quiggsly55

around 1650 at adorama

Opus Loc: South East Michigan

I have owned one for years and use it for wildlife/bird photography exclusively. I always use a tripod or monopod. Is it as good as a big Nikon or Cannon, no. Can you get great results with it, yes. I have owned two other Sigma lenses and could not get rid of them fast enough but would recommend this one. One last thought, don’t stop it down past f11, there will be a noticeable decrease in picture quality, and f8 seems to be its sweet spot. I often I shoot with it wide open.

postalpm Loc: Winter in Fl and summer in NH

I own the Sigma 50-500 and have been very happy with it

bfphoto Loc: Houston, TX

I have the Sigma 50-500 as well as the Sigma 100-300 f4 and I am willing to sell both of them. These lenses are both very good, but I now have the focal lengths cover by Canon L glass and just don't use them any more. If anyone is interested email me at billfranklin@gmail.com.

Bob Curtis Loc: Bay City, TX

I, also, have one of the Sigma 50 - 500 lenses and I like it for close up shots of birds and animals. I find that It works best for me with a monopod - Little brother of tripod - only one leg! I usually carry it with me when traveling so that I can make rapid changes to one of my two digital cameras. In Colorado I would not have been able to get a shot of some Big Horn Sheep as they were on a cliff fairly high up, but you could view them easily with the 50 - 500 lens. Here is where it really pays off.

Bob Curtis

Sensei

Adding it, to the wish list. Put it right under, win the lottery.

rborud Loc: Minnesota

The lenses are very fine, the danger is the long end.
The problem I see is, in spite of the many safeguards, this long a focal length is analogous to driving a screw with a 20 foot screwdriver.

Bob Curtis Loc: Bay City, TX

True, but I, personally, would rather have the large lens with me and get the photo I wanted rather than not have the lens and miss entirely the getting of the photo. Of course, the choice is always yours. Notice, I gave no intentions of taking the large lens with me on every trip which I take, near or far.

Bob Curtis

AK Dreamer Loc: Alaska & Nevada

I have a friend that has one and has let me use it on projects. The one I have used is heavy and requires the use of a monopod or tripod as it is older and not stabalized. I have had good results and have offered to buy this lens from my buddy....to date, no sale. Guess I'll have to purchase the 150-500 VR lens. I recently shot a celeb golf tournament and used a fixed 400mm lens that was loaned to me. The light gathering qualities and sharpness was phenominal. However, it was a pain in the a-- because of the need for a shorter lens around the greens (my second camera's shutter stopped working early in the day). I put on my Sigma 28-300mm lens and left it on.

altonsullivent Loc: Maryville Tennessee

If you still want one you might try this link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/682764-USA/Sigma_738101_50_500mm_f_4_5_6_3_DG_OS.html

$1659

Apparently the latest version with OS

rborud Loc: Minnesota

I always try to remember the possibility of pedomatic zooming. It sometimes works.

DTordoff

I have had the Bigma for several years on an Olympus e510. Auto focus, on this DSLR, leaves a bit to be desired BUT, I still love the lens. Does great on monopod at football games and etc. My only regret is that I cannot mount it on my Nikon DSLR's.

pigpen

I have owned the 150-500. Either the lens was terrible, or my exspectations are too high. I know people who swear by Sigma, but I've had NO luck with any. The 150-500 was extremely soft, no matter what I tried. It does weigh a ton, but this is not a con for me. If I bought a 500mm lens, and it was light, I would be concerned. The auto focus was slow and tended to search a lot. I have also read about people getting "bad copies" of this lens. If this is true, Sigma should do something about their quality control, because , from what I have read, there are a lot of "bad copies" out there. Buy from B&H, you have 15 days to return for refund if you don't like it. I waited too long and had to sell it for $600 (it was one month old). I bought the Canon 400mm "L" f5.6. This lens blows the Sigma away. Even when not paying attention to my settings, I had more "keepers" than with the Sigma. I was just shooting eagles this weekend. The guy shooting next to me was using the Sigma 300-800 (a bazooka). He swore by it and gave me his website. I think his shots were o.k., but looked soft to me. Mine, when I got it right, were tack sharp (by the way, that Sigma is $8000). There were SEVERAL people there with the 150-500, and the ones I spoke to loved them. As for me, I will never purchase another Sigma.