Sigma HSM lenses for Pentax K10D? (1 Viewer)

I will buy a dslr for fotographing birds, my Canon S2 is no longer enough for me. K10D seems to be the best cost effective choice, but there is an important problem: Sigma does not produce HSM lenses for Pentax yet. If you buy Sigma 50-500, you will have to use it without HSM. Focusing speed is very important for bird photos, so is the HSM feature.
Does Pentax plan to produce telephoto lenses with ultrasonic motors? I cannot wait for a year, if they will not, I will have to prefer a Canon or Nikon camera.

Bigma on Pentax

The only (minor) problem with Sigma 50-500 and K10D is the noise, not the AF speed. I own a K10D and I use quite often my Bigma with, with very impessive results. The only small annoyance I noticed is noise, which disturbs the birds, if they are too close - or too anxious about my presence.

My wife is using a 100-400 IS on a Canon 5D. When we try both difficult subjects (let say crag martins) we finish with similar percentage of acceptable frames. And mines are much closer (due to the crop factor). This also means that focusing is much more delicate, also ... And the small K10D copes quite well ...

Anyway, you cannot expect too much from a lens with 6.3 wide open apperture. With all kind of cameras, you will have a percentage of lost shoots, due to the lack of sufficient light on the AF sensors. This will be more evident on flying birds. For staying subjects, this is not a subject at all.

Of course, HSM would be a great gift, but even without, the birds accepts to be in the frame.

Regards

No camera system is perfect, deciding which features are the most important to you should guide you to the best purchase for your needs, and if your needs are for fast AF then you need Canon, end of debate!

I bought my K10D and the Bigma together just before Xmas, I did consider if Sigma would get round to producing a HSM version of this lens but decided that I too did not want to wait a year or even longer.

Bottom line is, Pentax is currently a little lacking in the speed of its AF system when compared to the likes of Canon or Nikon, but if you can live with the occasional missed shot the K10D will deliver images that will equal and even better its current rivals, and one more factor to consider, without spending lots of hard earned cash on individual IS lenses where else can you get a feature packed DSLR that lets you use a 500mm lens handheld, the lowest shutter speed I have successfully used with the Bigma at 500mm is 1/125th though I try to keep it as high as 1/180th for a higher success rate.