Reviewed: Sigma 120-300mm F/2.8 DG OS HSM S

Verdict: This lens offers brilliant sharpness with optical stabilisation and a long zoom range. It is quite heavy and is therefore best mounted onto a tripod. The HSM means the focus is very quick, accurate and almost silent.

This 3390g behemoth of a lens fits snugly into Sigma’s Sport line of glass and is designed to be mounted to a tripod rather than hand-held. This leads it to be rather more specialist than many lenses in test, though doesn’t detract from its image quality. At 120mm the sharpness is very good at maximum aperture, though the corners don’t catch up until f/5.6. At longer focal lengths, the entire image is uniformly sharp.

For longer focal lengths, you have the option of optical stabilisation, which should assist with slower shutter speeds. Sigma has also included HSM, resulting in extremely quick and accurate focusing which is effectively silent. This is an area in which we were incredibly impressed.

The tough metal and plastic construction is top-notch, though does add to the weight. The zoom and focus rings are large and move very smoothly. You also have switches to limit focus, change from MF to AF and turn on OS.

Pros

Optical stabilisation

Brilliant sharpness

Zoom range

Cons

Very heavy

Must be tripod-mounted

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Spec

Min aperture: f/22

Max aperture: f/2.8

Elements: 23/18

Filter size: 105mm

Min focusing distance: 150cm

DxH: 125x291mm

Weight: 3390g