>>3423379The in focus areas were okay, but never quite in focus. It couldn't resolve details after a certain distance. The bokeh I mentioned is a prominent hard bokeh producing doubles in the bokeh, gets very busy quickly, especially if you have branches in the background. Not good for birding.
It was also very heavy and the zoom creep was immense, the locking mechanism doesn't hold after a few weeks of usage.
I ended up using it at the long end 90% of the time so I got the prime and TC instead, my kit is much better for hiking and birding.
Not going to lie, my 300/4 prime wasn't cheap either, but after waiting patiently one turned up with acceptable price, basically switched my Sigma to the 300/4. You need to be constantly on the lookout for one, since the used market fluctuates one will surely turn up. There are always people who want to sell their gear ASAP so they don't ask so much for one. It will take time and patience.
In the mean time I also got a used Tamron 70-200/2.8 IF Macro (the first one without VC and USD) that I used with the TC until I got the 300/4.