Sigma 50-500mm
 

I'm looking at getting a Bigma lens soon, and was just wondering if anyone would mind sharing their views on the lens, primarily relating to aviation photography, but any general things are also welcome. I'm mainly looking for usability issues such as long autofocus times or prohibitive weight etc, but also all the good points too!!

Thanks heaps!!

Hi Gareth: I have just bought my 50-500mm lens on Monday and went to the airport to test it out yesterday and i was absolutely loving it. It made me feel good that I finally had a substantial lens and the zoom on it (500mm) is absolutely fantastic. I am loving my decision to buy it and have to recommend it to you.

What is the lense you have now? I went from 75-300mm to 50-500mm.

Hope this helps in you decision making.

Hi Matthew - I'm also using the kit 75-300mm lens from my 450D. The thing that appeals to me is the 500mm reach, but I'm looking at taking it to Avalon in March - was the weight an issue for you yesterday?

Thanks for the post!!

Unbelievably not at all. I found it quite easy to hold it and focus and zoom according to the type of shot but alot of my shots were blurred meaning it will take time for me to learn to keep it dead still while taking a picture. Still a wonderful lens

What are the Sigma 50-500mm retailing for???

Ebay has them for around $1500-2000 (inc. postage) and according to StaticICE the cheapest NSW retail price is $1583

Anyone know of any cheaper sources?

I bought mine from Digital Camera Warehouse for $1600 and then sold it about 4-5 months later. It was ok but I'll save my biccies and get the 100-300mm f/4 next. It was too soft over 400mm and a bugger to manage when out for a whole day. Also the fact it was f/6.3 at the long end made it a little too dark. Possibly look at the 120-400mm instead? f/5.6 at the long end would be a little better.

Also the possibility of Vignetting over such a big distance .That is why i have 2 lenses only the 28-135 ISM and the 100-400 IS USM L Lens from canon.

Actually vignetting was quite significant also.

Go the canon 100-400L IS and I own a Sigma 50-500.

Thanks!!!
 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am still undecided at this point, but budget issues mean that I am probably leaning toward the Bigma rather than the Canon 100-400. This is mainly because of the 50mm range of the bigma which I think I'll find most useful. I've been reading plenty of reviews over the last couple of days which all say the image quality of the Canon is better than the Sigma, but with my level of camera skill I don't think it'll make much of a difference :p

Thanks again, and any more comments are def welcome!

Gareth, since you mentioned Ebay earlier you must be considering buying online? If so, Topbuy.com.au have it on sale now for AUD 1,599.

http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/v...idProduct=1688

They claim they have a warehouse here in Sydney so it might be possible to track them.

Quite an unbelievable price for this lens. Otherwise from a store in Sydney you're looking at 2,000. Which might be 400 more than the Bigma but I believe the image quality AND the image stabilization are worth it.

That's an amazing price for the Canon lens. Definately take it over the Bigma at that price.

That's a crazy price!!! I've only ever seen it before for around the $2k mark, which is too much, but this brings it within reach of Sigma's price!!! Now it's game on :D

Has anyone used both lenses for aviation photography before? And does anyone know how much quality of the 100-400mm is affected by the 1.4x and 2.0x extenders from Canon?

WARNING!

Be careful it's not a 'gray market' lens which means Canon Australia won't touch it under warranty if anything goes wrong!

I know not much does go wrong with L Series lenses, but you need to ask the supplier whether they're covered by a Canon Australia warranty and, if not, ask yourself whether it's worth the risk for the sake of ~$500.

There are online retailers of Canon lenses too. Here's a couple of links...

Quality Camera Sales - a bit expensive compared to others but VERY good service and ONLY sells Canon - http://www.qualitycamera.com.au/prod...&products_id=8

Cameras Direct - some gray market gear so best to check - https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/ind...6l-is-usm.html

DCW - again, some gray market gear here too, but they have a shopfront in Sydney - https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/ind...6l-is-usm.html

Have you considered a 70-200 f2.8L (non IS) plus a 1.4x or 2x extender? For a similar price you'll get far more flexibility!

Good luck.

Although they probably wouldn't impact on image quality, I wouldn't bother with the extenders on the 100-400 for aviation photography. You'll find 400mm is generally plenty, and in fact many people quite comfortably get away with a 70-200. As Andrew said this also gives you more flexibility.

As Andrew said, the cheap Cannon lens is more than likely grey market. I checked the warranty on the site....its only a 30 day warranty.

Have a look at this search on Shopbot. They have several hits under 1700, some with 1 year warranty, and extended available. Whats the normal warranty on a bigma?

Try a combination of the Canon 17-85IS and 100-400L IS lens compared to the 50-500, you will notice a very big shift in quality. Yes the 50-500 is a very versatile lens, but its also a very slow lens. 400mm is plenty enough, especially at YSSY. I tried all sorts of different angles with my lens at 500mm and really doesnt do much at all. Your best off saving the extra coin and get the 100-400. I wish I had.

They have an option to purchase a 1yr warranty for $69, but that isn't with Canon, it's with TopBuy and their repairers... whom they assure us are 'reputable'...

Does anyone know where I could hire a Sigma 50-500mm lens for a day? I've been looking on Google, but to no avail. I already tried the Canon 100-400mm (which I was very impressed with) from AU Photographer, but I want to see how the Sigma performs.