I’m generally not a fan of Sigma’s longer lenses and we didn’t carry this one at first. But when Canon raised the price of their supertelephoto lenses, we took a harder look at this lens. I’m glad we did — I actually love this lens. It doesn’t have Optical Stabilization, but for sportshooters that’s not critically important.

What it does have is excellent center sharpness (very comparable to the original Canon 300 f/2.8 IS. The autofocus works well and quickly, much better than the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. What I love about it, though, is it’s size. It’s much smaller than the other 300 f/2.8 lenses which makes it easy to carry and handhold.

I’m actually very impressed with this lens. With it’s smaller size and less obvious black finish, I found myself getting fewer stares and feeling less like a target when I took it out shooting. I can handhold it for hours without strain. I have to say I’m really surprised by how impressed I am with this lens.