Using a 1.4X TC with the Sigma 50-500mm.

[glsammy]

I've always in the past said that any 1.4XTC with the Bigma doesn't work. Today I decided to give it a real test out and about instead of static tests in my back garden.
The weather conditions were ideal. Sunshine for most of the day, with occasionaly cloudy periods.
Here's some of the shots I got:











This last one of the Gull I found just about sums up the combo.

Most of the above shots I'm pleased with, I've got much more detail in these shots than I got when using the Bigma on its own. The Gull is just about the worst of the lot, due to excessive CA, which when viewed up close is quite severe. Of course I can remove this in software, but I've left it just to show how the lens truly performed.
I've never seen this effect with the Bigma on its own. It was also very evident on many of the background out of focus twigs on the Chiffchaff and the Spotted Flycatcher.
The only other problem I had was getting the focus right, but that's just my problem, not the setup.

Would I recommend using the two together? I've changed from a definite no way, to a sometimes!

You need excellent light, given that, with the right subject it can help bring out the detail in an image, but be aware of high contrast, you'll be working overtime in your favourite editing software removing all the blue/red/purple outlines everywhere!

[Ollie]

Looks like it can work in ideal conditions, problem is Graham how often do we get ideal lighting conditions. I would think it's worth carrying it in your pocket just in case for that shot that would be a no go without it. The two Chiffchaff shots are pretty good, were they cropped much if at all.
Roger

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by Ollie

Looks like it can work in ideal conditions, problem is Graham how often do we get ideal lighting conditions. I would think it's worth carrying it in your pocket just in case for that shot that would be a no go without it. The two Chiffchaff shots are pretty good, were they cropped much if at all.
Roger

Not much Roger, just a tad. I'm please with the detail on these, it is better than I got last time I was there, from the same spot. I'll certainly consider using it again, in similar conditions. If its not a bright clear day, it'll stay in the bag!

[ChasCreek]

I am still rather hit and miss with the 'Bigma' at full zoom and now tend to not go beyond 400mm with it if I want to be certain of shots so I don't think I would risk a tc as well at the moment.

Just shows though it not impractical to step it up further - just I think the sum of 'me + Bigma + TC would equal total frustration, rather than mild furstration at the Bigma (or my use of the Bigma) sometimes at the moment!

[John]

For me there is a soft look to all of them. Having said that you have still got images you may not have got without the 1.4.

I would have thought that the more you experiment with it the more in tune you will become with the combo and subsequent images will drastically improve. Seeing how your images have gone from when you started to how quickly stunning images were being captured I don't think that will be too long.

John

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by John

For me there is a soft look to all of them. Having said that you have still got images you may not have got without the 1.4.

I would have thought that the more you experiment with it the more in tune you will become with the combo and subsequent images will drastically improve. Seeing how your images have gone from when you started to how quickly stunning images were being captured I don't think that will be too long.

John

I don't think so John. I tried it again yesterday, the images were truly awful! Some of the worst I've ever taken with that camera.
Those images of the flycatcher were in just about ideal conditions, yesterday it wasn't and it really showed the weakness of the combination. I think I'll leave the 1.4X on the 150mm, where it works really well.

[Blackbrook Eye]

The Gull picture seems to sum up the results I have had using the 1.4 with the Bigma, and as I dont have any other Sigma lenses, and cant see me getting any in the forseeable future, I am seriously considdering parting with it, it has been lying in a spare bag with other stuff I rarely use, for ages, and the money would be handy toward upgrading to a 40d which I intend to do when I can raise the funds and pluck up courage. Any takers ?

[russj1975]

I thought about using a teleconvertor, but decided in the end to buy a longer lens and be done with it. I felt that if i had one it would be permanently fixed to the tele (already not particularly good quality), and if the magnification was too much i would just zoom out instead of removing it and the result would be a permanent degredation of image quality. If only lenses were not so expensive!!

I also think some of those shots are soft, to the extent that i first thought they had been artificially softened in photoshop.

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by russj1975

I thought about using a teleconvertor, but decided in the end to buy a longer lens and be done with it. I felt that if i had one it would be permanently fixed to the tele (already not particularly good quality), and if the magnification was too much i would just zoom out instead of removing it and the result would be a permanent degredation of image quality. If only lenses were not so expensive!!

I also think some of those shots are soft, to the extent that i first thought they had been artificially softened in photoshop.

I think your being far too kind!
The more I look at them the more I think they're terrible! Especially as conditions couldn't have been better.