Sigma 1000 mm f 8.0 APO. $2,400 OBO. Very rare lens, given to me as a gift, used. I have not used this lens and I'm selling it because my long lens is a 600 mm Canon f 4.0 with IS.

This lens is in its original factory, hard sided case. The original straps and instructions from Sigma are included. (Everything that originally came with this lens is in the case). This lens has an EF mount for Canon cameras- but check with Sigma for compatibility with your camera.

The condition is good. There are scratches/paint wear around the bottom of the mounting base, or "foot", and also around the collar where the hood screws on to the lens. On the hard sided case there are scuff marks. The glass is good, and the auto focus works fine. Note that this is not an image stabilized (IS) lens. This heavy lens will require a proper tripod or bean bags to eliminate vibrations. There is also a soft hood cover with draw strings included. New, the lens sold for over $5,000 US. ( The comparable Canon 1200 mm goes for about $120,000 for what its worth. on BH, used.)

Buyer pays shipping costs but also gets to decide if you want FedEx, UPS, or the Postal Service upon payment. If you live in Alaska and want to pick this lens up in person, that's fine too.

Questions are welcome from serious buyers. Thanks.

Holy schmoley, what a monster of a lens. Good luck with the sale.

Woah! This seems cool, I didn't even know that it existed...

The aperture on this lens will very likely NOT work (except -maybe- wide open) on modern Canon DSLR's. Please do yourself a favor and verify proper operation. Also, it would be nice if you would provide a sample pic at 1000/8 - to show that the lens does at least work wide open.

I don't know about your "likely NOT work" claim but I'm pretty certain you'd be able to get autofocus (center point only) on a 1D series body.

:
The aperture on this lens will very likely NOT work (except -maybe- wide open) on modern Canon DSLR's. Please do yourself a favor and verify proper operation. Also, it would be nice if you would provide a sample pic at 1000/8 - to show that the lens does at least work wide open.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Here's a quick test of the 1000 mm with an old 5D. Hand held. EXIF data is included. Downsized the image in CS4. 1/500 f 8, 160 ISO.

One more at f 22, Canon 5D. Downsized in CS4.

The last picture enlarged at FM more than I expected, so it is a lower resolution image that has been enlarged, distorting resolution/quality.

This one might not enlarge as much... not certain.

f 22

f 22

Thanks for the samples. I'm very surprised, as most older Sigma's do not have a working aperture function with the newer Canon DSLR's. This lens must have been re-chipped. It is still a very large investment for a lens that is no longer supported by Sigma.

I think this lens would garner faster / more buying attention if you go outside today, with a good, weighed down pod rig, and do some shots that have detail from corner to corner, at wide open and a middle aperture, at minimum, and post them for 100% DL. 5D is good enough for this. Hard to tell with a mostly black hand-held moon-shot. I'm starting a rental shop in Toronto, so would be interested in something very long like this. Maybe post a link to a resource that would describe what happens with what camera. At this price-point, and shipping cost, tough to just take a chance. Would be extra cool to shoot the same with your 600mm and a 2x, as a comparison. Good luck with the sale!

pdmphoto wrote:
Helimat, since when did you become a (finger waiving) mod?

I think my post is relevant for anyone who is considering purchasing this lens knows about the aperture issues with newer Canon DSLR's. I was responding to his request for samples at various apertures, which the OP supplied. Actually, I'm still not convinced now that I look at the EXIF:

Paul, since when did you become a mod on how B&S gear is represented?
You're right though, I am not a mod, nor do I normally say much when it comes to forum etiquette. And I have no issue with someone asking a valid question, or asking for samples. But I do know that if someone stepped into my B&S thread with the same tone as yours, I would be pissed. If you take issue with how he is representing his lens, or his samples, it would be better to contact him via PM than publicly accuse him of lying, especially if you have no interest in buying it. This sort of thing shouldn't have to be explained to someone with 2200+ posts IMO. And as far as I stand, comments like " It is still a very large investment for a lens that is no longer supported by Sigma" is a form of price policing, no matter how you dance around it.
At least the OP is getting some free bumps for his trouble.

lol shame on all the passive aggressive price policing!


Cool lens. I too would love to see some good daytime tripod shots!

Free bump for an interesting sale!

Thanks for posting this lens for sale. I agree that a daylight shot would help a lot. If I might suggest some shooting parameters:

* mount on a very solid, weighted tripod
* use a 5D or equivalent or better (full frame, for sure)
* enable mirror lock-up to minimize the effect of vibration due to mirror
* use a shutter release cable & timer to minimize the effect of camera handling
* use live view for critical focusing -- a key question for Sigma is sharpness
* shoot at f/8 but also show at f/11 to display performance when stopped down
* shoot at ISO 100 or 200 or at most 400 to minimize noise as a factor
* can you confirm autofocus and if possible comment on autofocus tracking
* post a few samples of resulting images indicating processing steps applied

Kind regards!

Hi all,

Interesting comments. Thanks for the interesting discussion. For the first time I dragged this beast out to play with it. Note that this is Alaska and our daylight is getting short. By the time I pulled it out the sun was setting.

As I shoot with the Canon 600 mm I have a definite preference for that lens. In my quick test this evening I found that the auto focus works faster on the 600 than the 1000.

I used an old 5D and mirror lock up and a cable release. (My 1ds Mark III is on my 600 mm right now, and the lens release pin isn't releasing. Any ideas before I send that all back to CPS would be appreciated). Anyhow, the interesting point about the 1000mm is the more I played with it the more I was impressed with how far it reaches. Even compared to the 600 I was still impressed. I think the 600 mm is by far a sharper lens.

I was not on a tripod as I do not have a plate for the foot of the Sigma, so I used a 25 pound bag of rice.

The lens did all that it was supposed to do. AF worked fine, just not as fast as the 600. There must have been a communication problem as the light was not metering as well as usual, so I manually metered. I did work from f 8 to f 22.

Here's a shot of Mt. McKinley taken North of Fairbanks tonight. McKinley is about 150 miles South of Fairbanks. The image shows McKinley with some mirages. (This happens in the winter where peaks in the Alaska range get "box like" as a result of atmospheric distortion.

I have had terrible problems trying to get a decent image on this post. I have to down size the images to be in accord with the site rules, but then I find the low res images are enlarged, resulting in poor quality images. Anyone with ideas how to get the best image quality posted please share. Thanks.

Bump...I'm curious to see some samples of this lens

Another free bump - I also want to see what this lens can do.

Josh S wrote:
Another free bump - I also want to see what this lens can do.

Sigma make the best lenses. Hows this one?

Am I allowed to bump again? This lens is unlikely to be found through a search for telephotos - unless you are looking for this specifically. So, here comes a bump, I still would like to see more samples.

Anyone with ideas how to get the best image quality posted please share

Take a shot in good daylight conditions (no moons at night, no skylines at dusk). Use a tripod or other stable support. Use mirror lock-up. Use the timer. Take the shot. And post a link to the RAW file.