) (SAマウント) | 2,400 | 2,400 | 2,680 |
| Lens hood | LH1196-01 | LH1196-01 | LH1134_01 |
| Release date | 1999 | 2005 | 2005 |
| Lens Mount | Sigma SA Canon EF Nikon F Pentax K (Not HSM) Sony A (Not HSM) | Sigma SA Canon EF Nikon F Pentax K (Not HSM) Sony A (Not HSM) | Sigma SA Canon EF Nikon F Pentax K (Not HSM) Sony A (Not HSM) |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥290,000- | ¥350,000- | ¥350,000- |
Reference links
- SIGMA 300mm EX DG HSM Official page
- SIGMA 120-300 EX HSM Official page on Web Archive
- SIGMA 300mm EX HSM Official page on Web Archive
- [Camera terminology dictionary] F2.8 compatible/F2.8 sensor, F8 compatible/F8 sensor
Update history
- 2024.12.30
Affiliate links
- Amazon Affiliate Link/Keyword=Sigma
- Amazon Affiliate Link/Keyword=Sigma lens
- Amazon Affiliate Link/Keyword=Sigma books
