hatch1921 wrote:
I know he's not often a crowd favorite but Jared has a video up about the Sig 500.
I loved shooting the Nikon 500PF, with this lens being smaller and lighter, it's tempting for sure. I'd have to shoot one to compare it to the 200-600. It's nice to see Sigma putting out new lenses.
Hatch
Too bad he is so annoying. I did not make it through the first full minute.
i have this lens back ordered a 500mm prime is just better choice for me over the 300mm sony f2.8 which looks really nice but i doubt any lens with a 2x t/c can repeat the optics of a bare lens at similar f/l ,and even if it is close the price of a 300mm f2.8 with a 2x and 1.4tc is going to be costly ,but hell the 300mm f2.8 would be such fun it really is 3 lenses in one .Good on emount for choices be nice if sony gives up limitations one day ,which can always happen if canon and nikon put pressure on by supporting 3rd party gear.but not a great lover of t/c just about get away with the 1.4 on my 70-200mm gm mk2
I was checking out the video for this lens by Dustin Abbott.
While the optics looks excellent, I was a little concerned with the burst inside the gym. Quite a few shots were out of focus. Not sure if that was a fluke or what. But Dustin seemed to think the 200-600 had more accurate AF.
I don’t own any third party lenses. So I don’t know if their AF is typically a hair behind native lenses or not.
One thing about this Sig500/5.6, I think the hood looks hideous.
I've already reached out to Zemlin
Def. not as good looking as the 500PF, aka the blunderbuss.
robert614 wrote:
I was checking out the video for this lens by Dustin Abbott.
While the optics looks excellent, I was a little concerned with the burst inside the gym. Quite a few shots were out of focus. Not sure if that was a fluke or what. But Dustin seemed to think the 200-600 had more accurate AF.
I don’t own any third party lenses. So I don’t know if their AF is typically a hair behind native lenses or not.
Still perched firmly on the fence 😊
it is still a pre-production lens. While i don't have issue as Dustin BUT in my case, for a few times, the AF just completely drops during panning/tracking bif sequence
Alex Phan wrote:
it is still a pre-production lens. While i don't have issue as Dustin BUT in my case, for a few times, the AF just completely drops during panning/tracking bif sequence
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the lens Alex!
That’s a little concerning. If it happened once. Ok. Maybe a fluke. But a few times. That doesn’t fill me with confidence.
robert614 wrote:
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the lens Alex!
That’s a little concerning. If it happened once. Ok. Maybe a fluke. But a few times. That doesn’t fill me with confidence.
i have access to the lens prior to release date and i'll give it the benefit of "not final product". That is when we share the feedback from the field back to Sigma.
Alex Phan wrote:
i have access to the lens prior to release date and i'll give it the benefit of "not final product". That is when we share the feedback from the field back to Sigma.
Thanks Alex. I’ll try to keep that in mind.
I hope the final lens has all the kinks worked out
I've contacted Hejnar. He's ready to pounce on a foot replacement knowing
it needs to be 1-2 inches longer, 1/2 inch deeper from foot to lens barrel to allow
more comfortable hand hold/carry. I'll also ask for a rear strap lug on the foot for
an Op/Tech Uni-loop I use as insurance connected to the Kirch security strap.
As soon as my copy arrives I'll ship the foot to Hejnar.
Here is the review. The Sigma 500mm f5.6 is looking good, at least when looking at imaging quality, definitely a good notch above the Sony 200-600G regarding sharpness and especially bokeh:
I currently use the Sony 100-400mm with the 1.4TC as a walk around lens when I don’t want to carry the 600GM for wildlife. I have been back and forth between the 300GM and this lens(Sigma 500) for weeks. After seeing the Sony Alpha blog results today on the 300GM with TC’s I think the Sigma is the way to go for me. If you can accept the Sony limitations for the Sigma, it seems like you should get better results at the 500mm range for less weight, a shorter length and half the price. I can’t wait to hear actual results from everyone towards the end of the week hopefully.
Here is the review. The Sigma 500mm f5.6 is looking good, at least when looking at imaging quality, definitely a good notch above the Sony 200-600G regarding sharpness and especially bokeh:
40Driggs wrote:
Looks really good. I think I'm sold on picking one up and seeing how it goes. I loved the 500 PF, so its up my alley.
The review and images convinced me as well, I really like the look of some of the samples, enough to go for the Sigma.
I had the D500/500pf combo for two years, and although 500mm is 100mm too short for me, it still enabled me to get some very nice images.
The Sigma 500 has the advantage of the A1 camera it will be mounted on, silent shutter, no mirror slap and very accurate AF, and the images might stand cropping a bit better.
Galenhall wrote:
I currently use the Sony 100-400mm with the 1.4TC as a walk around lens when I don’t want to carry the 600GM for wildlife. I have been back and forth between the 300GM and this lens(Sigma 500) for weeks. After seeing the Sony Alpha blog results today on the 300GM with TC’s I think the Sigma is the way to go for me. If you can accept the Sony limitations for the Sigma, it seems like you should get better results at the 500mm range for less weight, a shorter length and half the price. I can’t wait to hear actual results from everyone towards the end of the week hopefully....Show more →
I was going back and forth but I just ordered the 300GM. Not being able to use a TC was the dealbreaker. I want some flexibility. And smaller and lighter? I mean, it weighs a quarter of a pound less than the 300 GM and is less than inch shorter. That's barely noticeable. Plus, with the 300, I get 2.8 in poor lighting and 600mm f5.6 in better lighting. And yes, I know...it's twice the price. But that was the other thing that decided me. $3,000 seems just too expensive for the Sigma.
I had my eye on this lens to use along with my 70-200 II for sports (including women's lacrosse, so I was happy to see the video posted above actually shot some of it which was a surprise) but as others have said, the price makes it a tough sell for me due to how much I'd use it. For now I'll stick with the 70-200 II & TC's and rely on some cropping with the A1. Results so far with that combo have been good enough that I'll sit tight for now.
I’m enjoying this thread. Looking forward to seeing others put it through its paces. I hope this lens is a success and can point Sony and Sigma towards more nimble, if a bit slower, field-based primes. Sony 500 5.6 would be a dream. Round it out with a 700 6.3 and I think Sony would be back on equal footing with Nikon.
Justin Stone wrote:
I’m enjoying this thread. Looking forward to seeing others put it through its paces. I hope this lens is a success and can point Sony and Sigma towards more nimble, if a bit slower, field-based primes. Sony 500 5.6 would be a dream. Round it out with a 700 6.3 and I think Sony would be back on equal footing with Nikon.
Sony doesn't care about that, though. They aren't interested enough in wildlife photography as a separate market, at least not for their GM glass, and they probably think the 200-600 is enough for the consumer glass. They're in it to make money and with Nikon gobbling up most of the pro wildlife market and Canon grabbing the consumer end, there's not much incentive for Sony to spend a lot of money to horn in on what is basically a niche market. Our best hope is that Sony can negotiate a deal with Sigma that allows the bodies to use their full range of features with the third-party glass.
