Bigma

Steep

Steep

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Hugh
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I can get a Sigma 50-500 from DigitalRev for £525 with a 7 year Mac warranty.

I'm really tempted, trouble is I can't help feeling that it might be a bit middle of the road in terms of image quality. I've seen some great shots from it but who posts mediocre images? I know some folk here have one, what are your opinions?

I would not be using it for sport but more for landscape stuff with a decent tripod most of the time.
 
Hmmm. A little while ago I was looking at lenses for a potential polar bear watching trip, and I had a good play in a camera shop with the Sigma 50-500 (and the Sigma 170-500) as well as the Canon 100-400.

To be honest I didn't particularly like either of the Sigmas. They felt quite flimsy alongside the Canon, and the ergonomics weren't as good. I felt it would be worth paying the extra for the Canon.

But obviously that's a personal opinion, and I didn't get to test the image quality.
 
I got that lens about 2 weeks ago but not really had time to use it.The shots i have taken seem to have good iq not used it for landscape mind you.
 
To be honest for £525 thats a great bang for buck purchase in my opinion.:)
 
Stewart,did you get any shots of the polar bears? I'm off up to Spitsbergen but not until Summer so would be interested!!

On the question of the lens, I have just returned from the Antarctic, using a 100/400 L Canon and the quality was excellent. One of the other guys was using the Sigma,and was very satisfied with it, however it's quite a lot bigger than the canon and whereas I could let the canon dangle from my neck while I shot with the my other body with a w/ angle, I think the sigma would get in the way.

As usual, it depends on the way you want to use it ie lots of carrying or not, and I'm always a bit suspicious of lenses with a zoom factor of 10, although I used a canon 35/350 for years and it was excellent.

My concern would be IQ at the 50mm end, However the Sigma lens I have (a14mm f2.8) is outstanding.

Can't you get a loan of one to try?
The shop in Beauly might have both.
George
 
It depends what you are going to use it for in what sort of light generally and what kind of camera it will be on.

This was the first lens I bought to go plane shooting with...mistake... wide open at f6.3 at 500mm it is practically useless in anything other than brilliant sunshine so if you are thinking of action photography forget it..it gets worse if you have a full frame or 1.3 crop camera you will experience vignetting big time and the edges will be very soft indeed also the autofocus is very slow.

I am not knocking the lens in perfect conditions it takes a good pic except for the vignetting but it didn't suit what I was doing and I didn't keep it long enough to try it on anything else all I would say is really think about it before you commit.

Rgds
Bill
 
Ive got a canon fit sigma if your ever down near me i could meet you and you can try it out if you want :shrug:
 
I decided that it's a no lose deal in the end. I ordered one this morning and I'm sure I'll be happy with it after some extensive net searching and image checking, if I'm not I can sell it on with little loss.

For now I'm waiting


tum te tum..


still waiting :)
 
George said:
Stewart,did you get any shots of the polar bears? I'm off up to Spitsbergen but not until Summer so would be interested!!
Click to expand...
No. I haven't been yet.

I decided I'd prefer the 100-400, but I couldn't justify the cost for a one-off trip. I considered hiring one, but when I looked into it, it was so difficult and expensive ... and you know what happened next.

So now I (or more accurately the company of which I am part-owner) has a bunch of 100-400s. But I still haven't seen any polar bears!
 
Steep, be interested to hear how you get on, if we get another Scottish meet then we can all have a play!!

Stewart, I'll post some shots if the bears are cooperative, but I don't intend getting as near them as I did with the penguines!!
 
Steep said:
I decided that it's a no lose deal in the end. I ordered one this morning and I'm sure I'll be happy with it after some extensive net searching and image checking, if I'm not I can sell it on with little loss.

For now I'm waiting


tum te tum..


still waiting :)
Click to expand...

If only you had waited. I'm thinking of selling my
Bigma. APO DG HSM.
7month old £475+p+p.
 
Maybe his biggun went off too quickly..............:lol::lol:
 
Shame Gerods, still a 7 yr warranty might be good to have.

I'll have you know George that my biggun has never gone off too quickly, getting it to go off at al...umm never mind :)
 
Glad to hear it, Steep..............you got much snow?
 
Nah, yesterdays didn't lie and last nights was very light, it's white but not deep.
 
Mmmm, we're the same, never get any in Fife these days, Damn shame, good photo oportunities!!
 
Steep said:
Shame Gerods, still a 7 yr warranty might be good to have.

I'll have you know George that my biggun has never gone off too quickly, getting it to go off at al...umm never mind :)[/QUOT]
Steep make sure you get a vat receipt, otherwise Sigma wont honour the warranty.
It's an excellent lens, hope you enjoy it.
Click to expand...
 
It will be a MacK warranty not with Sigma and DigitalRev have a pretty good name so I reckon I'll be fine.
 
The Bigma is obviously very long at 500mm and so give its best it needs a tripod, monopod or beanbag. I have owned one and two 100-400's and really there is nothing much between them when used properly. Handheld the IS unit is gonna average out at better because of shake in the Bigma. So the questions to ask when people advocate one or the other is (1) have they used both enought to judge, (2) have they mounted the Bigma properly? it's really not a walkaround lens IMO so make sure your requirements match its capabilities and use it correctly. BTW, the new 120-400 OS HSM and 150-500 OS HSm will be here in next 3 months or so and may be worth waiting. A 4 stop OS and 500mm will be very tempting and probably render the 100-400 IS l yesterdays news ... but time will tell on that of course. I just sold my 400mm L and had intended going for the 300mm IS L 2.8, but now I am waiting on Sigma reviews.
 
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