[indeo]

so i want to get some more/better zoom capabilities with my camera, and was looking at this, seems to be a good lens. what do you guys think of it, and are there other lenses at that price range i should look at (used on ebay etc).

i was thinking i would like at least a 400mm so i can capture wildlife better since im allot outdoors

ps. i got a telescope with a 2x barlow so i got a 2600mm lens

[Giklab]

Well, there are the 50-500 (supposed to be better) and 120-400 (about the same) from Sigma. I don't know much about used lenses, but I figure a 300/4(or 2.8) + teleconverter could be found.

ps. i got a telescope with a 2x barlow so i got a 2600mm lens

Like a boss!

[georgecape]

I bought a Sigma 170-500 from a forum member and used it a month ago on a game park vacation.
Took about 2000 shots and the lens performed admirably especially the focussing - very little searching and positive lock 99% of the time.
It seems to be selling quite cheaply.
Some examples.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

I've owned both the Sigma 170-500mm and the 150-500mm. They both do a pretty good job, but the 150-500mm is easily the sharper lens. It's also nice because it has a silent HSM autofocus motor.

If you're on a tight budget, the 170-500mm goes for around $500 on eBay, whereas the 150-500mm will be more in the $800 - $900 range. Besides price, the other advantage of the 170-500mm is weight. It is a fair bit lighter than the 150-500mm, so it is easier to use handheld. The 150-500mm is quite a beast of a lens.

So in summary, if image quality and silent focusing is your priority, you should go with the 150-500mm. If you want a lighter lens or don't want to spend as much, then look for a 170-500mm.

I have samples from both cameras I can post later. I also wrote a review of the 170-500mm with lots of sample pics. It's the first result if you search Google for "Sigma 170-500mm review". However, I accidentally deleted all the review pictures from the server a couple days ago, so I'll need to go through and upload them again.

[Chaos_Realm]

I think the 150-500 is a fantastic lens. It is very usable (although I mostly sit in the F8-F10 range) in regards to sharpness, it is HSM which is great. OS is really great, i think it does a better job than SR on my K-7 and I have been able to get decent results with shutter <1/100 sec @ 500mm thanks to the OS.

My biggest dislike is the tendancy for the lens to develop a bit of a squeak when zooming, and the zoom creep but then that is what the lock is for.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

I think the 150-500 is a fantastic lens....OS is really great,

It should be pointed out that the 150-500mm was available without and with OS for Pentax. You can probably find it a bit cheaper in the non-OS version.

Also, another difference between the 150-500mm and 170-500mm is that the 170-500mm doesn't have a zoom lock. This was actually a little bit annoying for me, since the 170-500mm is light enough to carry around, but the zoom creep can be annoying if you have the camera on a strap hanging down.