I recently had the opportunity to test a Sigma 120-400 f4.5-5.6 lens. I used this lens in South Texas to photograph birds, and it worked beautifully. I previously used a Nikon 70-300, but its zooming ability was just not what was necessary to photograph birds, and its autofocus speed was very slow. The 120-400 is plenty fast with my Nikon D2X. At times, the lens would have trouble focusing, but restarting the camera fixed this problem, and it happened rarely enough for it not to be a major downside. My images came out clear and high quality. The lens also sports a lens collar, making it easy to control and aim, and its light body is easy to carry and maneuver.
For $900, this lens is an easy buy, compared to the Nikon 200-400 for five times as much. The only downside to this lens is its inability to autofocus while using a teleconverter, but for mammal photography, the 200-400 focal length is perfect. Another benifit of Sigma lenses in general is that there are versions for both Nikon and Canon.
I fell in love with this lens the moment I first used it, and I hope you find it the same way. For an affordable yet effective lens, the Sigma 200-400 f4.5-5.6 is the way to go.
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