Comments on: Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG super telezoom lens for Nikon

By: DNHJR

DNHJR — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:21:00 +0000

LOL

By: Alan Dooley

Alan Dooley — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:45:49 +0000

Two of them would make a super stereo imaging device, wouldn’t they?

By: [NR] admin

[NR] admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:15:23 +0000

here is another cheap alternative – has anyone used that lens:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=2&campid=5335893884&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=270322157825&item=270322157825

By: [NR] admin

[NR] admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:39:36 +0000

Has anyone used the lens from the ebay link? How bad could it be for $200?

By: [NR] admin

[NR] admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:37:40 +0000

I don’t want to know what the British Government was using this lens for…

By: Carlos Echenique

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:46:46 +0000

OK here is the link:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2974102785_55057844c4_b.jpg

By: Carlos Echenique

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:46:22 +0000

One cannot appreciate the size of this beast until you see it in person or at least with a human being standing next to it for scale. Here is a picture I took of on at the PhotoPlus Expo in NYC.

The New Bigma

By: Tommy

Tommy — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:22:49 +0000

people who can afford this can afford an open-top jeep and a remote-controlled machinegun tripod.
actually, after buying the tripod and the jeep, they file an order for the quarter-of-a-ton 1700mm F4 Zeiss and a few MF systems.

By: Ranger 9

Ranger 9 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:03:05 +0000

I can see a point for it: It would be ideal for when you had to stay in a fixed, distant position while covering a fast-action event, such as stadium sports or, um, weapons tests.

So I suspect that most of the purchasers are going to be news agencies or, as a previous poster mentioned, governments.

On the individual level, I guess the focal length and aperture range would be ideal for snaps of your entry competing in a yacht or camel race, and if you’re the kind of person who enters yacht or camel races, you’d have no trouble either affording it or transporting it (most likely you’d be spectating from your helicopter, right, Your Highness?)

By: Pablov

Pablov — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:26:37 +0000

Interesting details from readers

right, with its weight….. who would need VR ? it’s a tank and you need a more than stable base to use it

about the battery, can’t you still use it in manual focus when the battery is over? (if not, then I won’t buy this “cannon” -with double “n” )

By: David Olsen

David Olsen — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:43:29 +0000

This lens is on display ( and open for all to try ) in my local foto shop ..Awesome but you would need a fork-truck to move it so just forget hand-hold work ( with or with-out VR ) ..They actually had it discounted during sigma day ..down from 161 000 kr to 134 000 kr … Think I will stick to the 200-400 which is a snip at just 54 000 kr ;-(

By: Cache

Cache — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:32:11 +0000

SWEET!! You can buy this and use the rebate amount to purchase a D700 body!

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:51:38 +0000

Haha. I LOL’d.

By: Mike Hunt

Mike Hunt — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:19:36 +0000

I’ve already used one when I worked for the British Government. It has a separate battery to power itself. It doesn’t use the camera to focus at all, nor a version of SWM – your camera would be drained in about 17 seconds! This means it packs up when its own battery packs up.

We went back to using the Nikon 200 – 400 f4 – with TC when required.

By: DNHJR

DNHJR — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:10:09 +0000

I really don’t see the point of this lens and really don’t think sigma will sell that many. I would rather have one of the 300-800mm f/5.6 lens or like the poster above said an f/4 in that range.

By: Pablov

Pablov — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:30:24 +0000

thanks for the link.
The 1st link “lens” is very similar to the telescope I have (mine is a real 1000mm telescope with SLR adapter (screwing mount) and then a Nikon mount adapter. Not confortable to focus or even shooting, but if you are not hurry you can make take pics)

This Sigma Zoom is AF, APO, and f2.8 …
it’s a dream, but a “bit” expensive to me (also a litle hard to carry..)

By: Bob Howland

Bob Howland — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:34:32 +0000

I’d be a lot more impressed (and a lot more likely to pull out my credit card) if it was an f/4, cost $4500, and weighed 9lbs.

By: [NR] admin

[NR] admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:59:03 +0000

Pablov, check those out:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=2&campid=5335893884&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=270322990880&item=270322990880
and
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/zoomsMF/12001700mm.htm

By: Pablov

Pablov — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:50:18 +0000

Does Nikon offer similar lens in this range ?

And other 3rd party manufacturer?

By: Owl Clerk

Owl Clerk — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:58:17 +0000

Pah! Who needs this? I only buy Sigma lenses to review for all my readers then I use them as doorstops – I would never put one on my FANTASTIC D40 which is the only camera you will EVER need!

I can get better shots with my D40 and its 18-55 zoom than anyone with this new Sigma lens even if they had a D3x. Why? Because I am brilliant!

I don’t sell my work as it is too brilliant to be allowed into the real world. People would suffer saturation blindness – like snow blindness but caused by psychedelically saturated images – if they were to mount one of my images on their walls. In fact a beam of psychelicidity would race into the greatness of time and space itself – until it actually bent time itself, then reality and everyone would find themselves on an island in space – Rockwell Island – with a left handed anti-gravitational D40 floating around their neck complete with a right handed, 18-55 zoom with built in SADR (sonic astro-dust reduction), commonly referred to as ‘SADER’ and they would discuss JPEG vs RAW vs KREG (the ultimate in image quality files created by myself – basically they take any image from any camera – no matter how many pixels it has – and reduces them to 2MP which is the most the human eye can identify.