Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series USA

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

Awesome lens in bright sunlight ... slow the aperture down to f/11, speed the ISO up to 800, and you'll get some great birding shots.

And dare I say it? You'll even get acceptable shots with a Sigma 2X tele-con attached! (at f/16 and ISO 1600, of course).

You might as well fork over some extra bucks for a clear filter and protect that front element ... cheap insurance, you know.

But this is not a lens for weak biceps or wimpy tripods ...

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

I just bought this lens last month and went on a wildlife safari in Jo'burg. Very sharp lens even at 500mm focal length. The Focus Lock feature helps a lot. A heavy lens to carry around especially if u intend to use it without a tripod. Overall its worth every cent...

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

This is all you need for Sports 50 to 500, covers it all. You will need a Good strong Tripod as it is Heavy. I used it on A-700 & A-100 The 700 focus Much Faster. I have Shot ducks flying overhead and
the photos are Great. Ball games at night under lights very good.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

We use this lens mainly for action shots of soccer, lacrosse and softball games. With the 50mm - you can catch the players up close...and with the 500mm, you can zero in on the players way over on the other side of the field. Great focus...but you certainly need a tripod or monopod since the lens is so heavy. I would still recommend it to anybody.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

Best Lens on Earth! Figurately speaking. It's smooth and fast.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

Bright light returns great results. Sharp photos. Get in dim light and you won't be happy. I shoot mainly wildlife. Have been pleased with everything from dragon flies to shore birds. The lens is big and heavy. Logistically it is a handful. Takes a little work to get the knack of this lens. Locking zoom feature is nice when in transport. Really need a tripod or monopod. Unless you are Charles Atlas, you will only be good for a few pictures before resting your arms! Only real complaint is using the manual focus. With the Sony A-100, you have to switch the camera to manual focus...and then switch the lens to manual focus. This is one more step than my other lenses. Same 2 steps to go back to auto focus. I don't trust the anchor for the neck strap. Seems to be too light weight for a 4+ lb lens. I may be wrong...still makes me a little nervous.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

Just received this a few hours ago, so haven't had a chance to give it a real workout, but the test shots are just amazing.

Can't wait to try this on my upcoming trip to Costa Rica. It will mean carrying just two lenses (might add a teleconverter), rather than three or four or more.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

I have been looking for a long lens for quite a while. I have tried 1.5x and 2x tele-converters on 300mm lenses and even an older manual focus 400mm. I was not happy with any of those.

I tried this lens and it is a definite keeper. I have used it now for a number of long shots now and if the f stop on the camera is set properly I get clean, clear and sharp photographs using this lens. Even hand held shots at 500mm turn out great. It loves bright shinny days.

The only draw back is it is a bit heavy but I am still able to hand hold it for some shots.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

Very nice lens for wildlife photography. You can hand shoot with good light at full zoom but you have to have a very study hand. I have had problems two years in a row in cold weather. It first failed in Antarctica in 2007 and then in Jackson Hole in 2008. Both times the autofocus broke and there was a piece ratteling around. In 2007 thank goodness I had another camera with major zoom but not the image quality because it was a old Minolta Z3. The weather was in the 20-30 degree F range. The focus locked and the lens was dead weight. The second time I could still manual focus but very tough at 8 degrees F at high zoom using a Sony X700. I haven't gotten any staight answers from Sigma. I will post them if I get any. I don't have any problems with weight since it is alot lighter than most other lenses for the coverage and I can get by with a 18-50mm Sony lens for the remaining wide coverage. I always use the hand grip provided to carry the lens/camera. Too heavy for a strap. I take advantage of any local objects or terrain to brace the camera for long range shots if possible. The minimum focus range is a bit of a problem if you want to do macro of small animals or insects but the results are still quite acceptable. Can they make this lens with a f2.8-5.0?! and more durable. This is the first lens I have ever had fail from routine use. Never dropped.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

The title says it all, I have taken several hundred pictures with this lens on my Minolta 7D and never had one problem. All the pictures are clear and the color is perfect but it is somewhat slow to focus. If you want it to shoot daylight sports it works great but if the sun is going down you may as well just sit back and watch the game because this lens needs lots of light. I would also recommend a very heavy duty tripod and a head that can handle the weight. Would I buy this lens again; you bet. With the focal range of this lens it can cover a lot but if you want it for a walk around lens you can get rid of the gym membership because this thing is a workout own its own. If moving around a monopod is a must and if you have in camera stabilization it is a plus because of the long focal length. The zoom lock works great to stop the zoom from creeping, but it would be nice if it had a focus range limiter and a focus lock on the lens. The internal focusing is excellent but again it would be nice if it had an internal focus motor to speed the focus time as well. For the price there is no real reason to complain because it is a lot of bang for the buck.

Expertise: Amateur

Problems Encountered: Filters for this lens are hard to find and they are expensive due to the size and 86mm course threads. If you need filters buy the basics like polarizer, UV and then spend the rest of the money on the Tiffen Dfx Software man does that work great. If you get the Tiffen Polarizer you cannot use the lens with the hood attached in any way. If the hood is turned around backwards and you install the filter you cannot remove the hood and you cannot work the controls on the lens to zoom. If the hood is placed on the camera ready to take pictures you cannot install the filter. Not sure what Sigma was thinking here as well as Tiffen because the Tiffen Polarizer weighs quite a bit considering it is already a heavy lens. I also had 1 instance where the lens and camera slipped out of the monopod I was using so a monopod with a mount lock is a must, but luckily I had the camera strap around my neck as well.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Sony 70-200G

Items I Recommend: Tiffen Dfx Software

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG AF Lens for Sony Alpha & Minolta Maxxum Series:

I bought this lens at B+H for wildlife photography. Mysafari was then postponed so I used it at length on graysquirrels.Positive points: great focal range, solid feel, zoom lock isa boon, clear and sharp images without distortion orvignetting, very little fringing, cheapNegative points: heavy, needs a lot of light (f6.3 from200mm), and focusing is not fast enough for those cheekylittle squirrels.I would recommend this lens unless your subject is fastmoving like a squirrel.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: KM Dynax (Maxxum) 5D, Minolta 50mm f1.4, sigma 18-200, sigma 10-20

Items I Recommend: tripod or monopod