# Bigma - My experience & thoughts



## rip18 (Sep 20, 2010)

I had the chance to use a Bigma for a little over a week this past summer, and I'd promised to share what I thought, so here it is...


INTRODUCTION
I thought I’d share my recent experience with the Sigma 50-500 (affectionately known to many as the “Bigma”).  I went on a week-long wildlife photography trip to Minnesota with our friends Cathy & Gordon Illg.  There was a LOT of on-line imagery available from this location, and I was able to look at a lot of EXIF data from those shots.  Apertures used for shots that I liked ranged from f/6.3 to f/18, and lens lengths ranged from 85 to 500 mm.  I certainly had this covered with a combination of my existing lenses.  However, not very many shots needed the length of 400 or 500 mm.  And changing lenses in a fast-paced wildlife shooting environment has caused many missed shot opportunities in the past.
After careful thought (and consideration given to the thought of flying WITHOUT having to carry a big lens) (and consideration given to several friends’ recommendations who had shot with this lens in the past), I rented a Sigma 50-500 (without VR) from Lens Rentals dot com for two weeks.
Of course I was out of town when the lens arrived, so it sat at Fed Ex for 5 days while I itched to try it out.  Once I got it, I looked it over carefully, packed it in a bag, and took it with me while I went to work on a property in northern North Carolina.  As I was leaving the property that day, I got my first chance to test the lens – a young woodchuck was standing on his hind legs sniffing of some purple asters right in front of my truck.  I quickly took off my short lens, dug the Bigma out of my bag and attempted to put it on my body.  It wouldn’t go on!!!!   Yikes!!!  I’ve put a Bigma on that same body before when we’ve had clients shooting in the bird blind, so I knew it should go.  I looked at the mount, yes it looked like a Nikon mount, but it wouldn’t go on!  What a pain!
By this time, the young woodchuck was LONG gone!  I continued to wrestle for a moment, and decided to try it on my D70.  It went on like a champ!  I tried the D3 again – no go.  It took me a moment to figure out what was different, and it was the Arca Swiss plate that I had put on the lens foot that was causing the problem.  It stuck back far enough that it wouldn’t let the D3 turn to lock onto the lens, but with the smaller D70, it was no problem.  I dug out my Allen wrenches, remounted the Arca Swiss plate a little further out, and no problem from then on!  I took a few shots of indigo buntings & mourning doves on power lines, and saw that the lens was functioning like it should!
I then packed everything for the plane trip north.  We carried a pair of ad 28-80 mm,  70-300 mm, an 80-200 mm, and the Bigma (50-500 mm) along with a 1.4x and a 2x teleconverter for our  “long” lenses on this trip (plus 37 pounds over shorter lenses, tripods, & other gear in a checked bag).  It sure was nice not having to “push” the carry on baggage limits to carry a 400 mm and a 600 mm (I carry one and my wife carries the other) when we boarded the plane.   It was also nice not having to carry the full-sized Wimberley gimbal head for the tripod in checked baggage as well.  (Of course we carried enough other “odd” photo and outdoor gear that the Department of Homeland Security checked our bags going and coming anyway… ).  
Once in the north woods of Minnesota, I started out using the 80-200.  But when I needed a longer lens, I went to the 50-500 and kept it on for most of the rest of the trip.  Yes, there were times I went to the 80-200 (or even a shorter lens), but I kept coming back to the 50-500.  At times, I switched between trying to shoot a song sparrow feeding young or a red-winged blackbird on a perch over a nest right back to shooting deer, foxes, or other wildlife within 5 seconds – no lens change needed! 
I used the 50-500 on a Really Right Stuff ballhead on a tripod, on a Wimberley Sidekick gimbal mount atop the RRS ballhead, handheld, and on a beanbag.  Handheld was the most flexible (and tiring), but in the late afternoon & early morning, a tripod or other support was needed badly at longer focal lengths.  The Sidekick/ballhead combination worked well, except when I changed lens lengths significantly after balancing it for a given lens length.  The ballhead alone didn’t work that well for me.  Using a big beanbag out the truck window worked just fine.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Just for grins & giggles, I looked up the technical specifications on the Bigma and the 3 lenses of mine so that I could compare their “reach out & get ‘em” capability and their length/weight.

Magnification on a full frame camera body
Bigma 50-500 – 1x to 10x
400 f/2.8 – 8x
80-200 f/2.8 – 1.6x to 4x
600 f/4 – 12x

Maximum Aperture
Bigma 50-500 – 22
400 f/2.8 – 22
80-200 f/2.8 – 22
600 f/4 – 22

Minimum Aperture
Bigma 50-500 – 4.5 to 6.3
400 f/2.8 – 2.8
80-200 f/2.8 – 2.8
600 f/4 – 4

Minimum Length
Bigma 50-500 – 8.6 inches (at 50 mm, it is ALMOST twice that long at 500 mm)
400 f/2.8 – 14.5 inches
80-200 f/2.8 – 7.4 inches
600 f/4 – 17 inches

Weight
Bigma 50-500 – 4.3 pounds
400 f/2.8 – 10.2 pounds
80-200 f/2.8 – 2.9 pounds
600 f/4 – 10.7 pounds

Minimum Focusing Distance
Bigma 50-500 – 19.7 to 70.9 inches
400 f/2.8 – 110.4 inches
80-200 f/2.8 – 58.8 inches
600 f/4 – 220.8 inches

The technical specs were pulled off the Sigma & Nikon web sites; the exact specs on my gear are a little different because I’ve changed the lens mounting foot on my 400 f/2.8 and put camouflage material on both of my lenses, but they’re pretty close.
Even though many people complain about how big & heavy the Bigma is, I found it to be a small & convenient lens compared to the “big glass” in my bad.  The Bigma is about the size of my 80-200 in length and weight, but has more versatility in some respects.  What the Bigma lacked was a wider open aperture that would reduce the importance of things in the background at times and (perhaps most importantly) allow for more rapid autofocus.  Autofocus speed is related to the amount of light that passes through to the sensor, so the wider the aperture, the more rapid the focusing potential.  

MY THOUGHTS

Cons:
Slow focus – The autofocus WAS slower than on my 400 f/2.8 or my 80-200 f/2.8, but with preplanning/prefocusing, I was still able to capture a shot of a quickly running mink and cougar using autofocus.   I would NOT want to use it for “snap” shots or for flight/running shots where there were gaps in the vegetation where I had to focus and get the shot.

Lack of “wide open” aperture – There were times that I would have liked to use a wider open aperture to isolate my subject more.  This lack of a wider aperture also caused to some degree the slower autofocus issue.  
The lack of a wide open aperture would REALLy bother me if I had an older camera body, but as long as I have a newer camera body with great high ISO capability, I'm fine using it.  I would have hated to have had to use the Bigma on my D70 where ISO 200 is as high as I'd go; however shooting it on the D3 at ISO 500 to ISO 1250 was fine.  Without a newer body, I don't think I'd have been pleased with the Bigma.

Changing lens length changed center of gravity – This one really bugged me.  I think all of my other variable length telephoto lenses that have a collar are internal focus.  As I changed lens lengths with the Bigma, it changed in physical length (much like the 70-300).  The difference in size and weight between those two lenses & the total length the Bigma extends results in a BIG change in the center of gravity.  So, if I had my camera body/lens combination balanced on the tripod head for a 500 mm shot, but then changed to a 150 mm length,  my lens wanted to point up.  Similarly, if I went from short to long, my lens wanted to point down.  A seemingly minor thing, but after having been able to balance “big glass” on a Wimberley gimbal head or even a ball head, it was very aggravating to me.

Lens attachment – The foot that was on the tripod collar for the Bigma only had one hole to attach to a tripod/tripod mounting plate.  Since the tripod heads that I was carrying (ball head and Wimberley Sidekick) both had Arca/Swiss mounts, I put an Arca/Swiss plate on it.  Since I knew: 1) that I’d have to adjust the lens back & forth a good bit to balance it and 2) that there were times that I’d want to attach an external flash bracket to the Arca/Swiss plate as well, I used an 8” Arca/Swiss plate (which caused my initial mounting problem with the groundhog).   If the tripod foot on a lens is over 3” long, and the lens is “heavy”, it should have two ¼” 20 tpi female holes to mount the plate with – especially if another 2 ½ pounds of flash accessories will be on that same plate.  The plate only slipped twice during the week, but that is two times too many as far as I am concerned.

Camouflage – I didn’t really need camouflage on the camera gear on this trip, but I didn’t feel comfortable camouflaging a rental lens (other than putting it in a shirt sleeve…).  If I was going to use this lens for waterfowl or turkeys, I’d sure want to break up that black cylinder as much as I could.  This isn’t a con of the lens, but more a con of RENTING the lens.

Pros:

Small size – While people talk about how big and heavy this lens is, the small size (to me) was GREAT for carrying on an airplane & for walking/hiking.

Finger grips on foot for “handle” – While I didn’t like only one mounting hole in the lens foot, really did like the finger grips in the foot for a more comfortable “handle”.

Extremely wide range of lens lengths (magnification) in one lens – I really liked the wide range of magnification in the one lens.  While I didn’t shoot it side-by-side with my other lenses at given lengths to compare it’s sharpness, it was sharp enough to produce images pleased me.

SUMMARY 
I wouldn’t want this to be my only “long lens”, but I’d like to have one for a “carry” lens.  That is, a lens that I could carry on a body in my truck, a long lens that is easier to carry onto a plane,  or a lens that I can carry on walk-abouts.  When I’m working out of my truck, I usually either have the 80-200, the 400, or the 600 mm lens pre-attached to a body & ready to shoot.  Unfortunately, I often have the wrong lens attached.  Sometimes  you need a 200 mm lens and sometimes even the  600 mm lens isn’t quite enough; having this lens would provide an opportunity to get shots that would otherwise be missed.  It would also be a good lens to carry to an event with my family.  Rather than having to change lenses  when alternatively wanting to take a picture of my daughter or a flying plane, I could just use the one lens.

Overall, I was happy enough that if I see a Bigma for a real deal, I'll end up owning one, just for those times when I need to travel lighter.  It'll be interesting to see how that compares to some of the Bigma owners' thoughts in this forum.


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## FERAL ONE (Sep 20, 2010)

i agree with your assessment rip.  not having a big glass i did not have anything to compare the auto focus but i can see where it is marginal , especially on small critters.  it does good finding an F18 or a F16 screaming across the sky though !  i don't have near the tripod you do, but my acratech ball head seems to hold it's weight well but i can still see a bit movement just from my hand on the camera with it.  i keep a plate on the foot and a plate on the camera just in case i swap to a lens without a foot.  i sold my 70-300 vr to purchase the 70-200 2.8 but i really would like to have another one of the 70-300 for lighter packing trips.  i do not mind toting big momma, even for longer distances because i use a cross shoulder bino strap on my rig instead of a neck strap. that would get old real quick if it was on your neck for long !  i like my big momma and while it may not be as razor sharp as a prime, it does a great job for me. i know i could produce a sellable image with it (if anyone ever bought my pics !)  the range to me is also outstanding  and having shot air shows with the 70-200, i felt lacking , i also shot with a 300 prime and clipped wings and props due to not being able to zoom out.   my bigma disclaimer is that, she is a light hog. get her in good light she will perform . if it is dark you better brace her good and keep your hand off the camera ( use the cable release)  it will satisfy 99% of the photogs out there and the other 1% can afford the 500 vr !!!   i would like to one day upgrade to the new model with the OS but like anything i will wait a bit to see more results !  good post brother !


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## Hoss (Sep 20, 2010)

Great review Rip.  I remember seeing a couple of shots that you took with it, but was wondering what your overall impression was.  I'm glad to hear you weren't disappointed with it.  
I'm pretty much in the same boat as Feral in that I don't have any long lens other than bigma so I can't make any comparisons.  I agree with the light hog issue, but I've managed to overcome it a bit since my Pentax has built in image stabilization.  A big plus with that lens and it lets me push the envelop a bit in low light.  Course that doesn't help much if you are trying to get a shot of something moving.  It is my carry lens most of the time just because of the range I can cover.  I've got a system where I can carry it mounted on a tripod with the tripod legs extended.  I have a strap that is  attached to the tripod that's over the shoulder and then the camera and lens straps around my neck.  The tripod legs extended balance it out so it carrys pretty well.  Just can't work in tight quarters too well.  A quick release on the lens lets me shift to free hand quickly if I need to shot in a hurry.  Course as you pointed out, you can't be in too big of a hurry with that autofocus, cause it's not fast.  Overall, for the price, I think it is a great value and provides lots of flexibility.

Hoss


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## rip18 (Sep 22, 2010)

Yep, y'all nailed it with the light hog.  That was the only time that I was really disappointed with it was late one afternoon when I saw a photo opportunity & ran out taking the Bigma to handhold (knowing that I didn't have time to grab a tripod because 1) I would lose 5 more minutes of light and 2) I wasn't sure that I could move a tripod through the brush without spooking the subject).  

Unfortunately, the photo opp that I missed was an amelanistic doe (completely white, but not albino) feeding two normally colored fawns.  I needed 400 to 500 mm, but most of the shots were blurry because of slow shutter speed.  If I had had my 400 f/2.8, I MIGHT have gotten a few more sharp shots...  (OR if I had a D3s...  ).


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## leo (Sep 23, 2010)

Fine Bigma evaluation and comparison, thanks for posting it.


BTW, got the Smokey Mtn. photo guide you recommended in late yesterday ... looks like it has some great info ..... Thanks


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## gregg dudley (Sep 23, 2010)

What does it cost to rent a lens like that?  How was the rental experience overall?


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## rip18 (Sep 30, 2010)

gregg dudley said:


> What does it cost to rent a lens like that?  How was the rental experience overall?



Right now, it costs about $100.00 for 10 days.  You can go to www.lensrentals.com and select a camera make to get a selection of lenses (& other accessories) that go with it.  Once you select the lens, then you see the pricing on a per day, per week, per 10 days, per month, etc...

Overall, the rental experience was really good.  Great communication from the company.  They actually sent the lens a few days early (on their dime, no extra charge) so that I could get used to it a bit before I really needed it.  Unfortunately, I was out of town for those two days, so it sat at FedEx.  The lens was in great shape.  Everybody I know that has rented from them has had a good experience.


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## gregg dudley (Oct 11, 2010)

Good information.  Thanks.


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## rip18 (Oct 12, 2010)

I wish that I had had a Bigma to take to Maine last month, but I was sure glad to have the 600 on that trip as well though.


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## FERAL ONE (Oct 12, 2010)

rip, i shot mine at a drag race sunday and the 70-200. i could really tell the difference in the auto focus speed but the reach was sure welcome. it isn't the end all be all, but it comes in handy from time to time !


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