Wildlife lens help

[Legion]

Ended up getting the Sigma 150-600mm C, tried the Sport and Nikon 200-500 in a shop, couldn't find a Tamron in a local store though. Sport too heavy for strolling about as you said, Nikon was nice but images didn't look any different to the Sigma C to my eyes and the Sigma AF was little snappier, plus the Sigma is about £450 cheaper!

Very happy so far, some images from the first 2 days are in the bird thread.

Nice! You will enjoy that. I have heard great feedback from owners of that one.

 

[WarrenB]

Nice! You will enjoy that. I have heard great feedback from owners of that one.

Very happy after 2 days of ownership, got the USB dock and 1.4x converter in the deal.
The 2 custom settings via the dock are useful, set one for fast moving stuff and one for more sedate shots! Haven't messed with the focus adjustments yet, seems to be fine but I'll do some test shots on a tripod over the weekend.

The Sigma 1.4x converter works great with it, lose a little AF speed and few stops on the aperture, but still pretty impressive results, might even improve once I check the AF properly.

 

[Legion]

Very happy after 2 days of ownership, got the USB dock and 1.4x converter in the deal.
The 2 custom settings via the dock are useful, set one for fast moving stuff and one for more sedate shots! Haven't messed with the focus adjustments yet, seems to be fine but I'll do some test shots on a tripod over the weekend.

The Sigma 1.4x converter works great with it, lose a little AF speed and few stops on the aperture, but still pretty impressive results, might even improve once I check the AF properly.

You should only lose about one stop of light with that converter.

 

[WarrenB]

You should only lose about one stop of light with that converter.

Looks like it's f6.3-9 with the converter, so 2 stops wide open and 3 stops when zoomed out, needed an iso bump to keep a decent shutter speed.

 

[Shutterbug57]

It's been a while since I've dabbled in photos, but I remember disliking Tamron quality. You'll have a hard time beating Nikon quality with other brands, and the converter turns 400 into 560. As long as the speed works for you, I'd stick with Nikon quality. Just my opinion. But in the end, the wallet tends to speak loudest.

Back in the day, you are right the Tamron gear left something to be desired. Their new gear, particularly the G2 line is absolutely pro-level gear.

 

[Legion]

Looks like it's f6.3-9 with the converter, so 2 stops wide open and 3 stops when zoomed out, needed an iso bump to keep a decent shutter speed.

I might be wrong, because I don't have one near me right now, but my memory is that that lens has a max aperture of f5-6.3 without the converter. So if it is going down to f6.3-9 when the converter is on, that is only ~ 1 full stop loss.

The rough rule of thumb with converters is a 1.4x costs you a stop, 2x costs you two.

The numbers get a bit confusing with modern cameras that let you change your aperture in 1/3 stop increments.

 

[WarrenB]

I might be wrong, because I don't have one near me right now, but my memory is that that lens has a max aperture of f5-6.3 without the converter. So if it is going down to f6.3-9 when the converter is on, that is only ~ 1 full stop loss.

The rough rule of thumb with converters is a 1.4x costs you a stop, 2x costs you two.

The numbers get a bit confusing with modern cameras that let you change your aperture in 1/3 stop increments.

View attachment 907536

Yep your right, I wasn't counting full stops

 

[lassmanac]

when I shot Nikon, I had a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and a 1.4x converter. It servered me very well until i switch brands. It had decent reach and produced great images with very little, if any, aberration.

 

[MarkM10431]

Glad you like the Sigma. I may be in the market for one myself, if i can stay away from my Omega aquisition syndrome

 

[WarrenB]

Glad you like the Sigma. I may be in the market for one myself, if i can stay away from my Omega aquisition syndrome

I had my eye on a used Speedy in nice condition in a local shop, but decided to replace the glass I sold a while back, the sensible choice won in the end!