| Latest Review Posted | Sigma EX DG APO 500mm F4.5
When you buy a 500mm f4.5, you know why you are buying it and what you are getting into. This is 7 lbs of glass and metal. This is not for those who want a lightweight kit.
This lens IS for those of us in K-Mount land who want THE best long telephoto lens available to us that is still fairly usable hand held or on a monopod. The Pentax 600 f4 is probably every bit this lens' equal for IQ, but it weighs nearly 2x as much. I've managed 4-5 hours with the Sigma so far, but I seriously doubt I could pull that off with a lens any bigger. For me, the ability to pack ANY lens on a moderate hike is important, so for my purposes the Sigma scores higher and is more desirable
IQ is just.... wow. Right there with my 100-300 and it handles much the same on a monopod. I use a K3 with a battery grip attached to balance things out a little better, but the lens can be a little front heavy.
I have wanted this lens for several years, and was finally able to add it to my kit this month. It has exceeded my expectations. It's very rare that a lens motivates me to shoot more, but this lens has done just that. I can't wait to get out and use it, and my golf game is suffering.
Shooting at 500mm is a different world than shooting at 300mm, and although I love my 100-300, it can't compete with this lens for smaller subjects or distance targets. I tried adding a TC to get to 420mm, but there's a noticeable difference when looking through the viewfinder with a 500mm prime attached. On top of ... |
