Sigma 500mm f4.5 - Nikon help.

[wizzo]

P.s Shagbat....love the name! Is that a real species of bat??

[Tobyh]

I got myself a Manfrotto 393 head to go with the 500. It's a cheaper option than the true Wimberley but can assure you it easily manages the weight. You can move the camera around with one finger without worrying about it suddenly collapsing to one side (ala ball head).

I've only had it a few weeks and still getting used to it. Again, weight is an issue for some but I'm certainly happy with mine.

It's listed as a large lens head for a monopod but works very well on the tripod.

When I finally get round to doing a writeup on my gear for my website I'll be sure to include it.

TobyH

[momji1971]

Hi Toby, thats exactly the gimbal I was talking about. The other plus about the 393 is it has a safety catch as well as the locking mechanism so your lens can't slip off due to human error.

Doesn't look as fancy as the Wimberley but sure does the job. (Toby, like the new hare images on the site by the way)

Shagbat,

Well worth asking and ringing around shops to see if anyone is selling a used tripod. If you find one, mention it bakc on here, I'm sure one of us will have heard of it and give you an unbiased opinion.

regards.
stu.

[shagbat]

Originally Posted by wizzo

P.s Shagbat....love the name! Is that a real species of bat??

Hi Toby,
Aimlessly playing on the net, I came across the WW11 rescue/anti uboat,
aircraft, the Walrus.
Apparently, shagbat was the flights crews' nickname for this kite.
(how affectionate it was I dont know).
I liked it too!
s

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by Tobyh

I got myself a Manfrotto 393 head to go with the 500. It's a cheaper option than the true Wimberley but can assure you it easily manages the weight. You can move the camera around with one finger without worrying about it suddenly collapsing to one side (ala ball head).

I've only had it a few weeks and still getting used to it. Again, weight is an issue for some but I'm certainly happy with mine.

It's listed as a large lens head for a monopod but works very well on the tripod.

When I finally get round to doing a writeup on my gear for my website I'll be sure to include it.

TobyH

I agree I bought this head for my Canon 500mm f4 and although I haven't fully got used to it yet it is a great piece of kit that is well capable of supporting the big lenses either on a tripod or monopod.

[momji1971]

Hi Roger/Toby,

Had mine for about two years. Do you use yours up (like a giant o) or down like a u in a u?

regards.
Stu.

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by momji1971

Hi Roger/Toby,

Had mine for about two years. Do you use yours up (like a giant o) or down like a u in a u?

regards.
Stu.

Hi Stu. I have tried both ways but I prefer the down like a u. Although it's perfectly secure either way I always have that doubt in the back of my mind that when it's suspended in mid air as it is in the up like a giant o positoin if anything went amiss it might end up on the deck.

[momji1971]

ha ha, thats exactly why I use it that way too!

Thanks Roger.

regards.
Stu.

[Tobyh]

Down for me too Stu. I can't see why I would want it the other way..so far..

TobyH

[thornlv]

I know its an old thread, but I can offer some info on the above as I have had many of them.

The 393 head handles the weight as well as its more expensive counterparts and is as easy to move around. Whilst the vertical movement can be 'locked' the horizontal can not be, however you can set the 'friction' on both planes so after finding the ideal centre of gravity the lens is you can set both planes so you can move it to whatever setting suits you and the lens being used, ideally you want it to stay wherever its moved to without sagging. I am pretty sure there could be a way to lock the horizontal and shall be looking into that in the future.

The 150-500 OS sigma is a damn good lens for its price, especially with having Optical stabilisation included which is worth a stop or 2. However, it is only at its sharpest at around 400mm and at 500mm it tends to 'breath' on its true focal length at targets at shorter distances (which tends to be around where I want to work for passerine subject), by this I mean 500mm is really at 420ish at these focus distances, indeed my Nikon 300mm F4 witha 1.4 TC (420mm) produces images of the same subject at same distance equaly, ie the subject is the same size in the frame on both lenses.

As for the TCs, the Kenko 1.4 Pro 300 allows AF on apertures below 5.6, AFs ok above that with good lighting and contrast and gives correct exif data. The 1.5 I found problematic and does not report exif. Using TCs on Zooms degrades the IQ more than it would on Primes so I would say the best setup would be the Sig 500mm 4.5 and the kenko pro TC.

ps: I have the 150-500 for sale if anyones interested.