sigma 50-500mm

really fancy one of these , can anyone tell me if they are ok , performance wise etc.

Hi there

I used this lens for a long time, and I enjoyed it. I had the older model, which isn't quite as good performance wise as the newer one. The newer one is superior to the 150-500mm, but it's also more expensive, and I don't find it's actually good enough to warrant the extra money - so when I 'upgraded' from my old 50-500mm, I went with the 150-500mm instead. It's easier to handhold as it's a bit lighter and it's really nice and sharp too. I prefer it generally - so it might be an option for you too.

If you do a tag search on here for both 150-500mm and 50-500mm you'll see a lot of my shots taken with both, and they might give you an idea as to what they are both capable of
xx

thanks very much for your input , will check out your pics.

cant find the article now but I read that the Sigma 18-250mm super zoom with a x2 convertor was a better jobby than the 50-500 remembering that with half size sensors your looking at 27-375mm and doubled with a convertor ,may be worth looking at.

by the way novembers Practical Photography (free with Digital Photo) has a superzoom test article

I could be thinking of the wrong lens here cakey but if you mean the Sigma Telephoto zoom lens - 18 mm - 250 mm - F/3.5-6.3 then a X2 converter isn't really an option as you'd be up over f12 at the long end resulting in no autofocus and so little light that shutter speeds would have to be so slow.

The general rule with any teleconverter as soon as your maths goes past f5.6 then you're onto a looser.

Realistically - X2 converters are for f2.8 lenses whereby they become f5.6 and autofocus can be retained. This is why so many people choose the flexibility of a 70-200mm f2.8 lens with a X2 converter rather than a dedicated 400mm lens.

X1.4 converters are far more popular as you can use them with f4 lenses also making them f5.6.

Part of the attraction of Canon 1D bodies is that they can retain AF up to f8, allowing you to use X2 converters on f4 lenses and X1.4 converters on f5.6 lenses.

yes thats the one Phil ......came second in the superzoom test looks like a good lens but as you say with the converter would be pretty useless

A good way to find out about a lens, is to type in its name into flickr groups. There is usually a group displaying images taken with the lens, might help with the decision making process.