500mm Lens

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pmoorey

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Hi Guys and Gals,

I am fairly new to photography (around 6 months) and am enjoying every moment of it. I am lucky enough to be living in a beautiful part of the wold where I can attempt to shoot incredible wildlife (birds of prey in particular) but am really struggling to capture it with my current 300mm lens ao am looking to invest in a relatively cheap 500mm lens.

I am a little confused with some of the pricing for which I see as the same product

Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG APO HSM Canon Fit at around £600
or
Sigma DG OS APO HSM 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 Autofocus Lens around £1200

What does the EX stand for, is it a earlier model ??

Any help would be appreciated or even if somebody could recommend a lens for around these prices that would achieve my aims.

Many Thanks in advance
 
Abbreviations:

EX - Relates to the exterior finish, its kindof flocky as opposed to plasticy
DG - suitable for both crop and fill frame
APO - Relates to glass used in elements
HSM - Hyper sonic motor for autofocus (faster and quieter)
OS - Optically stabilised

As Ken said the newer version is better, but the old one is still pretty good with a bit of practice. Cock a snook at http://pixel-peeper.com/adv/ and you can compare shot from both with the same camera.
 
cw318is said:
Abbreviations:

EX - Relates to the exterior finish, its kindof flocky as opposed to plasticy
DG - suitable for both crop and fill frame
APO - Relates to glass used in elements
HSM - Hyper sonic motor for autofocus (faster and quieter)
OS - Optically stabilised

As Ken said the newer version is better, but the old one is still pretty good with a bit of practice. Cock a snook at http://pixel-peeper.com/adv/ and you can compare shot from both with the same camera.
Click to expand...

There are some more, DC for instance, are lenses designed for crop sensors.

List here

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/support/abbriviations2.htm
 
pmoorey said:
Hi Guys and Gals,

I am fairly new to photography (around 6 months) and am enjoying every moment of it. I am lucky enough to be living in a beautiful part of the wold where I can attempt to shoot incredible wildlife (birds of prey in particular) but am really struggling to capture it with my current 300mm lens ao am looking to invest in a relatively cheap 500mm lens.

I am a little confused with some of the pricing for which I see as the same product

Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG APO HSM Canon Fit at around £600
or
Sigma DG OS APO HSM 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 Autofocus Lens around £1200

What does the EX stand for, is it a earlier model ??

Any help would be appreciated or even if somebody could recommend a lens for around these prices that would achieve my aims.

Many Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

The first lens you listed is the older non image stabilised version. Very good, but hard to handhold at 500mm
The second is the later version with optical image stabilisation (OS). Hence the rather large price difference.
If you are shutting on a tripod/monopod, then the first will be a great choice. If you mainly handhold, the the OS version might be a better choice.

The ex refers to sigmas top line product, much like canons L or Nikon's gold ring.
 
Thanks Guys,

I truly appreciate the comments.

A general question, do people believe that this Lens is the best buy for shooting wildlife at distance within this budget or are there other alternatives that would suit ?

Cheers
 
For the money there is little else that comes close. There is the canon 100-400, which is good, and sigma have a few other variants like the 150-500,120-400 and you also have a selection of canon primes, but they come at a price.
 
I'd go for a 400mm f5.6 prime. Your keeper rate will be twice that of a zoom lens. And if it's anything like my 300mm f4 your pics will be sharp enough to cut your eyes on! I went from a 100-400 to the 300 prime, and would never go back to a zoom! :)
 
I've got a Sigma 150-500 OS and the wife has a Sigma 120-400 OS (which I use on occasions) and both are very good optically and the OS system is fantastic for handheld shots. The 50-500 OS is supposed to be slightly better optically but I've never used one so I can't compare. The 150-500 OS is available for around £600 new for an import which is excellent value. The 120-400 OS is also very good and has similar IQ and the same OS but is almost the same price as the 150-500 OS. If you don't mind imported lenses you can get the 50-500 OS at www.panamoz.com for £889 http://panamoz.com/index.php/lens/s...l-promotional-price-free-1-year-warranty.html and you can get a 5% discount with them if you pay by bank transfer.

Heres a shot with the 150-500 OS and it's SOOC. 1/800, ISO1000, 500mm and f6.3 (wide open) and no PP apart from crop. Focus was on the birds eye in the original.
7132819465_b1cfa8db91_b.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

And this is a crop of the above crop.
6986734786_63db744d29_b.jpg
[/url][/IMG]
 
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I have the 50-500 OS and it is great. (on a 7D). I used it on a safari and was really surprised at the quality of the shots. Even in low light (leopard up a tree in evening light) shots were good with a high ISO. I am a newbie and even I managed good shots... And the OS works well enabling handheld shots at 500
 
I have a mate who has the older 50-500 siggy and he produces some good pics I have a Canon 400 5.6L and the difference is chalk and cheese, far better pics better colours better resolution sharper images etc I hear the new OS siggy is much better but have not tried it.
 
Very recently traded my Sigma 150-500 in against a Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 Macro and it'll be somewhere in the £500s when it hits the shelf. I bought the lens brand new and hardly used it. Mint+++ is barely adequate to describe it's condition. The lens is at the Devon Camera Centre in their Exeter branch but hadn't hit the shelf when I was in there a couple of days ago but may have done since then. I know there is at least one member here who has shown an interest in the lens and he's relatively local to Exeter, so you might have missed it but it's worth giving them a ring on 01392 214199.

By all accounts, the 50-500 is a little sharper than the 150-500 but I was very happy with my 150-500 (and indeed with the 170-500 non OS it replaced.)

Sigma's EX range is their top of the line range and the exterior finish reflects this. IIRC, the EX range also comes with a longer warranty when bought new. Be aware that some people have had softness issues with Sigmas, but I've got several and have no issues at all.
 
Keith_m said:
I'd go for a 400mm f5.6 prime. Your keeper rate will be twice that of a zoom lens. And if it's anything like my 300mm f4 your pics will be sharp enough to cut your eyes on! I went from a 100-400 to the 300 prime, and would never go back to a zoom! :)
Click to expand...
how can you keeper rate improve witha prime, it limits the flexibilty of the lens if i used a prime instead of my 50-500mm os i would miss an awfull lot of shots, and it certainly would not improve my keeper rate, some can use there gear better than others, i have friends with gear worth a dam site more than mine and they always say they cant get the quality shots i have.

zooms are getting better and better and are not fare of primes now, take the canon 70-200mm f2.8 and the sigma 120-300mm f2.8.
 
same here, i use the 150-500mm Sigma and think it is superb, image quality is fantastic.

on a 1100d at 500mm

dragon2.jpg


i know the head is off but thats my fault for missing the shot, not the lens
 
scottthehat said:
how can you keeper rate improve witha prime, it limits the flexibilty of the lens if i used a prime instead of my 50-500mm os i would miss an awfull lot of shots, and it certainly would not improve my keeper rate, some can use there gear better than others, i have friends with gear worth a dam site more than mine and they always say they cant get the quality shots i have.

zooms are getting better and better and are not fare of primes now, take the canon 70-200mm f2.8 and the sigma 120-300mm f2.8.
Click to expand...

I found when using my 100-400 I was always at the 300-400 end, Aviation and wildlife etc. I found it was a little softer than I wanted. I brought a prime and my keeper rate went right up. Every image was sharp and usable. There are strong arguments for zooms and primes, but in my case the sharpness and speed of a prime, out weights the convenience of a zoom. If all zooms were as good as my 70-200 2.8, I'd have kept the 100-400.
 
Keith_m said:
I found when using my 100-400 I was always at the 300-400 end, Aviation and wildlife etc. I found it was a little softer than I wanted. I brought a prime and my keeper rate went right up. Every image was sharp and usable. There are strong arguments for zooms and primes, but in my case the sharpness and speed of a prime, out weights the convenience of a zoom. If all zooms were as good as my 70-200 2.8, I'd have kept the 100-400.
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maybe you had a duff 100-400mm. but to say once you go prime you wont go back is not true, i have had primes 300mm wise and its was restricting, A 500mm prime doesnt interest me as its not practicle i like to get out and a prime that weighs a tone aint good, my lens at 2kg and body 1kg is enough and i can take it 99% of the time and not worry you cant do that with big primes.
 
scottthehat said:
maybe you had a duff 100-400mm. but to say once you go prime you wont go back is not true, i have had primes 300mm wise and its was restricting, A 500mm prime doesnt interest me as its not practicle i like to get out and a prime that weighs a tone aint good, my lens at 2kg and body 1kg is enough and i can take it 99% of the time and not worry you cant do that with big primes.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with the 100-400. Just didn't get as many keepers as I wanted. Like I said, it depends on what your after. I would never go back to a long telezoom unless it really impressed me. And It would have to be amazing to beat my prime. Everyone's different, your clearly happy with your sigma, I'm happy with my prime. Different strokes for different folks.
 
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