[hawaza]

Nope the title is not a typo, I happen to have stumbled onto a sigma 100-500mm lens and wondered if anyone knows anything about it.

It is a manual focus (Push/pull type) K mount and I believe has an APO designation. The lens doesn't appear in the lens database and even the internet seems not to know about it. I may get the opportunity to buy this oddity however given the lack of information I have no idea what a fair price for it would be or what kind of performance to expect. If it's cheap enough I may suck it and see regardless but suspect even old glass with this reach wont come cheap.

Anyway - does anyone know about, seen or used this rather mysterious lens?

[sergysergy]

maybe this helps?
What the hell did I just buy? Sigma 100-500?: Third Party Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[marcusBMG]

The sigma history page lists a 100-500mm apo - 1985, but no further info.

SIGMA History – 1961 to 2010 | Sigma Lounge

[hawaza]

Thanks both. From those links I was able to find 1 further page which gives a little bit more info on it.

Sigma MF 100-500mm F5.6-8 APO Zoom-Tau Multi-Coated ? Pentax-Fremdobjektive

Have to assume it can't of been much of a hit if there is so little info about it. From the sigma history page it seems to have been there first attempt at zoom lens beyond 300mm (minus a 350-1200mm released in the same year), something they don't do again for ~10yrs and by then their lenses have autofocus. The 2.5kg weight of it along with what must of been an astronomical price at launch may have put people off though.

[h4yn0nnym0u5e]

Advertised in a scan about halfway down this page at $700...

[hawaza]

Advertised in a scan about halfway down this page at $700...

My gosh that is some super sleuthing h4yn0nnym0u5e. That was a pretty expensive bit of glass back in 1986.

Unfortunately for me the opportunity to buy this lens will set me back just over half of its original value ~$380 which is quite a lot for a large heavy manual focus lens with unknown output quality of photos - or maybe I'm just a bit tight with the money :P

[Kozlok]

I only part with my money when I know what I’m getting. There are too many lousy lenses out there, and I would feel wrong to sell my mistake to yet another unwitting victim.