Sigma 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 DG OS review - Ghosting, flares and transmission

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Sigma 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 DG OS

19 March 2010

Arkadiusz Olech

9. Ghosting, flares and transmission

Sigma can manufacture good anti-reflection coatings and the new 24-70 mm f/2.8 model is the best proof of it – when it comes to transmission and work against bright light it fared much better than a Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 although the latter is much more expensive. Our measurements show, though, that the Sigma differentiates the quality of coatings – they depend on the price segment of a given instrument. What coatings have been used in the lens tested here? A transmission graph, posted below, will allow us to answer that question.

Sigma 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 DG OS - Ghosting, flares and transmission

We won’t be delighted with the results. The maximum transmission is reached for red light and it amounts to 87%. In the middle of the visible spectrum it decreases near 83% and for blue light it is about 80%. Taking into account the fact that the tested lens consists of 11 groups of elements, so there are 22 air-to-glass surfaces to cover, the loss reaches almost 0.7% for red light and even 0.8% for yellow light on one surface. It’s enough to remind you that the result of the Sigma 24-70 mm f/2.8 was just 0.25% to know what quality of coatings we are dealing with here.

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In order to defend the 70-300 mm OS model a bit we can say that the transmission curve is flat in the wide wavelength range which should guarantee a correct colour rendition.

Fortunately the transmission is just one factor which influences the work against bright light. The lens’s inner construction is equally important here. In the case of the Sigma the inner construction is beyond reproach so there are no problem with the work against bright light. Light artifacts can be caught mainly at shorter focal lengths but they are few of them and not very intensive. You can consult sample shots from the Nikon D3x below; on the D200 the results would be very similar. In this category the tested lens deserves our praise, then.