pdk42
Moderator
That's very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I'm surprised that the sharpness isn't up to the Panasonic 70-300.Today was the day! Unfortunately, I could only shoot handheld so I don't have perfect results but the shop let me try quite a bit, and I wanted to compare the test photos at home before committing to anything. The weight and size difference were not as obvious as I thought, personally, I wouldn't care to be honest.
To my surprise, from what I could tell in the shop...it seemed very similar, apart from the obvious range differences and the aperture ring being the other way around. I expected to see a difference on the camera display but that didn't really happen (at same focal lengths). In the shop, I noticed the OIS in the Sigma seemed a little more shaky compared to the 70-300. With that one, everything is super still when you hold still during focussing (I have fairly steady hands), with the Sigma it was slightly harder to get to that point. But maybe I would have to adjust some settings or practise more with that one? Still very useable though, just seemed that tad better on the 70-300.
Checking at home, the Sigma seemed to need less ISO (e.g. 3200 instead of 4000), despite the same f and SS settings. The Lumix still seemed darker. Maybe it's just where I pointed the camera at (same target) but since it happened in a few photos, also outside...no idea why that might be. I have a clear filter in the front of my 70-300 but in tests it never took any amount of light away and don't think that's why.
The colours come out slightly different but could be matched, I couldn't even say which one I like better. The biggest surprise however, I assumed the Sigma to be a lot sharper but my 70-300 seems to be sharper at almost every photo, even on details, even with that clear filter in the front. Maybe that came from the Sigma OIS and me still being a little more shaky? Or just that particular lens sample? However, the contrast and rendering is very nice on the Sigma and seems a little more real, less soft/flat.
The 2xTC was a nice but also "shocking" surprise. I'd love the 600-800 but then you start with f13! Handheld would need a lot of practise and I don't think any kind of windy conditions or darker rooms / landscapes / evenings would be your friend.
After today I'm wondering myself, would I buy the 100-400 over the 70-300, especially, if I didn't have that one yet? Yes, probably! The extra 100mm and the option of a TC would be the main argument. However, would I get it as well, when I already have the 70-300? Probably not (to keep both). Don't know if I'd sell that one to replace it with the 100-400. Wish I could have tried different samples as some people reported also differences there. But also a bit more happy with the 70-300 now and unsure about the 100-400 in my situation. Let's see.
