i use this lens in the 70-200 range for portraiture or general telephoto photography, in the 200-300 range for near macro photography, and at 300 with a 50mm lens reversed onto it for extreme (6x's lifesize) macro shots. in all instances i've been generally pleased with the quality. it's a little soft at 200-300mm for telephoto work.

bottom line is if you're on a budget, you can't go wrong with this lens.

fyi: sigma has a couple versions of the 70-300 in circulation. this APO version is reputed to be sharper than the newer, non-APO version.

There are a lot of differing views on this lens. Thats great. Everybody's thoughts were very helpful to me in deciding to buy this. I'm glad I did.

For the Price it is hard to get a better deal. A lot of reviews complain about it not being faster or this or that. The fact is all the things it lacks only come in a far more expensive price range. If you have more money to spend and want something better then certainly it exists and you should buy that. If you only want to spend a couple hundred dollars and get a very sharp, versatile, multi-use lens then there is not much that can compete.

In the last month I've shot a lot with this lens and continually been impressed and happy with it considering how much I paid for it. I've used the macro mode and shot beautiful shots of insects, moss and water droplets. I've used the long end of the zoom to shoot surfers, sunsets, fisherman, ships, kids playing on the beach and a wedding. Whether in bright sunlight or... Read more

I was looking for a 300mm lens that would allow me to take pictures of my family when they were on a field or long distance sporting events. I'm not a great photographer by any stretch, but I've received my praises here or there. I'm a very good amateur picture taker without knowing all the terminology. I read all the reviews from others and was a bit worried about the speed and noise of this lens but I wasn't going to get anything else at this price range so I made the order. Was I glad I did. This lens may be noisier and slower than a genuine Nikor lens, but it does a great job and clear as a bell at half the price. Locks in for a shot and works perfectly with my Nikon D40. Those with more experience may want more, but I don't think at my level, I could get any better at this price. Now if only I could find a bag to fit all these lenses. :)