What happened to the Sigma 18-300? I was going to recommend this lens to an OP but in checking I find it is no longer available from most stores. I love mine and hadn't heard of it...

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I was going to recommend this lens to an OP but in checking I find it is no longer available from most stores. I love mine and hadn't heard of it being discontinued. In fact, the Sigma site still shows it.

Bill_de Loc: US

PHRubin wrote:

I find it is no longer available from most stores.

You don't need to worry about most stores. You only have to find it in one.

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PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Bill_de wrote:

You don't need to worry about most stores. You only have to find it in one.

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That isn't the issue. I found it to be an excellent lens and can't believe it might be discontinued. I wanted to recommend it, but if it won't be available, I can't.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Paul, I hate to burst your bubble but despite its wonderful convenience and light weight, the optical quality past 200 mm gets pretty poor. If you do not mind that, then do recommend it. Have you tried looking for a used one or in the Sigma online store?

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

abc1234 wrote:

Paul, I hate to burst your bubble but despite its wonderful convenience and light weight, the optical quality past 200 mm gets pretty poor. If you do not mind that, then do recommend it. Have you tried looking for a used one or in the Sigma online store?

I disagree. I use mine often and get great results.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

maxlieberman wrote:

I disagree. I use mine often and get great results.

I do not doubt you are satisfied. I tested mine with the Reikan FoCal and the lens was much softer than my better Sigma lenses. Past 200 mm or so, FoCal could not even test the lens. That being said, it is still a very convenient and light lens and great for walking around. Just do not expect the same optical quality as a professional lens.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

abc1234 wrote:

I do not doubt you are satisfied. I tested mine with the Reikan FoCal and the lens was much softer than my better Sigma lenses. Past 200 mm or so, FoCal could not even test the lens. That being said, it is still a very convenient and light lens and great for walking around. Just do not expect the same optical quality as a professional lens.

Last week I posted 60 photos that I took at the Reading World War II Reenactment, all taken with my Sigma 18-300mm. I chose to take that lens because of the versatility. View them and judge for yourself.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

maxlieberman wrote:

Last week I posted 60 photos that I took at the Reading World War II Reenactment, all taken with my Sigma 18-300mm. I chose to take that lens because of the versatility. View them and judge for yourself.

If you want us to see them, then please post the link.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

Here is a link to one of them. I think you can search for the other 5 posts using the title to the post as a search term.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-776740-1.html

dbrugger25 Loc: Raleigh, NC

Sigma used to make the "Bigma" 50-500 mm zoom. It could do everything but wsn't great at anything. I bought one for my old Olympus E-5 4/3 camera. I always got images but they always seemed a little soft on focus. They now sell a 60-600 lens for about $2,000. I don't know how good it is.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

maxlieberman wrote:

Here is a link to one of them. I think you can search for the other 5 posts using the title to the post as a search term.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-776740-1.html

Max, thanks for the link. They illustrate just my point. The sharpest ones without any motion blur still are not that sharp. If you want to pursue this discussion, I suggest that you start a new one since we have hijacked the original one or take this offline.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

abc1234 wrote:

Max, thanks for the link. They illustrate just my point. The sharpest ones without any motion blur still are not that sharp. If you want to pursue this discussion, I suggest that you start a new one since we have hijacked the original one or take this offline.

Let's let it rest.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

PHRubin wrote:

I was going to recommend this lens to an OP but in checking I find it is no longer available from most stores. I love mine and hadn't heard of it being discontinued. In fact, the Sigma site still shows it.

The photography equipment business is fickle and is moving along ever faster. Don't expect anything to be around long now in new condition. The Nikon F and Pentax K1000 were from long ago.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

abc1234 wrote:

Paul, I hate to burst your bubble but despite its wonderful convenience and light weight, the optical quality past 200 mm gets pretty poor. If you do not mind that, then do recommend it. Have you tried looking for a used one or in the Sigma online store?

maxlieberman wrote:

I disagree. I use mine often and get great results.

I also disagree. First, I have one and it surprises me how sharp it is at 300mm. It may not be as sharp as a prime lens, but it sure is pretty good and, to me, worth the trade-off for convenience of all-in-one performance. The attached image was taken at 300mm, the blow up has no additional processing, and nothing was done to enhance sharpness.

(Download)

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

PHRubin wrote:

I also disagree. First, I have one and it surprises me how sharp it is at 300mm. It may not be as sharp as a prime lens, but it sure is pretty good and, to me, worth the trade-off for convenience of all-in-one performance. The attached image was taken at 300mm, the blow up has no additional processing, and nothing was done to enhance sharpness.

I have won contests with mine, and have photos I have taken with it published, so it can't be too shabby.