Over the past year or so I have had the privilege of being equipped with the 120-300mm F/2.8 DG OS HSM | SPORTS amongst some other fantastic sigma products. Over the past 13 months I have been faced with a number of different situations in the field and been able to really put this lens through its paces. I have decided to do a short write up on my general thoughts on the lens. First Impression: Taking this lens out of its case for the first time and attaching it… read more →
To say that my anticipation for this lens was fever pitch would be a mild understatement! I have been using the new generation of Sigma Lenses (Art & Sport) for the last four years, one of the greatest missing elements in the Sigma range was without doubt a fast and fancy prime, the bread and butter of Wildlife & Sport Photographers across the globe. Enter the 500mm F4… Overview So, looking at the release pictures of the 500mm had me salivating at the mouth and having the lens in my… read more →
There are a lot of macro lenses out there, what makes this one stand out from the crowd? Sharpness? Of course it’s sharp – tack sharp. But then again, pretty much all macro lenses are sharp, and my poor old 10 megapixel sensor won’t be able to distinguish between them. The focal length is a bit unusual – most macros are in one of three focal length ranges: 50-60mm (“normal lens” range), 90-105mm (short telephoto) and 180mm (telephoto). The longer lenses typically have the advantage of a longer working distance,… read more →
One of my first lenses that I received from Sigma South Africa was the Sigma 8-16mm DC HSM f4.5-5.6. I have been using it almost exclusively for interior and architectural work. Now many photographers out there do not like the ultra wide lenses for interior or architectural use due to extreme effects they tend to have on perspective. That however, is the beauty of these lenses in my opinion. They create space and have the ability to create a feeling of open space in what might otherwise be perceived as… read more →
Alan van Gysen has been a professional surf photographer for 16 years and is the Zigzag photo editor. Follow him on Instagram @alanvangysen Mastering the Namib mirage Google ‘Skeleton Bay’ and rows and rows of awe-inspiring photographs will appear on your screen of the worlds best wave. Stacked up in digital rows just like the real-life scene, rolling tubes appear seemingly out of nowhere through the fog of the Namibian desert. It’s the definition of perfect. A high school surfers textbook sketch brought to life. At 2.1km-long, this freakishly perfect… read more →
Today we look at the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM. This is one of the ultra wide angle lenses I have had the pleasure of using in the past and I must admit. It is highly underrated and in my opinion, one of the best UWA lenses out there for a crop sensor body. It is available for Canon, Nikon, four thirds users, Sony and Pentax. Sony and Pentax users however don’t have the focussing benefit that HSM gives. It is also one of only a few UWA lense… read more →
I had the good fortune of being able to borrow three wonderful Sigma lenses while I co-presented a photographic workshop at Klein-Aus Vista, Namibia, together with Wicus Leeuwner and JJ van Heerden in June 2016. All photos shown here were shot with my Canon 40D, which has a 1.6x crop sensor. Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM This is the widest rectilinear lens available for crop-frame sensors, and it can be used to produce wonderfully exaggerated perspectives: Cartoon Horse, Sigma 8-16mm @8mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 400 I found the lens a… read more →
I spent 9 days with the epic 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary in the Kruger National Park earlier this year and I was blown away. My personal lens I use for wildlife is the beautiful 120-300mm f2.8 Sport. I love this lens and was quite apprehensive about leaving it behind and going away with a lens that is affectively aimed at consumers. I thought I wouldn’t get the sharpness I am used to and thought I’d miss the low light capability I have with my 120-300. How wrong I… read more →
If you’re in the market for sharp, cost-effective zoom lenses designed with the wildlife and sports photographer in mind, then you need look no further than Sigma’s 150 – 600mm Contemporary & Sports lenses! With both options sure to meet your needs with ease, the release of these premium lenses was highly anticipated by reviewers and users alike. Now, I won’t spend this blog post merely telling you about the images you can expect these lenses to deliver – you may draw your own conclusions in that regard – but… read more →
When it comes to photography, there has always been the debate as to what the most important piece of equipment actually is. Is it the camera or the lens? Can one have the best top of the range camera body and a mediocre lens and still take breath taking, award winning images, the answer is more than likely yes. Would you need to do a lot more post process editing on your images? once again the answer will be yes. You see the lens is where the magic happens, where… read more →