http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/08/b...ma-primes-cr2/
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Given the high prices for these type lenses at N and C and the disconnect from the yen, this makes lots of sense. I've always wondered why Sigma doesn't offer more super-telephoto primes.
Thanks for sharing, Ian. That would be great if Sigma comes through on this! I'm still hoping for a 600 mm f/5.6 for those of use who do birds occasionally and don't want to break the bank or our backs. Maybe Sigma will do something like this. A cheaper 400 f/2.8 would be super sweet though too.
Cheers,
Greg Basco
I hope they update their 800mm lens with some of the same quality improvements we have seen from them in the past year. I would be first in line for an improved Sigma 800. I have a Nikon 600mm VR but seeing the increase cost of Nikon and Canon long lens just introduced, I'm sure I will never be able to afford either in the future since I just retired. A Sigma may be in my future!
I've had the 300-800 f/5.6 for over 7 years......my favorite lens for versatility. As for rumors.....no comment but some exciting changes are coming! With the price of the Sigma 300-800mm at $5,000 less than the N or C 600's......that's real money to people and the range is unmatched in the industry. Came in real handy for my just concluded Tanzania tour (in Amsterdam airport headed home). I'd also put the 120-300 f/2.8 against anything the other guys have....even with the TC! And let's not forget how Canon gives you a whopping 1 year warranty on a $13,000 lens!
Thanks for your input, Roman. I seriously considered getting the 120-300, but had heard directly of many OS problems. Since Sigma released the updated version, I have heard of that being less of an issue and, if it were physically a bit smaller, would consider it instead of the 70-200/2.8 II that I have my eyes on. I love my Sigma 100-300/4 but it is a bit dated, is a bit sluggish in focusing, and has no OS. If they were to update that lens, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Hey Ian,
I have used both versions of the 120-300.....and am surprised by the OS statements as I used that at my sons HS football games! Low light and it performed flawlessly! I have the new version now which has the docking system so you can taylor it to your tastes for tracking and sensitivity. I had no problem with it in Tanzania....but only had it a few weeks now. I will continue to test it but so far.....both versions were fantastic!
Roman, I don't believe there was a problem with the OS when it worked. What several owners told me was that the OS mechanism failed and the lens had to go back for repair. I have not heard of this problem with the new version. I just wish the lens were a bit smaller. I would be happy with an f/4 version.
I have and love (after calibration) the Sigma 120-300 OS S, but I recently did some review work using both it and the EF 200-400/4+1.4x, switching back and forth during a car-based birding trip. I have to admit the Canon is the better lens in general: with more reach, more contrast, etc. It's also lighter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roman Kurywczak
But whether those differences justify an extra $10,000 is the tricky question. That's a lot of money (both in investment and in insurance premiums). Although I'd love to have that Canon lens, I don't feel short-changed using the Sigma. It's a wonderful tool.
I'm looking forward to Sigma's next moves with Global Vision lenses, both in rumoured wide and telephoto primes as well as the super-long zoom.
I'm pretty stoked about it. My reason is. The mount option change. For 250 you can change the mount. I still have the 500 Sigma 4.5 and the 300 2.8 prime and I do not get rid of them because of the terrible hit on the used market. I have them in Pentax mount and waiting for the next good camera from Pentax. If that is possible... ? I love the small and easy use of the lenses I have. I just do not have a camera to use them with at present.
If the new ones look very good I will dump my old Sigma gear and get the 800. I am lacking in that focal length now and would like to try it. I personally think it will come about. But then again I thought the 7DII would hit a year ago.. So not holding my breath.
Well, the actual cost will depend on the particular lens (and which market you're in even though they would send the lens back to the factory in Japan: here in Oz it's apparently closer to $500 per lens). But yes it does give you that little bit of extra comfort if investing in the new Global Vision lenses, that your investment can be transferred if you decide to switch camera system. Note the lens mount change option only exists for most of the new lens models: not the old ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Kinard
Mind you this is not really a feature for me other than a vague comfort. At the moment I feel I'm unlikely to switch systems in the foreseeable future.
So you have these lenses which you cannot use unless you buy a Pentax body? It seems like they have zero value to you at the moment, so anything you get for them on the 2nd-hand market would be a positive, no matter how much they cost you to buy new: it sounds like you've effectively had to write off that investment but you're still fighting the emotional attachment to the lenses by clinging to the hope that Ricoh will bring out a camera which will breath new life into them. :w3Quote:
I still have the 500 Sigma 4.5 and the 300 2.8 prime and I do not get rid of them because of the terrible hit on the used market. I have them in Pentax mount and waiting for the next good camera from Pentax. If that is possible... ? I love the small and easy use of the lenses I have. I just do not have a camera to use them with at present.
If the new ones look very good I will dump my old Sigma gear and get the 800.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Burren
I would love to have the option for a lens you could change the mount. Even if 500 dollars. Just me I guess but I will deffinately go for it if it comes about.
I don't have an emotional atachment to Pentax or the lenses. Personally I think of it the other way around. Kind of. If and when they come out with a newer and better body. And they will. It will drive up the resale value of the lenses. Just dollars and cents. But will buy the next camera that comes out and try it first. Very poor business to just dump something if you can hold on to it a few months and make more money IMO. It is a calculated risk I am willing to take. I looked at Ricoh books kinda and there business plan. And decided it was in my best interest to wait.
I had a BMW GS1200 and I was traveling never rode it. I tried several times to sell it with a horrible re-sale. The marked just crashed. I waited two years and sold it for what I paid for it 5 years earlier. My way of thinking anyway.
Hey David,
I have not tested the C 2-4 with the 1.4 built in.....but $10,000 difference in price?......I will never say that the other manufacturer lenses aren't good......but at almost 4 times the cost?.....most people who work for a living will be willing to live with your assessment of not feeling short changed with quality of the Sigma 120-300. For those of you keeping score.....my Sigma 300=800 and 120-300 has a better range than the Canon lenses mentioned......for a whopping $15,000 US less. I'll put my images up against anybody with that combo....any takers?
Fair enough. I missed that angle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Kinard
Not following Pentax's fortunes enough to have any feeling whether Ricoh will bring out an amazing camera body is part of it, but I suppose if you're looking to sell the lenses anyway you only hope for a decent body to improve your lens sale price rather than pinning hopes on a "great" body.
Well done, and good luck!Quote:
I looked at Ricoh books kinda and there business plan. And decided it was in my best interest to wait.
Indeed. I was working as the "birding/telephoto expert" beside the person who'll actually be writing the magazine article, and I remember at one stage looking at the 200-400 in my hands and commenting that it was a decent car or a deposit on a house that I was holding. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Roman Kurywczak
However in my experience with the Global Vision lenses (having calibrated my own and others' Canon/Nikon-mount lenses) if you don't calibrate the lenses (via the USB Dock, not just in the camera body) you may well be disappointed. I'm surprised Sigma doesn't do a better job of this in the factory, but happy that we have the facility to do it ourselves.
Hey David......I pulled both my 300-800 and my older 120-300 out of the box......no adjustments.......(the 3-8 is over 7 years old).....images are on bpn and my website......no disappointments for me. Maybe I was just lucky..........? BTW.....I am also using faulty/inferior Canon 1D Mark lll's for these tests........go figure. Anybody can write articles today......I will put my pictures with the Sigma 300-800 up against anybody.....with the inferior mark lll........how about you and the author/expert of the magazine article? I'm not a big fan of not naming sources. Put a link to a website or images using any of these lenses......then we will talk.
My 120-300 had significant front/back focus issues (except at 150mm, where it was spot-on across the distance range) and I spent a lot of time adjusting it via the Dock. Adjustments ranged from +8 to -11. When you look at a "focussed" target at 100% and then a properly-focussed target (and you see this comparison throughout the adjustment process at 16 points with the 120-300) the difference in sharpness can be striking. In the worst cases you can see that something other than the target is in focus, in the more subtle cases the subject just isn't as sharp as it could be.
At the end of the process I had a lens which focussed accurately all the time: the only times things were out of focus were due to my own errors in controlling which AF point was on which subject. I can't speak for your experiences with the older lens model, only for my own experiences. I got the calibration sorted before heading out to lead a 2-week workshop through Botswana, and the 120-300 was my primary telephoto for the trip.
Last week I used a second copy of the 120-300 to assist in the review (my own is currently with Sigma Japan for C&C after July's Botswana expedition) and found similar results. I didn't have time to calibrate it at all 16 points though before we took it and the Canon out to a nearby birding spot.
Apparently some time this week I get a third copy of the lens (I've been told Sigma is giving me a replacement for mine although I don't yet know why: it's on its way from Japan) and I'll then go through the full calibration again and will see how it goes.
The Sigma 35mm/1.4 lenses I've seen all also benefit from significant AF adjustment towards the far end. So it's tempting to suggest that all lenses will benefit from being checked...
Roman, I love the 120-300 (after calibration) and I have images from it that are earning money and winning awards (in a fortnight I'll find out if the judges at the APPAs like them as much as I do). I may share some of them on BPN but there's a limited amount of time in each day. But of course I'll only show you good images, so I'm not sure what you're being so aggressive about.
Said magazine article is apparently in the pipeline. Time will tell.
Hey David,
I did not intend to be so aggressive and for that I apologize! I have found that many times when people comment on gear they aren't even using the item they are commenting and just making statements. I can see in your case this is not so so.......glad you are loving the lens!
Yea, I bought a Sigma 300mm F/2.8 prime that could not be used for 6 months after I bought it. It was back focusing so bad it was useless. I had it shipped to Asia. And the international warranty was all but useless. Finally Sigma got a company to help me. Then they had to send a chip for AF adjust. Just a nightmare.
Kinda funny, I took it in to the guy to fix and after two days he called me and said. I cannot find a problem with it optically, but it is back focusing so bad I cannot use it on a camera????? duuu Never did fix the paint peeling off of the mount. Looks awful.
The Sigma 500 mm f/4.5 was spot on. Never had a problem with it. Both really good glass optically.
Very stressful!
