budget 75-300 lens for Sony??

[bio]

Hello,

I have a sony a200 and currently use a Tamaron 55-200 lens for long shots that was recommended to me by a forum user previously.
I would now like to get that bit closer to the action and am looking at getting a 75-300 lens.
The only trouble - as us is always the case, I can see an argument happening with my wife if the price is high!
Does anyone have any advice on a 'budget' purchase for a lens like this?

Thanks in advance for any help!

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[Mojo_66]

The Sigma 70-300 APO lens is very good for the money, sharp enough though it is quite slow at the 300mm end so needs lots of light, high ISO or a tripod. Apparently the non-APO version isn't up to much though and only about £50 cheaper.

[Dorset_Mike]

I'd go for the Tamron 70-300, same quality as the 55-200, same aperture range f4-f5.6 plus it has a useable 1:2 "macro". If you're happy with the performance of the 55-200 apart from the length, then the Tamron 70-300 should suit. Price around £130

check here

[Simon_md]

The Sigma 70-300 APO lens is very good for the money, sharp enough though it is quite slow at the 300mm end so needs lots of light, high ISO or a tripod.

I have the Canon version of this lens and it is not too bad in the right conditions. I noticed you had some kite pics on your flickr, here are some I took with my 70-300 for comparison :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smdavis...7623449776225/

[Andytw]

The Sigma 70-300 APO lens is very good for the money, sharp enough though it is quite slow at the 300mm end so needs lots of light, high ISO or a tripod.

Another vote for the Sigma APO from me.
I use the lens on a Sony A200 and for the price it's very good up to 200mm and still pretty sharp at 300mm at f8.
It also has a 1:2 macro option similar to the Tamron's.