Remember the Canadian nature photographer Brad Hill who correctly “predicted” the Nikon D500 camera (see this post)? Well, he is now saying that Sigma will announce a new flagship 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports lens next week at Photokina and I do believe him. Here are the details taken straight from his last blog post:
- WEIGHT: 3310 gm (7.3 lb). This is only 220 gm (about 0.5 lb) heavier than Nikon’s “new” 500mm f4E (fluorite) lens.
- LENGTH: 380.3mm (15″). This is very slightly shorter (7 mm) than Nikon’s “new” 500mm f4E (fluorite) lens.
- COUNTRY OF CONSTRUCTION: Japan
- MATERIALS: Magnesium alloy barrel, carbon fiber hood, brass bayonet mount.
- OPTICS: 16 elements in 11 groups, including 2 FLD (presumably fluoride?) elements and one SLD element.
- NUMBER OF DIAPHRAGM BLADES: 9.
- ENVIRONMENTAL SEALING: Dust and Splash-proof construction.
- ELECTROMAGNETIC DIAPHRAGM: Yes (Nikon version only).
- OPTICAL STABILIZATION: 4-stops; 2 modes (mode 1 for general photography; mode 2 for panning).
- CUSTOMIZATION & FIRMWARE UPDATES: Via USB dock.
- OTHER: Tripod collar with 90 degree click stops (that can be turned off); optional teleconverters, mount converters, drop-in polarizer, and USB dock available.
The official announcement could be on Monday (Sigma has a press conference) or on Tuesday – they first day of the 2016 Photokina show.
