Sigma 50-500mm

[Gareth Forwood]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am still undecided at this point, but budget issues mean that I am probably leaning toward the Bigma rather than the Canon 100-400. This is mainly because of the 50mm range of the bigma which I think I'll find most useful. I've been reading plenty of reviews over the last couple of days which all say the image quality of the Canon is better than the Sigma, but with my level of camera skill I don't think it'll make much of a difference

Thanks again, and any more comments are def welcome!

[Krzysztof M]

Gareth, since you mentioned Ebay earlier you must be considering buying online? If so, Topbuy.com.au have it on sale now for AUD 1,599.

http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/v...idProduct=1688

They claim they have a warehouse here in Sydney so it might be possible to track them.

Quite an unbelievable price for this lens. Otherwise from a store in Sydney you're looking at 2,000. Which might be 400 more than the Bigma but I believe the image quality AND the image stabilization are worth it.

[NickN]

That's an amazing price for the Canon lens. Definately take it over the Bigma at that price.

[Gareth Forwood]

Originally Posted by Krzysztof M

Gareth, since you mentioned Ebay earlier you must be considering buying online? If so, Topbuy.com.au have it on sale now for AUD 1,599.

http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/v...idProduct=1688

They claim they have a warehouse here in Sydney so it might be possible to track them.

Quite an unbelievable price for this lens. Otherwise from a store in Sydney you're looking at 2,000. Which might be 400 more than the Bigma but I believe the image quality AND the image stabilization are worth it.

That's a crazy price!!! I've only ever seen it before for around the $2k mark, which is too much, but this brings it within reach of Sigma's price!!! Now it's game on

Has anyone used both lenses for aviation photography before? And does anyone know how much quality of the 100-400mm is affected by the 1.4x and 2.0x extenders from Canon?

[Andrew McLaughlin]

WARNING!

Be careful it's not a 'gray market' lens which means Canon Australia won't touch it under warranty if anything goes wrong!

I know not much does go wrong with L Series lenses, but you need to ask the supplier whether they're covered by a Canon Australia warranty and, if not, ask yourself whether it's worth the risk for the sake of ~$500.

There are online retailers of Canon lenses too. Here's a couple of links...

Quality Camera Sales - a bit expensive compared to others but VERY good service and ONLY sells Canon - http://www.qualitycamera.com.au/prod...&products_id=8

Cameras Direct - some gray market gear so best to check - https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/ind...6l-is-usm.html

DCW - again, some gray market gear here too, but they have a shopfront in Sydney - https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/ind...6l-is-usm.html

Have you considered a 70-200 f2.8L (non IS) plus a 1.4x or 2x extender? For a similar price you'll get far more flexibility!

Good luck.

[Nigel C]

Originally Posted by Gareth Forwood

And does anyone know how much quality of the 100-400mm is affected by the 1.4x and 2.0x extenders from Canon?

Although they probably wouldn't impact on image quality, I wouldn't bother with the extenders on the 100-400 for aviation photography. You'll find 400mm is generally plenty, and in fact many people quite comfortably get away with a 70-200. As Andrew said this also gives you more flexibility.

[Greg McDonald]

As Andrew said, the cheap Cannon lens is more than likely grey market. I checked the warranty on the site....its only a 30 day warranty.

[Adrian B]

Have a look at this search on Shopbot. They have several hits under 1700, some with 1 year warranty, and extended available. Whats the normal warranty on a bigma?

[Brenden S]

Try a combination of the Canon 17-85IS and 100-400L IS lens compared to the 50-500, you will notice a very big shift in quality. Yes the 50-500 is a very versatile lens, but its also a very slow lens. 400mm is plenty enough, especially at YSSY. I tried all sorts of different angles with my lens at 500mm and really doesnt do much at all. Your best off saving the extra coin and get the 100-400. I wish I had.

[Gareth Forwood]

Originally Posted by Greg McDonald

As Andrew said, the cheap Cannon lens is more than likely grey market. I checked the warranty on the site....its only a 30 day warranty.

They have an option to purchase a 1yr warranty for $69, but that isn't with Canon, it's with TopBuy and their repairers... whom they assure us are 'reputable'...