SigGozilla ???

Constant f2.8 200-500mm APO !!!

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0703/07030805sigma200500mm.asp

 

 

 

Wooohoooo ....

 

Or should I call it SigGoz ?

500mm/f2.8 means a 178mm front element (500mm divided by 2.8) while a 200mm/f2.8 has a 71mm front element.

 

Forget about price and optical quality, any 500mm/f2.8 is just not very practical unless it is stationally mounted in some building or perhaps some truck.

Wow - not exactly a walk-around lens, is it? The 1.5 factor with the teleconverter is mindboggling.

I saw it named Sigzilla over on Nikon Cafe.

 

So I guess using it at the racetrack is out, huh?

I think that many wildlife shooters would welcome a good zoom with this type of range (especially if it had better IQ than their 50-500mm) but at f/2.8 its virtually usuable from a mobility standpoint. Th lens must be aimed at those who sit on the sidelines at sporting events, shooting sometimes with poor lighting.

mount it to a concrete block, put a blind around it and set up some feeders :)

"unless it is stationally mounted in some building or perhaps some truck."

 

Shun, Are you saying this thing needs its own observatory dome? :) or perhaps launch it in space to replace the Hubble.

 

I am copyrighting the term 'robo-pod' for the device needed to move it around in the field.

Greg, I have never owned any Sigma lens and this lens is not going to change that fact. Even though Sigma were willing to give one to me for free, I wouldn't use it. My 500mm/f4 is giving me enough trouble with air travel and hiking.

I guess, the next question about this lens will be: "Can anyone saw it in half for me? Can't stuff it in my truck" Ha-ha.. :)

Since a substantial portion of the successful images of pro football are taken with Canon 400 F2.8 lenses, I would think a 200-500 F2.8 would be fantastic. With the fixed focal length lens, you're stuck at 400. With the 200-500 Sigzilla, you can capture images over a larger area of the field. BTW my 300-800 Sigmonster is incredibly sharp at all focal lengths due to the use of ultra low dispersion glass.

As we can see, an idea of a pro-grade super-zoom was quite successful on the market, with Nikon's 200-400 and Sigma analogues, so its interesting - shall Canon give their response to all the latter's, or proceed designing fix-focal super-tele?

Nikon's 200-400mm/f4 AF-S VR is an excellent lens, even at f4. It is also a bit cheaper and smaller than the 500mm/f4 AF-S.

 

Sigma has not yet set the price for this 200-500mm/f2.8. I am not sure about its quality at f2.8; in case you need to stop down a bit, it would totally defeat the whole purpose for f2.8. Regardless, weight and size, and most likely price, are the main problems.

 

In sports photography, the photographer needs to be nimble and have quick reactions. Handling such a huge lens is going to be a problem. I wonder how many of them Sigma will be able to sell.

Thank you, Shun. Probably, this Sigma's optical monster is in a way a demonstration of the company's Hi-Tec skills, sort of a statement: " We CAN do this, and even better", like Nikon's legendary 300 2IF-ED, and, presumably, may not stay for long in production.