Sigma 50-500... friend bought it without telling me, now I want one... experiences?

[Sean Dempsey]

My friend sent me his invoice email for the Sigma 50-500... he read all the 34 reviews on this site and just bought it... now I want to do the same, but since I won't have the cash for a week or 2, I figured I'd ask people that I know what they thought.

So, anyone here used it? I read the reviews as well, but I'd like to hear you guys tell me since if I see a name and personality, I know that it's good info.

Mostly I want it for a flexible zoom, and I REALLY would like to be able to get good wildlife shots. I use a monopod for 90% of my shooting.

Currently I have:

Canon 17-40L which I love
Sigma 105 Macro which i Iove
Tamron 28-300 which I'd like to replace.

Now, in the new popphoto magazine, they have a Canon L 28-300 IS listed, but none of the sites have it available. Does anyone got the info on that lens, and why its not on B&H or Adorama?

Suggestions? Would I be better off optically getting like a nice 28-135 and then a 200-500? I have my low end covered, and my macro lense is great. I need a midrange and a long range zoom now...

Thanks!!!!

[Photo-John]

The Canon 28-300 f/3.5-5.6L IS was announced at PMA, in February. I got to handle one and it looks and feels very nice. I'm sure it's an excellent lens. I have it listed on the site and I'm not sure why it's not available yet. The price listed here is $2500. I can't remember if that's MSRP or projected stret price. Seems pretty high for street price, so I'm guessing that's MSRP. Here's a link to that review page (no reviews yet):

http://www.photographyreview.com/35m...3_3128crx.aspx

Canon also announced a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens. Price listed here is $1300. I also got to play with that lens. It's built really well and the DO elements make for a very light lens. If you're considering the Sigma, the DO lens might be a good alternative:

http://www.photographyreview.com/35m...2_3128crx.aspx

A more practical purchase, and one I recommend a lot, is the 70-200 f/2.8L with a tele-extender. You can use the 70-200L for all kinds of photography, the optics are as good as it gets, and with the Canon 1.4x tele-extender, it becomes a super-fast focusing, f/4 100-280mm lens. That's not as long as you're looking for. But I would bet that the quality will be much better. And I would be surprised if you ever felt the need to replace that lens.

[Pose]

Hey,
I came across this review, you might be interested.
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/413.htm

[paulnj]

john is correct

while the sigma 50-500 is QUITE CAPABLE a 70-200f2.8 w/ 2x is just as capable at 400mm

SMILE sells sigma lenses CHEAP, but they are shady too.. JUST TAKE NO "KIT" as it comes only one way

my sigma 170-500 was purchased from them 4 years ago..... warrantied by sigma(used it too) and 25% cheaper than the B company and A company

smilephotovideo.com

here's anothert "kit only" place... saved $400 on my leica binoculars there though ;)

hotbuyselectronics.com/sigma_50_500mm_f4_63_apo_ex_rf_zoom_lens.htm

add WWW. and you have the links

OH AND ASK SIGMA IF EITHER IS A "AUTHORIZED DEALER"

they list dealers on their site too

[Sean Dempsey]

I got to handle and see my friends Sigma 50-500, and I liked it, but now I am considering the Canon L 100-400mm IS instead. What I really want is reach, even though the 70-200mm 2.8 is extremely tempting.

The 100-400 canon is 500 more dollars and 100mm less length, but its got that IS that is nice... and I am guessing better optics...

what do you guys think?

[paulnj]

REACH......and L?

400F5.6L has the best optics in that range

best zoom would be either with proper technique AND the 100-400IS is great(I OWN AND LOVE IT)

if handheld shooting is your style.....100-400

[Sean Dempsey]

I do monopod 90% of the time, and handheld the rest. I usually don't even bring a tripod... but I never had a lense over the ultra compact Tamron 28-300 either.

[Sean Dempsey]

Actually PhotoJohn, can you give me a link or a model number for tele-converters that work with the 70-200 2.8? I am seriously considering that now after much thought.

[Liz]

Sean,
I believe these are what you're looking for - check Canon EF 1.4 x II - for the others check their link for compatable lenses.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...arch&Q=&ci=278

Liz

Actually PhotoJohn, can you give me a link or a model number for tele-converters that work with the 70-200 2.8? I am seriously considering that now after much thought.

[Sean Dempsey]

Yeah those are them.

If I am gonna get the 70-200 f2.8, I think I'd rather grab the 2x than the 1.4x teleconverter. Is there a serious disadvantage to doing that? Loss of features like autofocus or something? Or just loss of light...

[Speed]

Yeah those are them.

If I am gonna get the 70-200 f2.8, I think I'd rather grab the 2x than the 1.4x teleconverter. Is there a serious disadvantage to doing that? Loss of features like autofocus or something? Or just loss of light...

Light and resolution.

With a 1.4 teleconverter, you lose one stop of light, and generally about a 10% degredation in image quality.

With a 2.0 teleconverter, you lose two stops of light, and generally about a 20% loss of image quality.

Those numbers are very subjective, and are used as a general guideline. A high quality teleconverter, matched (same brand) to a high quality lens like the 70-200 f2.8 should show very little loss of image quality.

J.D. posted some bird shots taken with a Nikon 300mm f2.8 with the Nikon 2X teleconverter, and they were gorgeous. I would have never guessed he used a teleconverter if he hadn't mentioned it. The reason he did mention it, was because he was pleasantly surprised at the image quality.

[Lionheart]

They're relatively inexpensive compared to the lenses they match, and they will both have their uses. They can also be stacked together, but you lose serious light and sharpness, not to mention the AF starts to fish even in bright daylight.
Here's a sample with the 70-200 f2.8L non-IS with the original 2x
Canon EOS-1V HS, Bogen monopod, Kodak E100VS (yes-film remember that funny stuff that comes in cylinders with this plasticky stuff inside it )

[Photo-John]

Depending on the lens and the converter, you might experience some AF issues. With my 70-200 f/2.8L and the 1.4x converter I lose one stop of light and no noticeable degradation in image quality or AF ability. However, with my 300 f/4L and the 1.4x converter, the AF is definitely slower. Image quality seems fine but AI Servo AF is out of the question. I have no experience with the 2x converter so I can't say much about it. One thing to note is that the cross AF points - the most senstive and accurate ones - only work within a certain aperture range. That might be the problem with my 300mm lens and the converter as the lens effectively becomes an f/5.6 lens. You'll run into the same problem with the 2x converter. If AF speed isn't a big issue, don't worry about it. And maybe it's not worth worrying about anyway. Your only real option if you want better AF at those focal lengths is a 300mm f/2.8 or 400mm f/2.8.