[lancer3397]

I currently use a 50-500 sigma (Non OS version) for airshows. It will be mounted to my new K3 but previously was hooked up to my K30. (guess who was a lucky boy for his birthday, maybe 40th birthdays aren't entirely a bad idea after all)

anyway, with lots of reading the Sigma 100 300 F4 EX has come to my attention. Awesome quality and definitely a good lens and sought after. but I wonder if anyone has used this with a sigma TC and shot action with it in that configuration? Does it still cope on autofocus or does the addition of the TC make it hunt?

or, would pairing the lens with a K3 and cropping in give me a good combination?

I go to more airshows, love photographing at them and it would be nice to jump to a better lens than the 50-500 with a noticeable rise in picture quality.

[Miguel]

I would not recommend using the Sigma with a TC for sports. I attempted that with the K-3 last month, using both the Sigma-proved TC and the good Kenko 1.5x. Both slowed down the lens' performance and significantly lowered the image quality. You know, putting a TC on a zoom rarely works well.

If you want high quality reach, use a TC with the DA* 300mm.

M

[lancer3397]

really? that's a shame because with the TC that would give me the reach. with the 500 I'm out to 750, with the 300 and a 1.4 TC I'd be out to 640 which is fine.

Do you think I could shoot action with the lens on the K3 and crop in tight enough on the planes instead?

[Miguel]

really? that's a shame because with the TC that would give me the reach. with the 500 I'm out to 750, with the 300 and a 1.4 TC I'd be out to 640 which is fine.

Do you think I could shoot action with the lens on the K3 and crop in tight enough on the planes instead?

Certainly. But I believe your Bigma should work well enough, especially with a K-3, but your K-30 should suffice. I find shooting moving soccer players a lot tougher than airplanes that are landing or taking off in a predictable path.

If you really need relatively cheap reach, get a used Canon 7D and the brand new Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3. Fresh reports indicate that its quality surpasses the Bigma.

M

[lancer3397]

yeah, I'm still mad at Tamron for not doing that lens in Pentax mount. then, the roadmap for pentax seems to indicate some kind of 100-400 coming in the future.

[Miguel]

Well, I'm disappointed at Pentax for not releasing a similar lens simultaneously with the K-3. You build a tool with decent predictive AF like the K-3 has, it's a great service for your customer to fulfill the opportunity by providing the lens too. Or they should have cut a deal with Tamron to release it in K-mount.

M

[lancer3397]

there's something to be said about that Miguel that I agree with.

The K3 is a new camera for them with improved AF and a lot of other features. okay, so they've revamped the HD limited's and there is a new version of the 55-300 but a bigger lens at the time of launch would have been a big boon. but like you say, why didn't they cut a deal with tamron for that 150-600?

Couple of years ago with a Kenko 1.5 TC on a K-5. In this shot, one plane will be in focus, regardless of gear. It was a flat, hazy, midday.

I mostly use this lens & TC for theater performances. It's better on a K5IIs

[lancer3397]

god I so want one of these lenses now but wedding to pay for. My name would be mud if I got that before paying for the wedding. and interesting that in good light, with the TC attached it can capture action. with the K3's improved low light performance I think we have a winner!

[reeftool]

The Sigma 100-300/4 works very well with the Sigma 1.4 TC as that TC was made to go with that lens. That lens is a much sought after piece of glass and won't come cheap. That is probably the best long zoom/TC combination you will find for K mount. If you browse back through Forum posts from several years ago, you will find a lot of discussion about this lens. Check out the lens reviews. Sigma APO 100-300mm F4 EX DG Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database