Will it disappoint me?

[Peter Ericsson]

I have a Canon 350 with a 400 F5.6. I need more reach.
Someone is offering me a Sigma 50-500 for 550US$.
I don't use tripod.
I need more reach from the car while working with waders and other open woodland birds.

Will the quality of the Sigma let me down when compared with the 400?
Should I work on my skills using the 400 with a TC1.4...the Sigma doesn't handle a TC.

Any other reasons why I should/shouldn't get the Sigma?

Peter

[chrisli]

Peter,, if you are talking about IQ, than the Sigma will not be comparable to the 400mm combo, I was think of it at one time do some research and also tried out the lens, it is quite soft at the 500mm end, it may be sharp upto 450mm. Secondly the lens is much heavier than the 400mm combo.

[Roy C]

Peter, if you are looking for more reach without shelling out for a Canon 500 f4 I would take a look at the sigma 500mm f4.5. I have seen nothing but good reviews on this lens and it apparently takes a 1.4tc very well. Cost more than the bigma but second hand ones can be found for £1200 - £1500.

I would not have thought that the bigma IQ (esp at 500mm) would be up to the 400mm f5.6. Also read somewhere that it is only a true 450-460mm anyway although not to sure on this.

[postcardcv]

I fear that the 50-500 may be a disappointment to you in terms of both AF and IQ as (from what I've seen) it doesn't match the 400 f5.6 in either of these things. That said it does depend what you want to acheive, the difference in IQ may well not notice much on web shots, but will show up if you are printing images.

Roy is right that the Sigma 500 f4.5 is a cracking lens and it works grat with the 1.4x tc (pins taped to retain AF), I used one with a 350D and was very happy with the results. But it is a big, heavy (~3.2kg) lens and you will need some support (tripod/monopod/beanbag) to get the best out of it. The 500 f4.5 got some coverage in this thread - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=115095 some sample images in there too.