Bigma

faulknerstv

8

17 Oct 2007 - 6:43 AM

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Am hoping to by this lens in the next couple of days, have seen it on camerabox. Has anyone had any dealings with this online store.

Thanks

Steve

Coleslaw (e2 Member)

7

23 Oct 2007 - 3:57 PM

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Bigma is sigma 50-500

Great lens. Not use camerabox before, so, can't advice.

bppowell (e2 Member)

11

23 Oct 2007 - 4:41 PM

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I have used this lens on the Olympus 510 for a couple of months now.

No real issues with it, the images do not seem quite has sharp than those using my Olympus 50-200 but the extra reach I have more than compensates.

I mainly use it on the extreme zoom end, I still need to fully test it on the other zoom ranges.

Have a look at the later images in my PF for examples.

Barry

oeildefaucon

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23 Oct 2007 - 4:53 PM

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I was thinking of buying the "Big Ma" , then I saw a review of the Tamron 200-500 and cannot make-up my mind .
In favor of the latter:
good optical performance for the range (less compromises)
I have all the focal lengths covered up to 300mm already ,and therefore do not need to go down to 50mm
And last but not least , the reviews of both lenses in a british mag. giving the Tamron as a better lens. Better sharpness , better contrast.
But I would prefer the comments of somebody who actually used the Big Ma ,reasoning that the lens got a nickname and a following for some reason.....

DerekL (e2 Member)

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24 Oct 2007 - 10:06 PM

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Just a suggestion, if you don't require the 50-500 range of the "Bigma", why not go for the Sigma 170-500?
Sometimes these can be obtained on E-bay for around £300 S/H. This is where I got mine from and I am more than pleased with it, especially when used around F7.1-8.0. For a sample shot see this link http://www.ephotozine.com/u31433/gallery/492241
Derek Lees

niceshot

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22 Nov 2007 - 8:43 PM

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hi kban...is hidigital.co.uk a uk company....i am in the process of getting one back from k.l..for £580.00..which i thought was really good

glsammy

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27 Apr 2008 - 10:33 PM

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Have a look at my Gallery. The vast majority were taken with the Bigma.

I've no experience of that company, but a general word of caution. Sigma UK will not repair under warranty any lens if you can't prove the import duties have been paid. Buying from on-line supposedly UK sellers usually means your buying a grey import, the detail is usually in the warranty. If the warranty for the Bigma is just 1 year, and with them, be very cautious.
If something goes wrong and that company goes out of business, how do you get the lens repaired?
You will also probably have a long wait as the company has to send the lens back to Asia for the repairs to be done.
I recently cancelled an order from Tekmo for exactly this reason.
If you don't think a repair is likely, my Bigma has had two repairs in the first 13 months. (Faulty HSM from new, and broken lens lock.)

DuncanH

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31 Oct 2008 - 10:49 AM

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I've had a bigma for about 3 years and a canon L 70-200 IS 2.8 with 1.4 extender for about a year, both mostly used on a 1Dmk11n but also on a 40D. Used for event work mainly sport.

Bigma pros
Range is great particularly for say kids football, can shot them other end of pitch or when they are treading on your toes.
Sharp images (don't know how different copies compare)
Price is excellent
Built like a tank, very solid.

Bigma cons
Doesn't focus as quickly as 70-200. Often can't find focus say if you were focusing close then you try to focus far away so i would focus on something close to wake it up. (this could be effect of smaller aperture at the 500 end). BUT I am comparing with a lens twice the price.
It is very very heavy and togs I've had working for me have found it difficult to hold steady but I can shoot at the 500 end at a 200th and not get shake. When I first got it after using it all day my arms ached but built up a few extra muscles within a few weeks
It's not waterproof, in a lot of rain it built condensation inside and was unusable till dried out, but what do you expect.
Needless to say the f2.8 (or f4 with a 1.4 extender) of the 70-200 is far better than the f4-6.3 but again your paying for it.

The above is how I've found it out in the "field", I've never done a technical comparison. In summary wouldn't sell it, nice to have a 50-500 lens to get me out of trouble but it does mostly stay in the boot of the car but that's because I need fast focus and 98% keeper rate. Don't know what you want to use it for but I've sold thousands of prints shot with it so would recommend it.