Veteran Member Registered: April, 2009 Location: Netherlands Posts: 369 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: September 16, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 2 |
Pros: | low CA | Cons: | everything else | Sharpness: 3
Aberrations: 2
Bokeh: 1
Handling: 1
Value: 1
| | Well. mine is not labled XQ, but it is probably an early version of this 'lens'.
First some pictures of the lens.
The front :
It comes with a lenscap, which can be used for stopping down to 5.6 :
View with Pentax MX attached:
View with Pentax MX attached and the 2x extender and required extension (all T-mount), then it becomes 1:8 1000mm:
Closeup of the focus unit, and ring for rotating the t-mount.
Closeup of the way too small plate for the tripod connection:
So, and what about the image quality...
Not good, with extender even terrible.
The only good thing is the low CA, because its a mirror.
And the tripod mount is too small, you get vibrations even when using a serious tripod (Berlebach uni-6).
Later versions got a bigger tripod mount, and not without reason.
Conclusion :
Its not sharp on APS-C.
Its shaky on a tripod.
Its not usable without tripod.
Its a collectors item.
I did try to take an astrophoto with this Sigma which will show how it performs at 1:4/500mm: | |