Product Description

Capable of macro photography, this lens has a 1:2 maximum close-up magnification at the 300 mm focal length. It's the ideal high performance lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range. It also has a switch for changeover to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 mm and 300 mm with a maximum close-up magnification from 1:2.9 to 1:2.SLD (special low dispersion) glass in this lens provides excellent correction of chromatic aberration.The multi layer lens coating and lens design reduce flare and ghost, which is a common problem with digital cameras and also creates an optimum color balance through the entire zoom range.Sigma used SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass in this lens for excellent correction of chromatic aberration. This also corrects for fluctuation of aberration due to focusing. High optical performance is demonstrated throughout the entire zoom range.

Product Details

• Brand: Sigma
• Model: B000B8T6E2
• Dimensions: 1.17 pounds

Features

• Optimized for use with digital SLR cameras
• Multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduces flare and ghosting
• Minimum focusing distance is 59 inches at all zoom settings
• Features 14 lens elements in 10 Groups
• High-performance lens ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras is a telephoto lens that offers excellent cost performance and is optimized for use with digital SLR cameras. Capable of macro photography, this lens has a 1:2 maximum close-up magnification at the 300 millimeter focal length. It's the ideal high performance lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range. The lens features a switch for changeover to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters, with a maximum close-up magnification from 1:2.9 to 1:2.

The multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduce flare and ghosting, which is a common problem with digital cameras, and it also creates an optimum color balance through the entire zoom range. The minimum focusing distance is 59 inches at all zoom settings. The lens features a switch for changeover to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters with a maximum close-up magnification. Without changing the distance between camera and subject, you can change the shooting magnification.

Customer Reviews

Unbelievable bargain!
I wanted a cheap telephoto lens for those times I need the reach. Since I don't use it that often, I felt no need for a large or expensive lens. I debated between this lens, the Tamron 70-300 Di, and the Sigma APO of the same type. This was the cheapest so I went with it. Frankly, I can't believe how good this lens is for its price. At 70mm, it's tack sharp corner to corner. Even 200-300 it's quite good. And the Macro mode is just icing on the cake--1:2 magnification means you can get quite close.

It's true, you need a fair amount of light for this lens to shine--no argument there. But for the individual who only does this sort of stuff for fun, this lens is hard to beat. I can't imagine the APO variant is worth $70 more--I cannot detect any difference from sample pictures posted online. So if you only need a lens of this focal length occasionally, this is the one to get.

More than what you pay for
I recently purchased this lens from Amazon for use on my Pentax K100D Super. The optical quality and sharpness of the images taken with this lens far excedes its cost. While the build quality is a bit "plasticy" feeling, and the zoom ring is not that smooth, it produces very good results overall. Be careful to first read the instructions on use of the macro switch. It will not disengage unless you set the camera to manual focus and turn the focus ring. For nature photography in daylight this is a very good choice for those artists on a budget.

Great Lens!! Excellent Price
I was leary about purchasing this "cheap" version of the Sigma Lens. Being new to DSLR photography, I really don't know a whole lot about lenses, but I did want something that would give me a good telephoto range and decent picture quality. This lens did not disappoint. I am really happy with the performance of this lens. It brings images in really close, from really far away. The picture quality is perfect ! I use this with a Pentax *ist DL and the pictures it produces are wonderful. If this is the "cheap" version of the Sigma lens, I really wonder what the "high end" version will be like. Thanks for reading this, hope it helps.