I just bought a used Sigma 100-300mm for $550! Yay!!!

[fuzzybabybunny]

Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX IF HSM Canon

I've been toying between buying this lens and the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8. The 70-200mm has a more convenient focal length for me and is brighter, but the 100-300mm's sheer image quality took the cake. The 70-200mm is soft-ish at f/2.8, and gets sharp at f/4, while the 100-300mm is very sharp even wide open at f/4.

This morning I saw a For Sale post on FredMiranda for this lens plus a Sigma EX 1.4x teleconverter. Lens was $550 (they're usually $650 used) and the TC was $110 (they're normally around $200 new). I emailed the seller saying I would buy both and he emailed me back saying I got the deal because he really wants to sell the two lenses together. When I got his reply I was just about to leave for class, so I said I'd pay him in a few hours after I got off school.

Right before I go to step out, I get an email from him saying he already received payment only for the 100-300mm from someone else, and that he'd have to sell the lens to him.

OMG OMG OMG

So I did something kinda ghetto. As soon as I got to school, I logged onto a computer and sent the $660 payment to him, hoping he'd think I didn't get his last email yet. I wanted to give him pause and rethink this. Now he's got my money and he's got the other person's money. The difference is that I'm buying both of his lenses at the same time, while the other guy is only buying the 100-300mm by itself.

When I get home, I check my email and find that he has sold the lenses to meeeeee.... yay!!!!

OMG 99% of ATOT doesn't care one iota about the above, but I just had to get it out

 

[randomlinh]

nice. if i had a use for that, i'd be jealous

 

[imported_Mike]

post seller's name, id like to stay away from him

:thumbsup: on a killer deal for you though.

 

[TheChort]

hahaha!
that's kind of cool in a sneaky, underhanded way

 

[NaOH]

As soon as i read the thread title, I knew there was something fuzzy going on....

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Mike
post seller's name, id like to stay away from him

:thumbsup: on a killer deal for you though.

Nope nope, confidential

I personally feel the seller has full rights to choose who he will sell to. He is not obligated to sell to the first person to send him payment. My payment and the other guy's payment were only 10 minutes apart at the most, but I offered the seller a better deal (plus instant payment vs. the other guy's e-check which has to clear first).

 

[GTaudiophile]

Congrats!

 

[JulesMaximus]

Would you like to buy a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8? Because I'd like to get rid of one.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: TheChort
hahaha!
that's kind of cool in a sneaky, underhanded way

Hehe, he's got $550 of some guy's money, AND $660 of my money. I pretty much forced him to decide between us two.

I'm sorry, I just had to do it. $550 is a good price for the lens. I've been scanning and entertaining offers for used versions of this lens for a month, all offers ranging from $660 to $900 (which is above the price of a new lens). I've looked at past selling prices for this lens and they've all been around $650. $550 was just too good to pass up. I had to make a last ditch ghetto effort

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Would you like to buy a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8? Because I'd like to get rid of one.

The 24-70mm doesn't really fit in my current range. I'm going to China this summer and I plan to take these lenses:

50mm f/1.4
30mm f/1.4

Sigma 10-20mm
Tamron 17-50mm
Sigma 100-300mm
1.4X TC (used for filling the gap between the 17-50mm and 100-300mm, as well as adding extra reach to the 100-300mm)

Lenses being left behind:

Tamron 180mm
Sigma 50-500mm

My original plan was to complement the Tamron 17-50mm with the Sigma 70-200mm, but I was dissappointed by the Sigma's sharpness

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Would you like to buy a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8? Because I'd like to get rid of one.

The 24-70mm doesn't really fit in my current range. I'm going to China this summer and I plan to take these lenses:

50mm f/1.4
30mm f/1.4

Sigma 10-20mm
Tamron 17-50mm
Sigma 100-300mm
1.4X TC (used for filling the gap between the 17-50mm and 100-300mm, as well as adding extra reach to the 100-300mm)

Lenses being left behind:

Tamron 180mm
Sigma 50-500mm

My original plan was to complement the Tamron 17-50mm with the Sigma 70-200mm, but I was dissappointed by the Sigma's sharpness

You're gonna need a porter for those lenses.

 

[NoShangriLa]

What are you going to use the 100-300mm for?

Years ago I got a lens fever and ended up with the 100-300mm that have been collecting dust on my shelf for the last 16 years, and the 400mm that saw less than 10 rolls of film before I sold it for 65% of what I purchased it for.

IMHO macro & wide angle lenses are way more useful than supper long telephoto lenses.

 

[NoShangriLa]

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Would you like to buy a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8? Because I'd like to get rid of one.

The 24-70mm doesn't really fit in my current range. I'm going to China this summer and I plan to take these lenses:

50mm f/1.4
30mm f/1.4

Sigma 10-20mm
Tamron 17-50mm
Sigma 100-300mm
1.4X TC (used for filling the gap between the 17-50mm and 100-300mm, as well as adding extra reach to the 100-300mm)

Lenses being left behind:

Tamron 180mm
Sigma 50-500mm

My original plan was to complement the Tamron 17-50mm with the Sigma 70-200mm, but I was dissappointed by the Sigma's sharpness

You're gonna need a porter for those lenses.

I brought my 6x6 camera & 5 lenses, two 35mm bodies & 7 lenses on my first 6 months trip backpacking/trecking through out SE Asia, and the medium format kit with 4 35mm lenses stayed at the hotels vault, because the weight was too much to haul around 6-8 hours of walking/riding wooden carts/elephants per day in the rainforests/jungles.

The best travel experience that I had was that I forgot my 35mm SLR camera bag at a party just before my trip to Central/South America, and the only thing that I had was the backup Yashica T4 point & shoot camera that I tucked in the top pouch of my back pack.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa

What are you going to use the 100-300mm for?

Years ago I got a lens fever and ended up with the 100-300mm that have been collecting dust on my shelf for the last 16 years, and the 400mm that saw less than 10 rolls of film before I sold it for 65% of what I purchased it for.

IMHO macro & wide angle lenses are way more useful than supper long telephoto lenses.

It depends on the type of shooting one does. The 100-300mm hopefully will be my more portable telephoto. If I go to the zoo or something in China I'm going to be glad I have it. When I do street photography the reach will be useful in making sure the subject doesn't know I'm photographing him. My 50-500mm is just way too huge and heavy to bring along on this trip, and I'm actually ok with this because the 100-300mm will easily be sharper than the 50-500mm. The 100-300mm is supposed to be one of the absolute sharpest lenses that Sigma has ever made.

 

[WA261]

HEHE..I got mine from a friend for $450. You are going to love it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Exceptional deal!

ZV

 

[johnjbruin]

waiting for some good pics now

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
When I do street photography the reach will be useful in making sure the subject doesn't know I'm photographing him.

I've always wondered about this... do you tell the person after you've taken the photo? Or just walk away? heh.. it seems a little shady. Doing that around DC seems like it might not be the best of ideas

 

[mrrman]

sorry to burst your bubble...I picked one up 2 weeks ago for $385

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: mrrman
sorry to burst your bubble...I picked one up 2 weeks ago for $385

Where and how?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
When I do street photography the reach will be useful in making sure the subject doesn't know I'm photographing him.

I've always wondered about this... do you tell the person after you've taken the photo? Or just walk away? heh.. it seems a little shady. Doing that around DC seems like it might not be the best of ideas

Naw... it depends on the use though. If you plan to use the photo for anything that is not editorial, like for commercial use, and the person's face is clearly visible and his identity could conceivably be obtained by your shot, you have to ask him to sign a model release form. If you're just snapping for pleasure or for editorial work, no form required.

Hopefully I'll be doing this stuff in China, Korea, and Japan this summer.

 

[idiotekniQues]

thats a nice lens.

but why not the canon 70-300IS lens for <550 new? sure the aper. goes to 5.6 but that is only 1 stop less light, and you get IS which is 3-stop on this lens. on a crop sensor camera, this lens is very close to L quality as per many reviews, ca is virtually nonexistant. the build quality on the sigma is definitely better, and the non extending zoom element is good for a circular polarizer if you use one often compared to the canon.

i did shoot in china this past may on a university trip. i didnt have to worry about model releases, as it would have been impossible to communicate with the people there

 

[pyonir]

Nice lens man. I've heard great things about it.

I have the Sigma 70-200 and i wish i had gotten the Canon. It isn't as sharp as i'd like, and im not sure how to describe it, but the Canon, the colors are more defined...like on my Sigma, the contrast looks blurred, or blended. I guess it goes back to the sharpness factor. It's soft at 2.8 and it's soft at 200mm. Two things i'm not pleased with. but it saved me a grip of money too...so...i just wish i had gotten the Canon one.

I do have a Sigma 24-70 2.8 and i'm VERY happy with that lens thus far.

 

[Blazin Trav]

Whoa, you saved $300? You can do better.

 

[idiotekniQues]

to the OP. nice galleries. and isnt smugmug great, i love the service so far