Sigma Zoom Normal-Telephoto 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Olympus Digital Cameras (Four Thirds System)

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

I bought this lens to get closeup shots of wildlife without the need to get really close to the subject.
So far I am pleased with the lens. Great shots at both ends of the spectrum even while handheld. Little bit of shake at full extension but monopod or tripod easily remedies this issue.
The lens is heavy.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

I use this lens mostly for wildlife pictures,and eventually sports.
I have a 70-300 Olympus which is great but wanted the extra focal length,and this lens does all I wanted and very well.
It is heavy,but as I do most of my pictures without tripod I fid the weight as an asset!!
A fabulous lens.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

It is heavy, but to me this just feels durable and well built. I've hiked with it on my monopod and captured some great stuff. Is capable of making some wonderful photographs. The lock on the lens is a nice feature, and I love how you can have on-the-fy manual focus control when the camera is set to auto. Even works well with the olympus 2x teleconvertor. Haven't had any problems yet.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

You need a very steady tripod and head to really make it shines. Focusing is not fast nor accurate for small objects or under dim light. When you have a decent size object, time to play with the focus and decent lighting to lock the focus on, the sharpness is outstanding. For the price and zoom range, this lens offers excellent value for the $$$. The overall construction and materials used are high. I have bought and used it weekly over a year now, I like it. I am using it with Olympus cameras E330 and E500.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

I use the Sigma 50-500mm lens for for wildlife and nature photography, I bought my first one for my Nikon F100, I really liked it. So I have bought another one for my Olympus Camera's and am equally pleased with it's performance. The auto focus may not match the speed of other lenses, But I find it very satisfactory.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

After my first wildlife photoshoot with the 50-500mm Sigma lens on my Olympus E-510, I have mixed feelings. The good news is that the quality of the optics are great: good detail, good contrast, even at the image edges. The zoom range (a factor ten) is, of course, awesome. On the not so good side, the zoom ring takes an effort to turn and autofocus can be excrutiatingly slow, especially when you're trying to take a picture of a bird in flight. Anyone considering this lens should realize it's heavy (every lens with such performance characteristics would be heavy).

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

This is a great lens for the price. I have been wanting a longer lens for a long time and finally bit the bullet. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG??? I shot a lot of RC Airplane pictures and this lens puts you in the cockpit!! I am very pleased with this product.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

all the reviews where right, it is way to heavy. the zoom is amazing but auto focusing was to slow. and the bokeh was weird. alot of cons to say, but for pros it looked great and was a attention getter.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

Great focus with moderate focusing speed

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

Great buy. When I read reviews before ordering this lens everyone was complaining about how heavy it is. Compared to when I shot professionally with a film camera the lens is not that heavy. It takes very clear photos for the price you pay. Would recommend it to any one that wants to get up close from a distance. Very nice lens

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

A bit heavy, but overall a super lens !

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

It is all I expected it to be. If there is a draw back, it would be it’s a little slow in focusing at long rage. You will need to plan your shot in advance. The crispness of my pictures are great, and the workmanship of the lenses is outstanding.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

A little heavy, but a supberb lens. I even use it without a monopod.Great wildlife shots.
Well recommended.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

Intended use: wildlife & and some outdoor sporting events

Pros: This lens definitely delivers bang for the buck. On my E-3, it focuses accurately, quickly and silently. With the E-3's built in Image Stability, I'm able to get sharp shots handheld at 500mm. The quality of the lens seems very good, and there are no regrets with this purchase.

Cons: The cons are obvious as there are certain things that are expected for this type of lens and at this price point. The lens is heavy, the full zoom can't be done with one turn, and the bokeh is not the best. But to be fair to Sigma, at this price point I don't know what competes with it.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

I just have this lens for a few weeks, used it in combination with E1 and E3 body to make sport pics of my son (8 years) in soccer action, some portraits and bird pictures. Objective is to use the lens in summer for a safari in South Afrika. So I am simply exercising.

Although it is a heavy lens, the attached strap makes it easy and well balanced to carry.
Using the lens though is very easy, feels ok when the camara is at the eye, zoom ring is logical, zoomlock is very efficient.
Focus is not the quickest I have ever seen but more then acceptable, picture quality is ok at max apperture gets better 2 stops from maximum.
Given the fact that it is a 1000mm equivalent it can be used out of hand even with early morning light, pictures are sharp and vivid (ok, iso is at 800).
The big zoomrange makes it for me an ultimate multipurpuse lens, not the type you carry around in a city, but for sport events, the country side etc, etc.
Happy with my purchase, excelent value money.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

I've used this lens for a couple of weeks now and I'm extremely impressed with it. I use it with an Olympus Evolt E-330. I've used it to take pictures of my kids playing baseball and got some good action shots with it. I also used it to take some shots of friends paddling on a lake. Initially I was concerned that it wouldn't work well unless it was used in bright light but so far I haven't been disappointed with the quality of the pictures. Haven't used it yet in low light situations but with results received so far I think it will perform great. One drawback is that it is a heavy lens. Definitely need to plan on using it on a tripod, not to minimize shake, although it does help at 400mm to 500mm settings, but mainly to support it's weight. I have used it unsupported with good success but the weight will get to you if you need to hold it for any length of time. If you have an application for this type of lens you won't be disappointed. One other note is that the shoe I have for my tripod has a locking pin to keep it from rotating when I mount it on my camcorder but the tripod support the lens comes with doesn't have a mating hole to accept it so occassionally while turning the camera it's turned off center on the tripod mount. Definitely a well built lens, especially for the price. If you have a need for this type of lens definitely recommend it.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

This is my first long lens. It has enabled me to get shots that I only dreamed about before. It needs a lot of light, as you would expect, but that is not a problem for the type of photos I want to shoot with it. It has worked very well for me while taking wildlife photos, both in shaded areas and in bright sunlight. The only complaint that I have is that it is very slow to focus. Once I am comfortable with it, I think I could use manual focus more effectively than the automatic focus. Otherwise, I am very pleased.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

It's large and heavy, yes. But still easy to handle. Forlonger focal lengths you'd want it on the tripod anyway. Focusing is good, it's an easy lens to control. Works wellon both my E-500 and E-510. This 50-500mm zoom iseverything I'd hoped it would be. Well worth the money andthe wait.

Expertise: Hobby enthusiast

Problems Encountered: This lens has been no problem at all.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Nothing over 200mm focal length.

Items I Recommend: Midi Ball Head with sturdy tripod.

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

This is my first long focal length lens. I use it my Olympus 510 so the 500mm is equivalent to a 1,000mm 35mm lens. I tried it at the shore and found both action and stills were great. 6:00 PM light was sufficient to set the ISO to 500 and get great stop action shots of surf kayaking, I only discared one of probably 25 shots. Later the sunsets with a long lens allow for some composing that otherwise would not be possible.The lens performed very well and I look forward to using it for a long time.

Expertise: Amature for 40 years

Problems Encountered: No problems to date.

Items I Recommend: UV filter, Image stabilization

Comments about Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM AF Lens for Olympus Digital SLR:

Just got the lens within the past month. Took on vacation down the Oregon Coast. From Oceanside, at the Three Arch Rocks overlook, I was capturing cormorants and sea lions out on the rocks. Sharp, clear, amazing. Was able to pan on my tripod and capture some brown pelicans in flight. Hasn't locked up my E-510 yet as I read is a possible problem from another reviewer. Colors are a little washed at full zoom, but no more than I' ve experienced with other lenses at comparable focal length.And, the only problem I encountered with it trying to focus at full zoom was more related with trying ti get one of the focusing zones to stay locked on my target. Stationary targets, it seems to focus and lock pretty quickly.I'm quite impressed and happy with this lens thus far.

Expertise: Amateur

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Tokina 80-200/2.8, Zuiko 300,500 & 600mm fixed.

Items I Recommend: Tripod, sherpa.