user2071 Loc: New England

These really are very funny.

I have often, when bumping into camera equipment so expensive that selling my house wouldn't cover it, thought similar things, but whoever wrote these really did nail it.

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/09/20/hilarious-customer-reviews-for-the-sigma-200-500mm-lens-on-amazon/

rocco_7155 Loc: Connecticut/Louisiana

Those are absolutely hilarious. We DO leave ourselves open to parody with our passion for gadgets and glass.....thanks.

user2071 Loc: New England

I'm still laughing.

Hey, for an additional laugh, go see what it costs to buy a Hasselblad or a new Leica SLR.

There are cameras so expensive that I can't even imagine ever under any circumstances having that much spare money. Boggles my mind.

Baboo Loc: Rainier, Oregon

PRICELESS!!!!! lol, gee now I know what lense I need to get those special photos of the White House.

Thanks for sharing!

user2071 Loc: New England

AND wherever you live, you don't have to leave home to take them!

user2071 Loc: New England

Actually, ALL the reviews for this lens are funny. I just actually went onto Amazon and started reading customer reviews.

I don't think people are really taking this seriously.

I wonder why.

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-200-500mm-Ultra-Telephoto-Nikon-Cameras/dp/B0013DAPNU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

user2071 Loc: New England

Okay, I'm so anal about everything ... all those years of technical writing. It's payback time I guess.

Anyway, I went and found the listing for this ... uh ... lens ... with all the reviews (so far, 25 but there will no doubt be more unless Amazon deletes them ... which it might). So here's THAT link:

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-200-500mm-Ultra-Telephoto-Canon-Cameras/product-reviews/B0013D8VDQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

and I'm actually keeping a text files of the reviews. These are priceless especially because they are not the usual internet jokes, but reviews of a real product that none of us would ever buy. Or at least, I don't think any of us would.

Would we?

Baboo Loc: Rainier, Oregon

LOL, this was my thought also. I was just going to grab a ladder and stand on my roof. I think I can swing it from here in Oregon....LOL

Photos up for review soon......

user2071 Loc: New England

And I had to write my own. I cannot help it. I am a writer.

This is the link. And the FASTEST approval for any review on Amazon I've ever written!

http://www.amazon.com/review/R349B59A11Z89S

The text:

5 Stars - Not just intimidation!, September 22, 2011
By Marilyn Armstrong

This review is from: Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras (Electronics)

Before I spent my life's savings on this amazing lens, I used to miss shots. Something would happen somewhere in the world, but I wasn't there and so I missed an important photo opportunity.

No more. Not with THIS baby. Hook this up to my Olympus PEN E-PL1 (you will need an adaptor, by the way ... it doesn't fit the 4/3 mount otherwise) and first off, you get the 2X effective length (so your top is now 1000mm) and I never have to leave home. I can take pictures in California from my back deck in Massachusetts! I can take pictures in Alaska and as far away as South America.

I think I'll need a tripod for those European and Asian pictures and possibly also for those Tahitian sunsets. Fortunately, the lens's X-ray capabilities noted by previous reviewers enable me to shoot through any obstacles, but you will need to feed it GPS data so it knows where you want it to focus.

All in all, a great investment. I don't use it much for travelling, but the little I've done with it, I found a donkey can handle it fine and if properly trained, will also make a pretty good substitute for a tripod. Just one less thing to haul, right?

I'm told I can use it to see the future ... but so far, I admit I've been afraid to look. Things are bad enough. Besides, I am not sure whether or not Photoshop can process them. Has anybody tried post processing on shots of the future? Just wondering.

Stanley

you are right, it is some really funny stuff! I see a lot of pro-gear being sold, and dream like a school boy of all the things I will have when I grow up? Now that I'm grown, I dream a more practical dream,"If I'm not getting the work to support buying a $5,000 camera, don't buy it because you don't need it." "Hope runs eternal."
-Stanley

William Loc: Mississippi

That's as good an idea as screen doors on nucular
.... (yellow) Submarines ..........

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Right; hilarious. But think of its capabilities in a smaller unit, and at a more affordable price.

dasboat Loc: Vernonia,Ore.(Vernowhere)

Great morning read !And I thought the canon 800mmL lens was the most expensive @ $13,999 list.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Canon used to make a 1200 mm lens. It costs about the same as an MX missile.

user2071 Loc: New England

If you go do a search on Leica, you will discover that there is no dearth of insanely expensive camera equipment out there. No, I do not know anyone who would ever buy it, but obviously there is a market for it somewhere ... just as there is for Rolls Royce. There is a lot of stuff I can't afford and can't even imagine ever seriously considering.

What I think makes this lens absurd is not only the price, but its physical size. It is GIGANTIC and supposed to fit a DSLR. The bizarre incongruity between the camera body compared to the size of the lens ... well ... I can't even think of something comparable. Too weird.