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My two summers in Siena were in my pre-digital days. I wish to go back with today’s far superior equipment and get some more great shots.

Disclaimer: This review is from a prosumer photographer. I’m by no means a dedicated professional, but I know a thing or two by now and feel confident in sharing my opinion. If you have any questions, just leave a comment. I base my reviews on common sense usage and not on technical jargon. If the images look crappy, the review will be bad!

I’m pretty sure Google is smart enough to populate this ad with info about the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8. So, if you are looking to get one, you may want to check out the links they recommend:

I got this lens as I saw a need in this range. I had previously shot some events and realized that I needed fast glass for low light situations. While I am interested in the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR, I figured this was a good in-between choice to go along with my Sigma 30mm f1.4. In actuality, this would be an awesome pairing with the 17-50mm f2.8 Macro that Sigma put out. More on that later.

Bottom Line: The Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 is a great low-telephoto for shooting weddings, parties and other events. But, the max range of 150mm may leave you desiring more range.

I first used this lens for a friends wedding and realized quickly (as it was my first wedding), that a telephoto gets more action than the wide angle/prime. Slinging my D70 and 30mm prime over my shoulder and relying on this lens, I was able to capture some really great images.

My overall impression is that this lens is lighter, and just as fast as the 70-200 f2.8 lens put out by both Nikon and Sigma. It doesn’t feature any optical stabilization or vibration reduction, so a steady hand in low light is definitely necessary. However, for the length of the zoom range, you get a fairly lightweight package that is easy to carry and shoulder.

The lens focuses with a great amount of accuracy in lowlight and other varying conditions. While I haven’t been able to test this in comparison to my new 18-200 Nikon VR, I can say that in lowlight the performance is outstanding. In normal light and for the purposes of portraits, the bokeh is spectacular and the 50-150 range covers almost everything a portrait photographer would want to cover.

Despite the fact that this lens is a good performer, it is restricted by its zoom length. Many times I wished for more reach, and that I had in fact held out for the 70-200mm. The bottom line for professionals is, if you have the means, go all the way and get the 70-200mm, even if it isn’t the VR. Don’t get me wrong, the 50-150 f2.8 would pair nicely with the 18-50mm f2.8 offered by Sigma or the 17-55 Nikon f2.8 lens. BUT, I’d rather lose the coverage of the 50-70mm range and extend myself to 200mm at the same time. Why would you want to get the 50-150? If you have close access to what you want to shoot, and/or don’t want to shoulder the extra weight.

So, for now, my event setup would be the 18-50 f2.8 and this 50-150mm. I have the 18-50 on the list, it’ll be my next acquisition. Stand by for a review on that one.

Now, for some pics taken with the 50-150mm f2.8:

The churchyard in Zermatt is a final resting place for many lost or killed ascending the Matterhorn.

Another successful show:

The Mill Creek Park Trail is one of the newer parks in the Meadowlands.  It’s a great trail that is 1.5 miles long, and features hundreds of tree stumps -  an Atlantic white cedar forest once covered the Meadowlands.  Some of the trees were aged over 200 years!