Sigma 500mm f/4.5 EX HSM

[Tom Nolle]

OK Swampy, I heard your plea for a posting on images from the Sigma 500.

First shot, Queens Reach British Columbia coast, 1/750th second, f6.7 ASA 400, tripod shot from a moving ship.

Forgive the copyright notice; this is the only version of the file small enough to post.

[Tom Nolle]

Next post, Grand Teton NP. 1/750th second, ASA 400, f11, with 1.4x teleconverter (Sigma)

[Tom Nolle]

Here's a crop of the second picture. Both of the previoius are downsampled full-frame S2 outputs. This one is cropped and then downsampled to create a manageable post.

I've been very pleased with how well this lens works in tough field conditions, and particularly how nice it pairs up with Sigma's 1.4x converter.

[Swampy]

Thanks Tom- So yours is the prime 500mm Sigma? Not the zoom 50-500mm? Mine is the 50-500mm zoom Sigma EX.

[Tom Nolle]

Right, Swampy, mine is the prime. I got it in the fall of 2001, used it on a couple of film-camera trips, and then took it to Yellowstone for the first time with the S2.

The nice thing about it is that it's about a 1000mm with the 1.4 converter on the S2. You could not believe how far those darn bighorn were from the camera! I had no hope of getting a shot of them as they ran along the ridge, but I attached the converter and started following them. They all got to the rock shown, and lined up one by one.

Tom

[Swampy]

It appears to be a nice lens, just like the zoom cousin 50-500mm. I love that lens. Thanks for the great shots!

[Tom Nolle]

Thanks. I love this one, too. In fact, this was the lens that convinced me to buy a bunch of other Sigmas. All I use on the S2 are the EX series Sigma lenses. I have the 500 f4.5, the 70-210 f2.8, the 180mm macro, and the 24-70 f2.8. I also have the 1.4 and 2x teleconverters.

Late this fall I'm taking the whole shebang to Churchill for the polar bears. I did that trip in 2001 and had the 500 for it, but I was shooting film (being a "chemist" in my private vernacular). This will be the first trip I've repeated with digital.

I also used the 500 in Alaska in Katmai National Park for the brown bears. You probably figured out by now that I shoot primarily travel/wildlife stuff.

Tom