The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS and the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM is the longer of the two lenses at 271mm. The Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS with a length of 106mm, is 165mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM also has a larger diameter of 113mm compared to the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS's 89mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS weighs 965g, which means it is 1635g (62%) lighter than the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM which has a weight of 2600g.
Filter Threads
The Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM has a 105mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS:
And these are the 105mm filters that we recommend for the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM:
Lens Mounts
Both the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS and the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS is also available in Canon EF , Pentax KAF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM is also available in Canon EF and Sigma SA mounts.
Focal Range
Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 121mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
181.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG HSM has a focal range of 120-300mm and 2.5X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 180 - 450mm.