As mentioned prior, last weekend toted the A1+500/5.6 3-4 miles and never whined
Forgot, this shot in cropper mode. 99% of my shots that day were in cropper mode.
I rationalize that less glass in the way and no stop loss vs. the 1.4TC. I've tried cropper with this
lens on my a7iv but the A1 has the edge of course.
Happy to report (at least for me), the AF motors in the sig500/5.6 are fast enough. Question is whether I'm fast enough. I mentioned on DPR when I posted this pic that sometimes you just know when you got the shot and this was that time like that. I was following him/green square tracking him as he(she?) curved an arc about 30 yards from the nesting sight and continued staying on him through the turn and the the straight flight back toward the bridge (underneath which was the nest).
Very impressive indeed. The only thing holding me back from purchasing this lense is my A1... I'm not sure how I feel about the 15fps restrictions imposed by Sony (damn you Sony!)
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Happy to report (at least for me), the AF motors in the sig500/5.6 are fast enough. Question is whether I'm fast enough. I mentioned on DPR when I posted this pic that sometimes you just know when you got the shot and this was that time like that. I was following him/green square tracking him as he(she?) curved an arc about 30 yards from the nesting sight and continued staying on him through the turn and the the straight flight back toward the bridge (underneath which was the nest).
Steve Spencer wrote:
My point is that the Sigma 500 can be a 750 in APS-C mode with about the same quality that it would be a 700 if it could take a 1.4X TC. Of course the 300 f/2.8 GM is a more capable lens, but costs double (more than double with the TCs) what the Sigma costs and if you carry both TCs and the 300 f/2.8 GM it will weigh almost exactly a pound more. Both good choices, but it is nice to have such choices. It sucks that Sony doesn't allow the Sigma to work with their TCs, but I think that is more of an issue if you want to get to the equivalent of 1000mm than if you want to get to a 700-750 equivalent. The Sigma still allows you to get to a 700-750 equivalent with quite decent quality if you have a high MP body....Show more →
No matter how you slice if you are focal length limited you are getting 2x the number of pixels on the subject with the 1.4x TC. Cropping removes background, it doesn't enlarge the subject at all. Crop modes gives you nothing it just saves you file size on your card and a few seconds on the computer not having to crop in post. It may also help AF if subject is smaller in the frame too.
The usual debate is whether a cropped image with upscaling x 1.4 is as good as a native shot with a 1.4x TC. Given how good the AI upscaling software like gigapixel AI has become, if the source material is good quality then there's probably not much in it at all. But then again one can also upscale the 1,4x TC shot too.
I'm at the point I just about given up on Sony for my wildlife needs. it's bad enough Sony seems disinterested in releasing intermediate aperture superteles, but then to double down and cripple third party glass is a joke.I was going to replace the A9 and A7RIII with the A1 a few ago, but a house-build sucked up my finances. Since then I got my Z9 the A9 has gathered dust and Nikon just keeps on hitting it out the park with gems like the 400 f/4.5, 600 f/6.3, 800 f/6.3 and fw updates. I may just wait for the A7RVI and use Sony for my wider stuff up to 200m and use Nikon for all my wildlife work. I can also use all my superb Sony glass on Nikon too as an added bonus.
I'm also disappointed Sigma didn't release a 600mm instead of 500mm knowing they couldn't offer a TC option. For a lot of the waders I shoot 500mm is just not enough reach, heck 600 is barely adequate. Maybe if they had offered something like an 800 f/8 it might have tempted me as I certainly wouldn't put TC on that.
Apr 15, 2024 at 07:07 AM
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Pixel Perfect wrote:
No matter how you slice if you are focal length limited you are getting 2x the number of pixels on the subject with the 1.4x TC. Cropping removes background, it doesn't enlarge the subject at all. Crop modes gives you nothing it just saves you file size on your card and a few seconds on the computer not having to crop in post. It may also help AF if subject is smaller in the frame too.
The usual debate is whether a cropped image with upscaling x 1.4 is as good as a native shot with a 1.4x TC. Given how good the AI upscaling software like gigapixel AI has become, if the source material is good quality then there's probably not much in it at all. But then again one can also upscale the 1,4x TC shot too.
I'm at the point I just about given up on Sony for my wildlife needs. it's bad enough Sony seems disinterested in releasing intermediate aperture superteles, but then to double down and cripple third party glass is a joke.I was going to replace the A9 and A7RIII with the A1 a few ago, but a house-build sucked up my finances. Since then I got my Z9 the A9 has gathered dust and Nikon just keeps on hitting it out the park with gems like the 400 f/4.5, 600 f/6.3, 800 f/6.3 and fw updates. I may just wait for the A7RVI and use Sony for my wider stuff up to 200m and use Nikon for all my wildlife work. I can also use all my superb Sony glass on Nikon too as an added bonus.
I'm also disappointed Sigma didn't release a 600mm instead of 500mm knowing they couldn't offer a TC option. For a lot of the waders I shoot 500mm is just not enough reach, heck 600 is barely adequate. Maybe if they had offered something like an 800 f/8 it might have tempted me as I certainly wouldn't put TC on that....Show more →
I agree with you mostly here. Sony is screwing up by not allowing TCs with third party glass and limiting frames per second to 15 fps (this latter mistake is not an issue for me, however, as I have the A7r V). As yes you can think about comparing an image with a 1.4X TC to a cropped image upscaled by 1.4X, but you can also think about it the other way around comparing an image with a 1.4X TC downscaled by 1.4X to a cropped image. Which comparison makes most sense to you depends on how big of an image you need in the end. In my case with the A7r V, I almost never need a final image bigger than 26 MP, so the second method downscaling the 1.4X TC image to 26MP and comparing it to the cropped image almost always makes more sense and when I have done those comparisons I don't see differences between shooting with the 1.4X TC and cropping. It is of course easier to crop with a mirrorless camera as well because you can just push a button and the viewfinder adjusts and you don't have to take the lens off and add the TC. Consequently, I almost never use the 1.4X TC that I have.
Now, if I wanted a larger file in the end, then there would probably be more advantage to using the 1.4X TC, but even here you would have to compare the tradeoff of loosing time and shooting opportunities by taking the lens off and adding the TC vs. living with having to upscale the cropped image. Again either could be better depending on what you are shooting and what you might miss by adding the TC. Of course adding a 1.4X TC or cropping will give you about a stop more apparent depth of field which will leave the background less blurred and will require a higher shutter speed to avoid camera shake, so either will provide similar limitations on what your shots will look like and how much light you will need to get them. Longer glass and wider apertures will definitely get you more images, but at these focal lengths I just don't have the money to invest in the big guns like a 600 f/4 or a 400 f/2.8.
And if wildlife was a priority of my shooting, I think Nikon offers a much better range of glass. The Z8 and Z9 are also very very capable cameras for this type of shooting. For me, however, wildlife is something I only dabble in occasionally and this Sigma lens at 500 f/5.6 with good stabilization and a pretty small size offers a lot of capability for a pretty reasonable price. It fits my needs in the way nothing that Sony offers has done. Now do I wish I could use TCs with it and that Sony didn't limit the fps? Absolutely, but in my case it still is a pretty compelling option even though I think Nikon offers more compelling options. For now this lens will keep me in the Sony camp, even though I have thought very seriously about switching to Nikon for their long glass. I just don't shoot that long glass enough to justify it at this point.
We're all different eh.
For a long long time the vast majority of my BIF keepers were with a 7Dii+400DOii+1.4tc.
That changed of course with the A9, but the 7Dii was measly 10fps.
So to me, maybe not you, the 15pfs with the A1 is fine.
I never used a TC on the 500PF but again understand where many would prefer at least the option.
Hard decisions. To me the bottom line, after sharpness/AF speed, was size and weight.
I'm hoping Sigma will issue a 300/4 in the lines of the Nikkor 300PF. I loved that lens too until the
big shift to Sony.
I still use Sigma 500 f4 on Sony. 1st A9, now A1.
5 years use now. While 20 and now 30 fps is great and sometimes fair to say game changer, unless an alternative accentuates, this new Sigma will likely join my kit, despite Sony's limitations.
MedicineMan404 wrote:
We're all different eh.
For a long long time the vast majority of my BIF keepers were with a 7Dii+400DOii+1.4tc.
That changed of course with the A9, but the 7Dii was measly 10fps.
So to me, maybe not you, the 15pfs with the A1 is fine.
I never used a TC on the 500PF but again understand where many would prefer at least the option.
Hard decisions. To me the bottom line, after sharpness/AF speed, was size and weight.
I'm hoping Sigma will issue a 300/4 in the lines of the Nikkor 300PF. I loved that lens too until the
big shift to Sony.
Choderboy wrote:
I still use Sigma 500 f4 on Sony. 1st A9, now A1.
5 years use now. While 20 and now 30 fps is great and sometimes fair to say game changer, unless an alternative accentuates, this new Sigma will likely join my kit, despite Sony's limitations.
Yeah I was using my Canon EF 500 f/4L II (+ 1.4x) on my A9 for a while with Sigma MC-11, but it definitely works much better on the Z9 with Megadap adapter.
I totally peeved no one has released the 500 f/4 or even preferably 500 f/4.5 for mirrorless. Nikon's 400 f/4.5 is ridiculously light and I'll bet if they made a 500mm version it wouldn't more than 1.5-1.6kg. Too me with 46-50MP and the ability to use TC's 500mm is more desirable and portable than 600mm. Getting a 700 f/6.3 when needed would be great bonus.
Sony released patent for 500 f/4 at same time as 600 f/4 and it was assumed it would shortly follow, alas I doubt we'll ever see it.
I think a mirrorless version of Sigma 500 f4 would just have an MC-11 built in (for Sony).
Just like the spacer/adapter fitted to so many of their Art lenses designed for DSLR.
The difference is, that made a lot of lenses significantly bigger but the same extra size for a 500 f4 is neglible.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Yeah I was using my Canon EF 500 f/4L II (+ 1.4x) on my A9 for a while with Sigma MC-11, but it definitely works much better on the Z9 with Megadap adapter.
I totally peeved no one has released the 500 f/4 or even preferably 500 f/4.5 for mirrorless. Nikon's 400 f/4.5 is ridiculously light and I'll bet if they made a 500mm version it wouldn't more than 1.5-1.6kg. Too me with 46-50MP and the ability to use TC's 500mm is more desirable and portable than 600mm. Getting a 700 f/6.3 when needed would be great bonus.
Sony released patent for 500 f/4 at same time as 600 f/4 and it was assumed it would shortly follow, alas I doubt we'll ever see it. ...Show more →
My a7c just made it back from Japan (gave to nephew for his trip there/trying to get him to use anything other than a cell phone on his trip).
Also the lens cover has arrived for the 500/5.6. Its ok, better than Lenscoat I feel, but not as good as Rolanpro. I'll get a snap of it up something soon.
But did play this morning with the A7c and the Sig
The lens cover is by 'Chasing Birds' or something really close to that.
I forgot what it cost. Squishy neoprene build but feels good in the hand.
Stitching excellent. Easy to install. Bar code if you need guidance/I didn't even
look at the paper that came with it.
Better than nothing/would have preferred RolanPro of course but for now will certainly
do the job.
ILCE-1FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 lens28mmf/5.61/500s5000 ISO+0.7 EV
ILCE-1FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 lens28mmf/5.61/500s3200 ISO-0.7 EV
MedicineMan404 wrote:
The lens cover is by 'Chasing Birds' or something really close to that.
I forgot what it cost. Squishy neoprene build but feels good in the hand.
Stitching excellent. Easy to install. Bar code if you need guidance/I didn't even
look at the paper that came with it.
Better than nothing/would have preferred RolanPro of course but for now will certainly
do the job.
Lens cover looks ok. I'll probably wait and see if RolanPro releases one soon.
Another perspective on the sigma 500 5.6 vs. 300GM + 2x TC ?feature=shared
Interesting point is that they set the A1 frame rate limiter to 15FPS and the combo (with Sigma 500) slowed down slightly, vs when setting max 30FPS where framerate seemed to speed up slightly. The reviewer believes the combo is capable of approx. 20 FPS on the A1. Can you confirm this to be true in your testing? Also, according to Sony alpha blog, the 300GM with 2x TC IQ is less stellar than that of the Sigma bare
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Happy to report (at least for me), the AF motors in the sig500/5.6 are fast enough. Question is whether I'm fast enough. I mentioned on DPR when I posted this pic that sometimes you just know when you got the shot and this was that time like that. I was following him/green square tracking him as he(she?) curved an arc about 30 yards from the nesting sight and continued staying on him through the turn and the the straight flight back toward the bridge (underneath which was the nest).
Maxxus tell me the step by step how to and I'll try to see exactly how many fps I can get.
As far as image quality/sheer sharpness I'm putting the 500/5.6 neck and neck with the 600/4
I just sold my brother. Even he is impressed with the Sigma.
Truthfully, and I've mentioned this before, I'm good with 15 fps. I'm also shooting the OMs M1ii and
the 50fps is stupidly more than I need.
If I could have either the 30fps or the use of a TC I'd go TC. Today I actually could have used one and the Sig is definitely sharp enough for even the 2.0.
So again, give me the step by step on how to measure and I'll see if I can milk out 20fps with the A1+500/5.6 combo.
And today, another 3 miles in the boots with the kit. No pain! Brother's wife said 'I hear you're going all in on Olympus'. I said not yet, the Sigma will give me another couple of Sony years.
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Maxxus tell me the step by step how to and I'll try to see exactly how many fps I can get.
As far as image quality/sheer sharpness I'm putting the 500/5.6 neck and neck with the 600/4
I just sold my brother. Even he is impressed with the Sigma.
Truthfully, and I've mentioned this before, I'm good with 15 fps. I'm also shooting the OMs M1ii and
the 50fps is stupidly more than I need.
If I could have either the 30fps or the use of a TC I'd go TC. Today I actually could have used one and the Sig is definitely sharp enough for even the 2.0.
So again, give me the step by step on how to measure and I'll see if I can milk out 20fps with the A1+500/5.6 combo.
And today, another 3 miles in the boots with the kit. No pain! Brother's wife said 'I hear you're going all in on Olympus'. I said not yet, the Sigma will give me another couple of Sony years.
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Maxxus tell me the step by step how to and I'll try to see exactly how many fps I can get.
As far as image quality/sheer sharpness I'm putting the 500/5.6 neck and neck with the 600/4
I just sold my brother. Even he is impressed with the Sigma.
Truthfully, and I've mentioned this before, I'm good with 15 fps. I'm also shooting the OMs M1ii and
the 50fps is stupidly more than I need.
If I could have either the 30fps or the use of a TC I'd go TC. Today I actually could have used one and the Sig is definitely sharp enough for even the 2.0.
So again, give me the step by step on how to measure and I'll see if I can milk out 20fps with the A1+500/5.6 combo.
And today, another 3 miles in the boots with the kit. No pain! Brother's wife said 'I hear you're going all in on Olympus'. I said not yet, the Sigma will give me another couple of Sony years.
