Sigma Lenses

I will sleep with a clean conscience, The only non Pentax glass I have is for the RF's and it is not likely to change. I was thinking of all the ebay items that turned up "slightly damp" after a certain shipping accident. Hopefully, I would have a bit more intelligence than that but I have heard of cases where someone has been arrested at a car boot sale for selling goods. There might not have been caught if they had removed the labels saying property of etc.

Kim

I tried to buy one in June for this year's airshow season, but none seem to have made it to the UK since then (I do keep checking).

I'm going to buy a new camera after Xmas, hopefully a K10D. But if there are still no 50-500 Sigmas around by then I'll probably swallow my pride and buy a Canon 400D or something similar instead. It's not ideal, but the 50-500 is the only lens which offers the kind of quickly accessible range I want. I may get slightly faster focusing with the USM version of the 50-500 as well, which would help make up for losing IS.

I feel dirty even thinking about this though.

Andrew McP

I actually saw stock a few weeks ago and am kicking myself that I didn't go for one of those earlier. Maybe Sigma are adapting the 50-500mm to use SDM It's impossible to find out the reason other than high demand. Rumours abound, but if Sigma UK don't know, I don't believe anything else. I'm (slowly) learning to be patient

Why feel dirty about it. A camera is a tool not a religion or code of ethics. You can argue the technical details but for most us us, the results are probably as good as or not better than our ability to take the photographs. Handling and availability are more important for me than brand loyalty. It just so happens I like the handling of the Pentax's and I either have or can get the range that I "need".

Kim

Well, on a Pentax forum I feel slightly grubby, put it that way. I agree with you wholeheartedly though. However with a K100D and some Pentax glass on the shelf it'd be nice to stay in the Pentax fold.

I'm also, by nature, a contrarian. At airshows you often feel like you're in a Canon advert judging by the amount of Canon hardware you see bristling along the crowdline.

And of course another good reason to avoid Canon is the temptation of all those lovely big white IS lenses!

Andrew McP

This post at PentaxForums.com claims that there is an SDM version imminent.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/104834-post6.html

No idea as to the truth of the claim though.

Oooooh

Presumably if they are putting HSM in the 50-500 then they will do the same for the 70-200mm and others. That would make up for the fact that the older 70-200 has actually been discontinued in K-mount.

Not that they'd let it slip, but from Sigma UK today:

Exactly the same phrase I heard from them a while back.

To be fair, Sigma UK are possibly unaware of anything Sigma Japan are doing, but yes I suspect we won't see any HSM lenses for a while since SDM lenses on SDM cameras aren't exactly ubiquitous yet.

I'd be happy enough if they just brought the DG version back but that doesn't look too likely... I am now praying to Tamron instead

Summers,

Warranty might be an issue.

RG.

Guys, is this what you are looking for?
Sigma Zoom Telephoto 50-500mm EX DG HSM AF for Pentax
http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=sigma+50...

stevejcoe,

Many thanks for that. Just got off the phone from Microglobe and I should have the lens tomorrow

Wow!!!!!!!

If it's for real, then this really is excellent news. At risk of stating the obvious, it means Sigma believe that there's money in it for them.

We can expect a swift review, then ?

Edit: Hmm. Pentax is in the list of mounts for it on the Sigma website., but it does say there that:

"(the HSM is only available for AF Canon, Nikon, Four Thirds and Sigma Mounts)."

So either the website is out of date, or it might be worth calling Microglobe back to confirm what you're getting.

It's the non-HSM version - I knew that before I ordered it