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10-09-2015, 09:22 AM   #376
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
1/125 @ 330 mm wide open 6.3 ISO 1600 will be decent with a still subject. This morning....

Nice...was that with the old one ?


Please PM me when your ready to part. ... another Pentaxian is selling his as well.. Will be making a decision soon

10-09-2015, 09:36 AM - 1 Like   #377
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No, but this was shot with the old one a few days ago.....Exif is on all of them.


QuoteOriginally posted by kentster Quote
Please PM me when your ready to part. ... another Pentaxian is selling his as well.. Will be making a decision soon
I'll do that!

Regards!
10-09-2015, 06:48 PM - 1 Like   #378
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QuoteOriginally posted by xanis Quote
Wow Michael. These are stunning shots.[COLOR="Silver"]
Thank you for the kind words. I was practicing shooting at lower ISOs.

The weather here in Michigan has been awful lately and certainly not Bigma shooting weather. So I thought I would share something different. When I first got my Bigma I had a ton a learning ahead. Here are some of my first shots from my Bigma. These are major failures and frustrated me to no end. All are on the K3.

500mm 1/125 f8 in very low light, major failure. I came to the conclusion that I just can not handhold the Bigma at low shutter speeds. I now use a monopod.


500mm f8 1/80 on a tripod using mirror lock up. Colossal failure, at 500mm even the wind blowing on the lens can ruin a shot.



Is it all doom and gloom? No not by a long shot. These big Sigma lenses are heavy, slow and need a ton of light. However with patience, practice, and willingness to learn you can get there. No two lenses are the same and the same lens can be different on different camera bodies. Growing up my parents had a friend who was a professional photographer. Mr Bush once told me something that has stuck with me forever. A good photographer blames himself, a bad photographer blames his equipment. I sucked up my pride, read some forum articles, and experimented with different techniques. I am still learning, still practicing, and still experimenting but I am enjoying it all the way. One must keep this in mind when thinking about these lenses. The Sigma 500mm 4.5 is $5000 and the DA 560 f5.6 is over $5000. Now Bigmas don't seem so bad.
I can say now I am having much better results with the Bigma and my hand holding skills have improved some.

This is handheld at 500mm f8 1/640. It is not exceptional but I am pleased with it. I know I can do better with more pratice.


Shooting at 300mm is hard enough. At 500mm you enter a whole new world.
Michael
10-10-2015, 10:21 AM - 1 Like   #379
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QuoteOriginally posted by Scorpio71GR Quote
Shooting at 300mm is hard enough. At 500mm you enter a whole new world.
Michael
Scorpio...Some good words in your post. In particular about blaming our equipment.

I think the best lesson I have learned with the Bigma over all the years is to "know your limitations" and the limitations of the gear/lens you are using.

Big and heavy, slow and light hungry, you have to adjust for every situation knowing the limitations. I get a few very nice shots handheld as slow as 1/80...but those are more luck than skill. I find that...for me...handholding at 1/200 or above usually gets me a decent shot. From there up it gets better as does it get better if you can combine higher f stops....f8+ the Bigma will shine if you have the speed.

1/250 f9 even at ISO 3200 will work for my set up......K5IIs + Bigma. Would never work on some of my older cameras like the K10D.


But even the K10D + Bigma could get you a decent shot if you got lucky...and kept the ISO very low!

1/20 handheld f6.7 ISO 560 500mm K10D + old Bigma in September 8 years ago.


Know those limitations, yours and the camera/lens and take advantage of the opportunities you get within them. Doesn't hurt to take a chance either....Lady Luck is often kind! You never know if you don't snap!

Half nice bokeh and half not.....Half-ass bokeh?


Regards!

10-10-2015, 03:26 PM - 2 Likes   #380
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Finally have some a couple hours out today with my 5iis and 150-500.
Only managed to see this red tail flying happily for about 3 minutes before it flew away.



10-10-2015, 03:41 PM - 1 Like   #381
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Seen much better days

A once major cricket ground has fallen on hard times - Bradford Park Avenue

Sigma 50-150
10-10-2015, 04:26 PM   #382
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
Shoot a little underexposed and bring it up in processing..works best on my K5IIs. Speed is critical, anything above 200 will generally work handheld for me. If you can keep the ISO at or under 3200 and get the aperture up to f8 or above, you can count on decent results. For shots at 500mm, sharpening is normally required. Focus Magic is the best in my observation. If it is over 3 pixels out of focus, it may not be a shot you want to keep.

1/125 @ 330 mm wide open 6.3 ISO 1600 will be decent with a still subject.

This morning....



Bigma price?.....I haven't really thought about it much lately....I'm hesitant to part with it, it has been such a great lens...and still is. If and when...would you like for me to PM you before I list it? I'm not going to ask a fortune for it, I know that...just a reasonable price for me and the buyer.

Regards!
Great shot of a jay. I have never had such luck with these guys.

10-10-2015, 04:38 PM   #383
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QuoteOriginally posted by xanis Quote
Finally have some a couple hours out today with my 5iis and 150-500.
Only managed to see this red tail flying happily for about 3 minutes before it flew away.



Great shots, I saw a couple of hawks today but of course once I stopped to get out of my truck they flew off to never return.
10-10-2015, 04:41 PM   #384
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QuoteOriginally posted by Scorpio71GR Quote
Great shots, I saw a couple of hawks today but of course once I stopped to get out of my truck they flew off to never return.
thank you Michael. They are normally not human shy, but the weather today in Michigan is so damn near perfect, guess these hawks just need to enjoy.
10-10-2015, 04:42 PM   #385
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
Scorpio...Some good words in your post. In particular about blaming our equipment.

I think the best lesson I have learned with the Bigma over all the years is to "know your limitations" and the limitations of the gear/lens you are using.
Very true Rupert, I try at times to push beyond my limitations hoping for that great miracle but hey SD card space is cheap.
10-10-2015, 06:31 PM - 1 Like   #386
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A few shots from today. Decided I better get out while there are still some birds here.
Great Blue Heron Bigma 500mm f10 1/640 ISO1000


Just a common boring sparrow he flew right out in front of me. Now if I just get an Eagle to do that, hey a guy can dream. Bigma 500mm f8 1/400 ISO200


Some early fall colors while out on the trail. Bigma 50mm f11 1/200 ISO320


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10-10-2015, 08:01 PM - 1 Like   #387
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whats everyones thoughts on IQ on the 150-500 verses the old Bigma?

Here's one with my 170-500
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PENTAX K-3  Photo 

Last edited by kentster; 10-19-2015 at 09:30 AM. Reason: updated info
10-10-2015, 09:15 PM   #388
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QuoteOriginally posted by kentster Quote
whats everyones thoughts on IQ on the 150-500 verses the old Bigma?

Here's one with my 170-500 (chichis for sale )
I have seen some fantastic shots taken with the 150-500 that are far better than anything I have taken with my Bigma. I was actually going to get a 150-500 before they were discontinued. Used Bigmas tend to be easier to find which is how I ended up with mine. I would not hesitate to buy one if a good deal came up. The 150-500 will be sharper than the 170-500 which is a much older optical formula.

Michael
10-11-2015, 01:08 AM   #389
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QuoteOriginally posted by Scorpio71GR Quote
I have seen some fantastic shots taken with the 150-500 that are far better than anything I have taken with my Bigma. I was actually going to get a 150-500 before they were discontinued. Used Bigmas tend to be easier to find which is how I ended up with mine. I would not hesitate to buy one if a good deal came up. The 150-500 will be sharper than the 170-500 which is a much older optical formula.

Michael
I was fortunate to get my 150-500 when the local Australian importer (C R Kennedy via their seller DCXPERT) offered one on eBay at a too-good-to-miss price. I assume that they knew they were being discontinued and were clearing out old stock. I was happy to help them out! And I am glad that I did not hesitate.
10-11-2015, 02:08 PM - 1 Like   #390
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QuoteOriginally posted by kentster Quote
whats everyones thoughts on IQ on the 150-500 verses the old Bigma?
The 150 500 at the long end f7.1 ISO 400


and at the short end


It does what I want it to and it was affordable so I don't do pixel peeping comparisons.
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