My 500mm f/4.5 arrived today!

Woohooo!

Yes, it is a Sigma f/4.5 and it was used, thus I saved $3,500.00 Vs. a New Canon f/4 @ $ 5,499.95.

The f/4.5 also makes it a good deal lighter than the Canon f/4 (but thats a small plus given once you are in this category,. what difference is a pound here and there? )



I purchesed it used from KEH and I have to tell you I am stunned!

The customer service/sales was excellent,. the salesman took the time to look up any questions I had that he could not answer,. which were few as he pretty much had answers to most of my questions. All told he spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me before I was convinced and coughed up my Card number

I have a 14 day no hassle return period, 60 day KEH warranty and I went for the full year MACK warranty for an additional $50.00


BUT I WON"T NEED IT!

This lens is brand new! There is not a single mark on it. The front element (which is in fact replaceable on this lens) Was PERFECT,. (not even a grain of dust? ) the body is perfect,.

...THERE ARE NOT EVEN ANY SCUFF MARKS ON THE TRIPOD MOUNT/THREADS!!!

This lens looks as if it was never out of the excellent soft case that comes with it!

A quick test on a tripod in my kitchen and I am convinced it is the fastes most accurate focusing lens I have (including my Canon 17-40 f/4 L )

O-kay,. so I am very happy

And,. to top it off,. it is a nice sunny day!


See ya!

Did you purchase the optional trailer for that thing?

---Bob Gross---

Awesome, let's see some pics!

What was the lens condition rating? i.e. "excellent", "excellent plus?" Sounds like you're describing "like new," just curious how their rating system pans out.

CDS,

Nice like a kid in a candy store. I know the feeling when you get a new toy. So enjoy your new toy. Buy the way how much did you get it for? I also will be ordering my new 120-300 Sigma in the next few weeks. I just sold off my canon 70-200 L and now will sell off the 2X canon extender. I did not like the 2X extender with the 70-200 L not sharp at all poor image quality. I think the sigma will fit the bill if not I am sure the canon 100-400 IS will. But I need the large F 2.8 that is why I am going for the sigma. Have fun and post some PIX soon.

1st Pics with Sigma 500mm f/4.5!

First I will say this,. I was really not braced for the dramatic difference in image quality and performance that a peice of $3200.00 glass has to offer.

I should have been better prepared,. one day when shooting with the 50-500mm Sigma Zoom I was sharing a small lookout view of some Bald Eagles with a Woman who had a Nikon 500mm f/4.

Side by side the difference in the viewfinders was staggering!

Well,. today was the first day I could see that same staggering difference through a lens I own! It is unreal how much clearer the images are in the VIEWFINDER!

Then of coarse,. getting them home and seeing it on the Big Screen, well,... it is simply breathtaking.

As I suspected in my crude kitchen test, the autofocus is faster and more accurate than any lens I have ever used.

Even after the beefy 50-500mm Zoom,. it is still a very heavy lens! But it is MUCH smaller and lighter than that Nikon 500mm f/4

I was surprised to find that with the excellent balance that can be acheived using any of the four tripod monting holes,.. the lens and camera work very well on my existing Manfrotto 3001PRO tripod and Ball head.

I was able to hike with the dogs for about 4 hours today lugging the whole works and some spare batteries, T-Cons and the 50 f1.8 in my pockets with out too much trouble.

Below are some sample images from todays trek with the lens.

Big Blue Clearing for Take Off...

The reduced jpegs don't do it justice of course. I suppose if anyone is interested I can post some full sized links.

Oh and Bob,...

I'm glad I was able to give you the opportunity to "roll out" the old "trailer joke"

The truth of the matter is in this case the Sigma lens is much lighter than the OEM versions (unlike most Sigmas which tend to be much "beefier" than there OEM counterparts) due to it's f/4.5 aperture as opposed to the standard f/4

....this way Sigma can use a front element the size of a saucer,. as opposed to a dinner plate!

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Oh and Bob,...

I'm glad I was able to give you the opportunity to "roll out" the old "trailer joke"

Yes, I have to get the main axle lubed for my telephoto lens trailer. I have to get it ready for winter wildlife and skiing season.

---Bob Gross---

CDS,
Nice shots... I am really sold on Sigma EXs. I have a 50-500mm which has amazed me with its sharpness time and again. Hmmm looks like the 500mm prime is another contender in my inventory....
=)

I agree Benlimt.

I now have three EX Sigma's (including the 50-500mm)and all three are superb!

CDS,
What do you think of your Sigma 50-500? At f/11 or so is the prime significantly better. This new post got me pondering the super telephoto range again. I don't know if I can afford the prime anyway, but do you think it's performance justifies the price difference over the zoom? Currently my top lens us the 300 f/4L IS. It AFs with my 1.4x, so I probably won't be pulling out the wallet; but I am curious!
Chris

Bump

Chris,. so funny you should knock

To answer your question,.
The 500mm Prime DOES offer significantly improved images and performance.

I am not at all sure if this is "A Prime thing" or what,. but I intend to get more primes after this.

Heres a few I took today

That said, I still would recomend the 50-500mm to anyone who wants 500mm in a lens under $1,000.00

It is a deal that can't be beat.

I went for the 500mm f/4.5 Prime lens as I felt that I was compromising my passion by not having a truly pro level lens for the type of photography I am doing.

Still ,. I tried to get a deal,. (used and Sigma Vs. Canon) but at this level I really feel I have acheived the holy grail.

I will be looking at more primes definately!

And Oh Yeah,. KEH rated it "Like new minus"... I guess it didn't get "Like new" because the manual is missing?

All the photos in this thread are spectacular -- very sharp. I guess you get what you pay for. How can anyone not appreciate Sigma glass?
For me the 300L will have to quench my prime thirst for now.