Sigma 50-500mm for Pentax *ist DS

Hello,

I've been thinking of getting a better telephoto lens than my current cheap and cheerful Pentax 75-300mm FA-J.

I've found a brand new "Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX APO RF" for sale on eBay. They have over 100,000 feedback so I think they're probably a legit business and I shouldn't have any problems ordering from them.

Including postage the price works out to £400 after currency coversion from dollars to pounds. The cheapest I've seen it here is £650 (at warehouse express).

So my questions are basically: it seems like a great price, is it? Could I get anything from the UK for a similar price that's as good? I've seen many people going on about how good this lens is, so I'll assume that it's safe to say it's a quality lens.

I've seen a Tokina 80-400mm on warehouse express for £249 but this is a returned lens that has been repaired. I have a Sigma 50mm macro lens which is great quality, so I'm pretty sure the Sigma lens will be good, not sure how good Tokina are though.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Edward

http://photos.edgladwin.com/

I too wondered about getting the "Bigma" as it's known... however the sheer weight of it, plus the issues about getting a stable camera mount (suggestions of various bags etc weighing it down etc) put me off.

The lens is a remarkable piece of engineering, but tests show that the Sigma 100-300 is a sharper lens... might be able to dig out the links for you.

When I looked at the Tokina, most reports said it wasn't as sharp as one would like... maybe evidenced by the few that persistently remain on the second hand places.

In the end I got hold of a second hand Pentax SMC-FA 80-320mm, for about £90 at Jessops. Wonderfully sharp and contrasty, very light. Additionally, I already had the Pentax SMC 1.7x AF adaptor, and both, on a Manfrotto magfibre monopod, give a delightful combination.

Hope that helps!
Matt

Hi,

There just happens to be a Pentax SMC-FA 80-320mm on eBay right now for £120. Would you say that this lens would be much of a step up from the Pentax 70-300mm FA-J?

Even with highish shutter speeds the 70-300mm FA-J doesn't produce photos as sharp as I would like (although it was only £99.99 brand new so I can't expect too much from it!). Do you think the 80-320mm would be noticably sharper?

Thanks for your help!

I can't comment on the FAJ lens you mention.
However, I had a Sigma 70-300 DL Macro, which produced horrible results on the *ist-D - murky, low contrast, no sharpness. Bought the renowned Pentax SMC-F 70-210 which was a definite step up.
The SMC-FA 80-320 is, as far as I've shot, as good as the 70-210.

There's some small images I've taken, which may give you some idea:
http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/showlargepic.cfm?photoid=296760 http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/showlargepic.cfm?photoid=296401 http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/showlargepic.cfm?photoid=294525 http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/showlargepic.cfm?photoid=285697 http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/showlargepic.cfm?photoid=271412

I could email a larger image, or a 100% crop of something if you need it.

I would say that £120 is a little steep. Mine was near mint (no box) and was £90 or £95. I checked around the Jessops sites and had them ship it to a local branch.

I think the "Bigma" has its place (especially if you want to "impress" others, or strengthen your biceps!), but I find the 80-320 much more useful to carry around.

Matt

The 80-320 is certainly a highly regarded lens but I would imagine that the 70-300 FAJ is pretty good too.
Bear in mind that you do need fairly small apertures in order to get a really sharp image from zoom lenses and telephotos also require a fast shutter speed to reduce the effects of camera shake when the camera is hand-held.
Don't forget that the DS sensor is smaller than 35mm and so the effective focal length of a 35mm lens is increased by 1.5x.

Basically, I'm saying that your technique must be spot on in order to achieve sharp results and it's probably asking quite a lot to expect really good results from either lens, when hand-held.

Have you tried different settings with the camera mounted on a tripod?

I wouldn't touch a 50-500 lens with a bargepole. It's a ridiculous range.

G

get a Sigma EX 100-300 f4.

http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/lenses/35mm-zoom/Sigma/PRD_85165_3128crx.as...

Hmm, seems like a good option. Warehouse Express have that lens for £668.99 and it comes with a free Sigma 2x convertor, which makes it even more interesting! Still, it's quite an expense for one lens though.

I think I will probably stick to my humble Pentax 70-300mm FA-J for a while longer yet, and try to get better shots with that by improving my technique etc.. Once I'm getting consistently better shots with that, I might be able to talk myself into parting with that much money for a luxurious lens

Thanks for all the replies!

I think the converter is superfluous (who wants a 600mm f8 on a digital slr?)

Available for under £600 without the converter if you shop around