The Sigma Designs AF 400mm f/5-6 APO Tele Macro HSM Lens!
Written: Aug 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It produces excellent pictures and it is fast and smooth on performance.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: It is an excellent 400mm AF lens, I highly recommend it.
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| surferdude7's Full Review: Sigma 135-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 APO for Nikon |
This is a well-made and designed lens that gives you quick response and an excellent picture every time. I have used this lens at a couple of NASCAR races and it produces an excellent close up picture. I have used a 2x multiplier several times to get a closer picture and they are also clear and colorful.
I am not sure what the cost of the lens was, I got it from my late father. Dad and I both have Minolta Maxxum cameras, his was the 7000 and I have the 9000 Pro. My brother ended up with his camera and I ended up with most of his lenses since they fit both cameras. The Sigma AF 400mm lens that I have has the Minolta mount.
The Lens
The lens consists of 10 elements in 7 groups and for durability the lens has a scratch resistant ZEN finish incorporated in it.
The lens comes in an AF HSM Mount for the Sigma and Canon cameras only. The AF Mount is for the Sigma, Canon, Minolta, Nikon(D) and Pentex cameras. The HMS is for a HyperSonic Motor that is quieter and more responsive.
Macro is 1:3, this produces images at one-third the actual life size. 1:2 produces images at one-half the life size and 1:1 produces images life size.
It has a large 77 mm filter size.
It is a fixed lens at 400mm, a fixed lens can produce better results due to usually having closer focusing and larger apertures.
It is an APO lens that improves on quality, contrast and sharpness. APO lenses use an apochromatic design and SLD glass. (Special Low Dispersion)
The AF 400mm lens is 10.1 inches long and weighs a little over three pounds with a Built-in Lens Hood.
The lens is an AF (auto focus) lens and you can use it manually.
There is a tripod mount built on it.
Maximum Aperture: f/5.6
Minimum Aperture: f/32
Minimum focusing distance: 63.0 inches
Auto-Focus
Auto focus is just point and shoot. The Minolta does not have the HyperSonic Motor that is much quieter, you can here the lens as it is focusing automatically. The focusing sounds that the lens makes it not to loud or annoying.
The focusing is rather smooth and quick! The camera and the lens lock into your subject almost instantly.
The auto focus works great in the low light condition where a flash is usually necessary.
Manual
The lens can be used manually but I rarely use it that way.
To use it manually all I have to do is switch the camera to manual focus and the center ring moves freely for my manual adjustments. When the camera is in the AF mode the ring locks in place and will not turn.
My Use
I have used it at NASCAR races to get close shots of the cars and the drivers during driver introduction. During the race I will use it some and switch back to my 100mm to 200mm lens. The quality of the shots is always great.
Around the house I use it to get close shots of birds and squirrels. We have squirrels everywhere around the house that produce some nice pictures.
When using a tripod on the lens, it balances the camera and lens perfectly, it gives you the steady shot for shooting the birds and squirrels. Plus after a while the camera and lens has a tendency of feeling heavy, the tripod prevents this.
This is truly a great outdoor lens.
I generally use my telephoto lens most of the time, though it is nice to have a 400mm lens that brings the subject a lot closer to you.
When I use it out in public people just stair when they see the big lens, it makes me feel like a professional photographer, even though I know I am just an amateur.
Overall
Sigma produces a good quality lens at a much lower price that makes them affordable.
The lens is well balanced when handling it with the camera. You can tell when you use it because the weight of the camera and lens almost doubles over my telephoto lens.
There is a little knob on the lens to loosen the tripod mount so you can turn the tripod mount around the lens for special and difficult shots. In other words you can turn the camera on its sides or upside down.
The lens has a UV filter (Optional) on it and hard case with it.
The lens can be found for a price of about $644 and up.
I am very pleased with the performance of the lens and the quality pictures it produces.
Thanks Dad for the nice lens!
Recommended:
Yes
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surferdude7
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Location: Elizabethtown, Ky.
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