SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1: 4.5-6.7 DL Short Review

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In short

The SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7 DL is a very simple and very affordable telephoto lens. It's noteworthy for its compact size (the filter is only 55mm in diameter) and very low price.

Optically mediocre: very weak at 300mm and quite good at 100mm. The lens is very sensitive to slow shutter speeds; shutter speeds no slower than 1/640th of a second at 300mm (on full frame) are best.

The SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1: 4.5-6.7 DL can act as a very cheap autofocus telephoto lens.

Main technical characteristics of SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1: 4.5-6.7 DL:

Review Instance Name	Inscription near the front lens 'SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1: 4.5-6.7 DL Lens Made In Japan ø55', inscription on the case '100-300mmD', serial number 1256708
Basic properties	DL (DeLuxe?) - budget film lens support for auto focus via the camera motor, analog Nikon AF lens designed for full-length cameras Nikon fx presence of a diaphragm control ring with aperture lock, analog Nikon NON-G lens the lens transmits the focusing distance to the camera, analog Nikon D Important: a lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its practical use.
Front Filter Diameter	55 mm, plastic thread for filters
Focal length	100-300 mm EGF for Nikon DX cameras is 150-450 mm
Zoom ratio	3 x
Designed by	for film cameras
Number of aperture blades	8 straight petals
Tags	focusing distance in meters and feet focal lengths for 100, 135, 200, 300 mm aperture values ​​F / 4, 8, 11, 16, 22 (the ring can be set to 1 intermediate value [but two values ​​between 4.5 and 8]) R mark for 100mm infrared operation (marked with 'w' - 'wide'). DOF scale near the focusing scale for f / 11 and 22 for 100 mm focal length (marked with the letter 'w' - 'wide').
Diaphragm	100mm from f / 4.5 to f / 22, 300mm from f / 6.7 to f / 32. 100mm f / 4.5 110mm f / 4.8 125mm f / 5 150mm f / 5.3 185mm f / 5.6 220mm f / 6.0 240mm f / 6.3 280mm f / 6.7 300mm f / 6.7 The lens has an aperture control ring with a slider to fix it at F/22 ( Non-G lens type ).
MDF (minimum focusing distance)	2 meters across the entire focal length range
The weight	412 grams (measured)
Optical design	13 elements in 10 groups. No optical design pattern found.
Lens hood	bayonet type, model unknown, in the review the lens was with a universal rubber hood
Manufacturer country	Lens Made In Japan (Lens Made in Japan)
Price	Not for sale, used options sell at 40-70 cu All prices for modern Sigma lenses can be viewed here.

The main thing about the lens

The SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7 DL lens is well-assembled. The focus and zoom rings are rubberized. The lens is very compact. Autofocus speed is average. During focusing, the front element rotates and moves forward and backward, along with the front filter thread. The focus ring rotates 90 degrees. We experienced no focusing issues on a Nikon D700 camera . The barrel does not extend spontaneously.

At an open aperture, sharpness is weak and decreases with increasing focal length. When the aperture is closed, the sharpness is noticeably increased. Lens chromate perceptibly.

Important : Autofocus with this lens is only available when used on cameras with a built-in focus motor.

The exact list of Nikon DSLR cameras with a built-in focus motor on which this lens will autofocus:

• D1, D1h, D1x, D2x, D2xs, D2h, D2hs
• D3, D3x, D3s, D4, D4s, D5, D6
• Df
• D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90
• D7000, D7100, D7200,D7500
• D100, D200, D300, D300s,D500
• D600, D610, D750, D780
• D700, D800,D800E, D810, D810a, D850
• Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro, S2 Pro, S3 ProS3 Pro UVIR, S5 ProIS Pro
• Kodak DCS PRO 14n, DCS Pro SLR/n

The exact list of Nikon DSLRs without a built-in focus motor on which this lens will not autofocus:

• D40, D40x, D60
• D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3500
• D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600
• all digital mirrorless cameras Nikon ZDX, Nikon ZFX with Nikon FTZ/FTZ II adapter

Only auto focus and sound confirmation of focus will not work with these cameras, all other important functions, such as automatic exposure metering and automatic iris control, will work well.

You can find a lot of useful information about Nikon camera types and lenses here.

Please note: This lens has a manual aperture ring. To control the aperture value from within the camera or to set the aperture automatically on modern digital zoom cameras, turn the control ring to f/22 (marked red) and lock it with the dedicated lever located to the right of the aperture markings . Failure to do so will result in a display error of 'fEE' ( aperture ring not installed ) on some cameras. Some cameras with an aperture rheostat allow aperture control using this aperture ring, but only in 'M' and 'A' metering modes . More details on this issue can be found in the section on Non-G lenses . The Nikon D3400 and D3500 will not work with this lens.

Most Nikon camera manuals specify the maximum aperture limit for correct autofocus. Most Nikon cameras are designed to work only with lenses no slower than f/5.6 . For example, the Nikon D3200 , D40 , D70 , and D700 should theoretically not work correctly with this lens. However, my experience has shown that in good lighting conditions, autofocusing is not a problem even on cameras that are not designed to work with f/6.3-6.7 lenses. The SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7 DL extends beyond f/5.6 at a focal length of 220 mm, at which point the maximum aperture limit is 1:6.0.

Sample Photos

Even the older 'large pixel' mammoth cameras, which usually handle low resolution lenses well, failed to work well with the SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1: 4.5-6.7 DL.

Photographer Natalia Romanenko (Instagram) helped me prepare sample photos with the original RAW files . Converting the original RAW files from the Nikon D700 using the original Nikon Capture NX-D v 1.4.6 utility.

The original photos in JPEG '.JPG' format can be viewed/downloaded from this link (Google Drive, 13 photos). The original photos in RAW '.NEF' format can be viewed/downloaded from this link (Google Drive, 17 photos).

The original sample photos taken with the Nikon D40 cropped camera in JPEG '.JPG' format can be viewed/downloaded from this link (Google Drive, 13 photos).

All Original Similar Nikon FX Telephoto Lenses

Below is a list of all Nikon Nikkor telephoto lenses without high aperture and with auto focus support:

1. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4, 1986-1987
2. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1:4-5.6, 1987-1993
3. Nikon AF Nikkor 75-300mm 1:4.5-5.6, 1989-1998
4. Nikon AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1:4.5-5.6D, 1991-1999
5. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1:4-5.6D, 1993-2000
6. Nikon AF Micro Nikkor 70-180mm 1: 4.5-5.6D ED, 1997-2005
7. Nikon AF Nikkor 75-240mm 1:4.5-5.6D, 1999-2000
8. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6D ED, 1998-2006
9. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6D, 1998-2006 (?)
10. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6G, from 2000 to 2014, black or silver
11. Nikon AF S Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G ED VR IF SWM, from 2006 to 2017
12. Nikon AF S Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 4G ED SWM VR IF N Nano Crystal Coat, from 2012 to the present day
13. Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6E VR ED, 2017 to present

The names of the lenses are indicated according to their spelling on the case.

Conclusion

The SIGMA ZOOM 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7 DL is lightweight, compact, and affordable. Overall, image quality is poor. Perhaps the review sample was not the best, performing very poorly at the long end (300mm). Generally, any older Sigma/Quantaray 70-300/4-5.6 (their entire lineup is listed at this link) would be preferable.

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