Sigma 170-500 APO

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lawrenceots

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I have just (pretty much) bought this for......£250! I can't face shelling out around £900 for the Nikkor 300 AFS :(, so sadly this ill have to do for a bit. Please reassure me I won't regret it too much!:shake:
 
That's about what I got for mine when I traded it in against the (better, IMO!) 150-500 OS.

I can't for the life of me remember whether the 170-500 is HSM or not. If not, good luck MFing the thing while handholding.

It should be acceptably sharp at f/8 and narrower - even wide open, it's not too bad (well, the corners are a bit iffy but the subject will be near the 3rds or centre) but stopping down helps it a bit.
 
hmmm I see. It isn't HSM, so for AF I'd use my D50, and on the 5k for Tripod work etc. But for the money, its not bad I guess? And I could always put it on here, and not loose to much, if anything?
 
i have had 4 170-500mm and they were all sharper wide open at 500mm than the 2 150-500mm i have had.
this is what they can produce, i still have one on my pentax k20d and its as sharp as my 50-500mm os.
SJB10042a.jpg


IMGP7174.jpg


SJB10933.jpg


SJB11664.jpg


IMGP3784.jpg
 
oooohhhhhhhh I CAAAAAAAN't WAiiiiit for tomorrows post!!!!

They loook amamamamazingly sharp! As sharp as some I've seen on much more expensive glass. :)
 
I've got a Canon fit one, the focusing is a bit slow and noisy but it works ok in good light. It is a cheap way to get a 500mm lens.
 
lawrenceots said:
oooohhhhhhhh I CAAAAAAAN't WAiiiiit for tomorrows post!!!!

They loook amamamamazingly sharp! As sharp as some I've seen on much more expensive glass. :)
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hi, i have had the dg and non dg versions, not much difference at all really the dg has a better lens coating and does handle ca a little better.
i have a non dg at the mo, on my pentax (which has the advatage of built in sr) people slate this lens but i love it.:D
 
Ah, just got a little bit worried when you said that... I've just got the standard 170-500 APO...is that the one you mean't?
 
 
Damn, didn't arrive today. :( Hopefully come tomorrow.. arggg the anticipation!

It was s/h gio, I'll put some results up from it when I can. :)
 
lawrenceots said:
Damn, didn't arrive today. :( Hopefully come tomorrow.. arggg the anticipation!

It was s/h gio, I'll put some results up from it when I can. :)
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I feel your excitement, mate. I shall be waiting for the pics.

So where could I get one of these bad boys?
 
Mifsuds have one listed 2nd hand. Ffordes have had them in the past. There may even be one in the For Sale section. E-bay.
 
Welll.........it arrived! :D so.... the good.


It is an excellent lens, really sharp when you get it right. Not too heavy either really.

The bad.... I'm not good enough to MF on my D5k, which means...its onto the old 50! And even with the D50's old and fairly slow AF, it doen't hang around. Wish it'd work on the 5000, that AF is brilliant. Other thing, it is very awkward to get pin sharp shots, as I need a shutter speed of 1/800th plus, which, even with todays sunshine, means upping to 800-1600 and higher if I could, even in the slightest shade. Been using it mostly hand held, below are a few I got, just to test it. Sharpened in CS3 a tad.
 
Yup, it does benefit from high ISO settings - not a problem with the D700. The OS in the 150-500 OS version (optically better than the 170-500 IMO as well) helps a lot too, although not with moving subjects. Shame I use it more on the D70 to get the extra apparent reach from the crop sensor.
 
Did you guess Ifindit abit awkward! :lol: no, will be sticking with it, just a pain it has to be onthr D50
 
scottthehat said:
this is were the like of pentax and sony and olypus have an advantag, built in shake reduction,
all 4 170-500mm have been sharper all though the range than both 150-500mm i have had.

oh and stick with it(use a bean bag)
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Although my K20D shooting mate turns the in body stabilisation off and uses the in lens OS instead (150-500) - he finds that having the image stabilised in the viewfinder is more reassuring than hoping the in body stabilisation has coped.
 
Sold my 170-500 some time ago found holding it steady a problem and would recommend some sort of support for it. Prefer the Sigma 120-400 and if extra mm wanted I use the Sigma 1.4 TC .

Realspeed
 
Lawrenceots

Could you please resize the pictures the max width is 800 and your pictures are 1024 exceeding the bandwidth. The pixel police are about.

Realspeed
 
Whoops! deleted as will have to upload low res ones to flickr. I have got a tripod. hmmm.. I'm having second thoughts...put the money back in the bank, and save for a truly decent 300 AFs....damn I hate changing so often.
 
I've got a Canon one and it's pretty good. For weight and ease of use, we're swapping to the Tokina 80-400mm for our upcoming safari.

I'll be selling mine here soon.
 
Looks a good lens, I want a (cheap) looooong zoom for a Nikon to try some birding.

Nick.
 
Nod said:
Although my K20D shooting mate turns the in body stabilisation off and uses the in lens OS instead (150-500) - he finds that having the image stabilised in the viewfinder is more reassuring than hoping the in body stabilisation has coped.
Click to expand...
i know what you mean, as i have a d300 with a sigma 50-500mm os, and i find them about the same, heres another one from my,
170-500mm i have now wide open at 500mm.


SJB14661.jpg
 
hmm, well, been using it a bit today, and have come up with..:-

Its not possible to use on the D5k, focusing etc is actually easier on the old 600, due to the size of the focusing ring. And I don't want to upgrade the 5k because can't afford to and, I find the LCD invaluable.

Plus, after using it, and the weight, I definitely prefer the 70-300 weight and practicality.
so, its basically being used on the D50, which is a nice camera, but having been used to the Expeed technology in the 5k, doesn't cut it for me. So sadly, this will be moved on, and I will continue saving for either the 70-300 VR, or eventually, the 300 F4. Plus...there's a little bit in me that wants to just have Nikon AFS...so will be listed soon.
 
My funds for a flash went somewhere more urgent but am selling some of my golf clubs at the moment. If it is still available when my clubs get sold I might make an offer.
 
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