Faster is better when it comes to telephoto zooms, but prices range from ‘affordable’ to astronomical. Here are the best buys...
Any zoom lens is a versatile tool but fast telephoto zooms are particularly multi-talented.
Enthusiast and professional photographers have long been using them for wide-ranging shooting scenarios, from action, sports and wildlife to weddings and other events.
A 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom is regarded as one of the ‘trinity’ of zooms, along with similarly fast f/2.8 wide-angle and standard zooms. But it’s not the only choice.
Compared with budget telephoto lenses, there are two main upsides to fast telephoto zooms. Firstly, you can get a tight depth of field, especially towards the long end of the zoom range, ideal for blurring the background and making the main object in a scene really stand out. Secondly, you can maintain fast shutter speeds even under low lighting conditions, for freezing motion without bumping up your ISO. That helps to retain fine detail and keeps noise to a minimum.
If you need greater reach from a fast telephoto zoom, Nikon and Sigma both make 120-300mm f/2.8 lenses, They’re weighty beasts but intriguing options. At the other end of the scale the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 and AF-S 70-200mm f/4 are relatively compact, lightweight and affordable. Let’s take a closer look at what all the contenders have to offer.
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | S £1099/$1449
Sigma’s long-running 70-200mm f/2.8 OS lens was a popular, budgetfriendly option. It delivered good overall performance, had an effective optical stabilizer and was keenly priced. The replacement ‘Sports’ lens is noticeably larger and heavier, weighing in at 1805g, despite having a magnesium alloy barrel. The more robust design also features a full set of weather-seals, whereas the preceding lens had none.
More than just an update, the new lens is redesigned from the ground up. The new optical path features 24 elements in 22 groups, incorporating one SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element and no less than nine top-grade FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements. There’s also a particularly well-rounded aperture, with 11 diaphragm blades. The autofocus system can be switched to auto-priority or manual-priority modes, the latter enabling manual override with continuous autofocus. The design also features three function buttons, which can be configured as AF-start or AF-stop via in-camera menus.
The new optical stabilizer has switchable static and panning modes, the latter working in landscape, portrait and even diagonal orientation.
Performance
Sharpness and contrast are fabulous throughout the entire zoom range, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Autofocus is rapid and consistently accurate, and while stabilization isn’t quite as effective a
