Posted by Graham Brown on December 9, 2007 at 4:04 PM
I have a Canon 100-400mm lens at the moment but am losing a lot of bird shots because they are out of range for getting a decent image - a common problem i know. I have a 1.4 convertor but don't like using this because i lose the autofocus.The Canon 600mm is out of my price range so i would be grateful for your comments as to how good this sigma lens is. Thanks Graham
Posted by Don George on December 9, 2007 at 4:28 PM
Graham,,,The Sigma 300-800 F5.6 cost new around 6,900 dollars and weighs around 13 pounds. The Canon 500 f4 cost around 5,500 new. If i DIDN'T need the zoom feature I would certainly go with the Canon and a 1.4x. I have the canon setup and with my 1.6 factor it works great.
Posted by Ian Andrews on December 10, 2007 at 3:06 AM
The 300-800 is an awesome lens with the exception of the weight! It is difficult to get about but once in place it is well worth the effort!
Ian
Posted by Dave Renwald on December 11, 2007 at 1:51 PM
Graham,
I've had the Sigma 300-800 for almost two years. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I knew it would be heavy when I bought it so I know I can't handhold it and have done quite well with a sturdy Manfrotto carbo fibre tripod. I have packed it in Yellowstone up to eight miles round trip with it nested inside a large frame pack. Its not ready for immediate shooting, but thats the way it is. Results with it are excellent, but not as good as a prime lens. The huge advantage is the zoom range and being able to frame shots both for close action and an animal in the landscape. Also realize that at 800mm with the subject at any distance you will be dealing with atmospheric turbulence and other factors of camera shake, narrow depth of field , etc.
I have numerous photos with this lens on the Flickr website under my name "Sigmaeye"
Posted by Graham Brown on December 13, 2007 at 1:18 PM
Thanks for all your useful comments. I now know some of the problems involved and will think about it over Christmas.Graham
Discussion
4 repliesIan
I've had the Sigma 300-800 for almost two years. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I knew it would be heavy when I bought it so I know I can't handhold it and have done quite well with a sturdy Manfrotto carbo fibre tripod. I have packed it in Yellowstone up to eight miles round trip with it nested inside a large frame pack. Its not ready for immediate shooting, but thats the way it is. Results with it are excellent, but not as good as a prime lens. The huge advantage is the zoom range and being able to frame shots both for close action and an animal in the landscape. Also realize that at 800mm with the subject at any distance you will be dealing with atmospheric turbulence and other factors of camera shake, narrow depth of field , etc.
I have numerous photos with this lens on the Flickr website under my name "Sigmaeye"