Bigma 50-500 or 80-400 OS for Avaition & wildlife

[Webmonkeyuk]

Ok so ive narrowed it down to these 2 len's but im stuck on which is the best for me I like the sound of 500mm of zoom but im scared that i might suffer from camera shake with the bigma when shooting my main love of Avaition (fast jet millitary stuff & hand held shooting) so the sound of OS would be very handy indeed but when shooting wildlife (birds mainly) 500mm of zoom would be a big selling point. I just need a push in the right direction on which would be the best for me.

Cheers

[condyk]

I owned both and definately recommend the Bigma for quality on a secure platform, but hand held and tracking aircraft may be tricky and I wonder how many keepers you'll get! Muzz bought mine and maybe he has had time to use it and can offer an initial view.

The OS is a really nice lens but the images I have seen were a tad softer than those I know a bigma can take, but it is VERY close and the thing that swung it for me was the OS and hand holding. I could accept the small drop in quality as I knew I would get more keepers ... the difference is small and other owners of the OS may disagree.

The problem I had with mine was front focusing and it was a real shame as I liked everything else about it. I got a refund and opted for the 100-300mm f4 with 1.4x and I am happy with it. It is as at least as good as the Bigma, though loses maybe just 5% sharpness with the 1.4x. In some ways it would be a nice compromise in zoom: longer than the OS and as good as the Bigma, maybe even better!

Of course, the key is the OS or not ... and for handheld I just think it's probably the best all round solution. I will keep my 100-300 f4 for quality and flexibility (wildlife only for me!) and long term look at getting a fast IS prime SH to take over beyond 400mm or so and using it with my 1.4x.

There was a thread on these three lens last week at fredmiranda ... well worth checking it out and aircraft was the point if I remember! I think the Bigma won ... there was a poll too! Not certain about that tho'! Hard to know with polls if people are voting for aspitration, having owned the lens, or because they only vote for Canon L :lol:

PS Johndm at AV Forum is an aircraft nut and sometimes visits here ... he chose the 100-400 IS. Nice choice, but problem in the UK is finding one that works nicely and isn't silly money. They seem to go for around £800-900 SH. SH Bigmas go for £400-500 and I've never seen a SH OS, but you can HK import new via some reliable ebay sellers for around £600 inclusive and with a no Duty/VAT guarenteed. I think DigitalRev offers full guarentee in UK if there is a problem.

See also here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=74543

[adamsti]

Find a used 100-400L IS lense and don't look back. A used 100-400 is only a couple hundred over a new Bigma.

[scottbergerphoto]

I also recommend the 100-400 IS L. These were all shot with one:
http://www.pbase.com/scottbergerphoto/rc_flying_52904

[Muzz]

As condyk said I now have his Bigma and took this shot last week hand held at 313mm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/Muzzfuzzbuzz/IMG_2442.jpg

I love the lens and although it is heavy (But then something that big cant be light) You can hand hold it or prop it up against a fence/tree etc. Condyk sent me a beanbag as part of the sale and that was very handy for taxi shots etc

Also since that trip I have found that for me its comfier/easier to handhold the Bigma minus the included tripod collar. I can now wrap my large hands all the way around the base and hold it as normal as opposed to gripping the tripod collar.

Do a search on airliners.net for Sigma 50mm - 500mm and some of the shots there are amazing. the extra 100mm does count for alot IMHO as I have never found myself thinking "I wish i had more zoom" Not yet anyway ;)

Also I tried to use a tripod last week and that was a waste of time so a monopod might be worth a try. My only gripe about the Bigma is how much it annoys other folk when they turn up with there tiny lenses ;)

EDIT: I will upload some other Tornado pics as soon as I rebuild my pc (Probably tommorow)

[malla1962]

ive got to go with the others on this one 100-400Lis.

[the.digital.guy]

Canon 100-400L IS....................A GREAT Lens!

[Webmonkeyuk]

cheers guys for this so u dont think i would miss not having OS?, on a side note i know the 100-400 LIS is an awsome lens but i just cant afford it and im a sigma man anyway

[drandy1]

Have owned both and now have Canon 100-400L as my primary aviation lens. IS helps when panning for aircraft. Can also hand hold the Canon easily whereas Sigma needs a tripod for accurate sharp images (not practical when trying to shoot fast-moving aircraft). Sigma is a very good lens but impractical IMO for aviation shows unless shooting the static displays.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I like the Bigma a lot.. but I would not use it hand held myself for two reasons.
It needs at least a monopod most of the time as the shutter speeds are rarely as fast as you would want.

It weighs a lot... I mean,. it weighs A LOT!

Anyone looking for a lens to shoot primarily hand held I would advise scratch the Bigma right off there list.
I can't speak for the 80-400mm OS as I have never used it,. but the lack of a fast focus motor would have me concerned.

Which brings us back to the 100-400mm L IS.. the lightest weight of the trio.. and VERY hand holdable with proven IS.