Just some preliminary tests and notes.. I've used this lens extensively on an SD9 and tried it on Canon so references can be made

Well Folks it arrived - as mentioned above, the lens is no Mystery to me as I've used it before and it has had almost 100% acclaim from anyone who's used it in canon and Sigma mounts ..

Build and size --- It's the EOS/SA lens with an E-Mount slapped on so it has a regular AF/MF switch which disengages the AF motor and allows MECHANICAL MF as opposed to Fly by wire, the MF ring is wide and smooth but it rotates when focussing in typical Sigma tradition. the front end rotates and the lens externally focusses like most budget zooms, even the £350 Canon 75-300IS ! (the Kit lens and I think the Zuiko 40-150 externally focus but the front end doesn't rotate) this makes Polarizers a bit of a pain BUT they're of less use with Telephoto.. Build is excellent, similar to the Kit lens, it's no flimsy Joke and likewise has a metal mount Zooming is Smooth with no lumpy bits but stiffer than the Kit lens (this will slacken off after a bit) .. Size is roughly similar to the 14-45 Kit lens but thinner at the long end..

AF --- Being a Sigma DC motor lens, it's not fast, AFs the same speed as on a 20D, SD9, D60, D1X, whatever, not as fast or quiet as the kit lens but then it IS a non-HSM Sigma, they're all the same here. AF seems pretty accurate from my preliminary testing indoors

Image Quality --- This lens was a hit on the Canon and Sigma Mounts because of the sharpness from end to end wide open , it doesn't dissapoint on the E300 either, seeming (from casual indoor tests) sharper at 55mm than the Kit lens at 45mm full zoom and of coursem it's F4 there NOT F5.6... contrast and colour seem good, there is some CA present (there was on the SD9 and 10D also) when shooting Chrome and this *MAY* be where the Zuiko beats it , maybe not though, it's Purple and the E300 with its tight packed pixels / powerful Microlenses may be the culprit (same for the 20D and 10D) though it's not heavy (as in Digicam Heavy) ..

Basics -- what you get for around £100 is an effective 110-400mm F4-5.6 lens of similar size to the Kit lens, the apertures are similar too and actually slightly faster than my £1200 100-400 L IS for a similar range on the 1DS - this makes the tiny E300 + Sigma quite a Micro-Birding machine which won't attract attention as it doesn't look like a DSLR, it looks more like a Super-8080 :).

Further testing will continue in daylight (UK weather Permitting) but it looks very promising - to be honest, I pretty much knew what to expect as I know the lens but I've never seen one on such a tiny DSLR with a FOV multiplier which takes it to the same as the Colossal 1DS + 100-400L combo.

Pic of the lens on the Camera with the Kit lens beside taken with the gradually being pensioned off D60 ..

http://www.cs80.freeserve.co.uk/Digicam/E300-Sig-55-200-14-54.jpg


--
** Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist **

http://www.cs80.freeserve.co.uk/D60/Lens-Sig.jpg