Sigma 100-300mm f4 EX IF HSM DG

[UPINSMOKE]

Has anyone used one of these for bird photography. I have a bit of spare money to by a new lens for my Pentax K10D. I was thinking of the Sigma 100-300mm f4 EX IF HSM DG, Or should I go for the Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG. As I am fairly new to bird photography i would value any input you could give me.

I am using a Sigma 28-200 Aspherical IF with a Tamron AF converter at the moment.

[GerryNick2]

You may well find that a 300mm focal length is a bit short for small birds unless of course you are able to get very close to them. You could of course add a 1.4 tele convertor which would give you a 420mm 5.6 lense, the downside here is you may notice a slight loss of image quality and experience some problems with AF under certain lighting conditions.

There does not appear to be many lenses in the 400mm range in a Pentax fit otherwise I would have recommended the 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 as an alternative. In the circumstances the bigma would be a good choice for birding, however, it is a very heavy lens which is something you need to take into consideration if you are looking to handhold. As can be seen in the Gallery it is capable of producing some very good images and is a popular lens.

I found that my Canon 70-300mm did not give me the reach for small birds and upgraded to the 100-400mm, whilst an improvement now considering the bigma or 150-500mm when it becomes available.

Gerry

[John D]

Originally Posted by UPINSMOKE

Has anyone used one of these for bird photography. I have a bit of spare money to by a new lens for my Pentax K10D. I was thinking of the Sigma 100-300mm f4 EX IF HSM DG, Or should I go for the Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG. As I am fairly new to bird photography i would value any input you could give me.

I am using a Sigma 28-200 Aspherical IF with a Tamron AF converter at the moment.

Hi, I have the Sigma 100-300mm f4 EX IF HSM DG lens and use it with a Sigma EX DG 1.4Xtc. I find it to be a very good combination. Until very recently I used it with a Canon 400D now have a 40D.
I have been using it for around 18 months and have a number of images on 'the Gallery'. (search John D)
It is not so heavy as some alternatives,has constant length throughout it operation, works very well with a 1.4Xtc,has internal focus and is fairly well sealed against ingress of dust.
The lens with the tc gives 420mm or the equivalent of 672mm on a Canon 400/40D when the crop factor is taken into account.
Yes I like most would like a 500mm or better still a 600mm prime but who wouldn't.
I can recommend the 100-300mm and 1.4tc.
John D

[glsammy]

The 100-300 is one of Sigma's gems, in fact the general opinion of most reviews I've read, and I've read many, is that it's one of the sharpest lenses around. Johns Gallery is testament to the quality of the lens.