After much deliberation (prime over zoom) I've decided to save my loonies (that's Canadian dollars) for the Sigmonster, the 300-800mm zoom. I think the clincher was some shots I saw on another forum by a Filipino member who has posted some amazing images with his Sigmonster, full out at 800mm, with a 2x, etc. Just spent two weeks in Florida, mostly hanging about Ding Darling, with my Bigma (50-500mm) and a 2x always on, but felt the extra reach would have come in handy with some of the warblers and other songbirds. Also, I really enjoy shooting the smaller birds, so the Sigmonster would be a nice fit.
Why not a prime? Well, I feel the Bigma is an excellent lens at 500mm, and pretty workable at 1000 with the 2x. The next step would be a 600mm (Canon) plus TCs, but that still would only get me to 1200mm. The Sigmonster's reach with a 2x is 1600mm.
And cost is also a factor. In Canada, the 600mm Canon goes for about $11,000 (before taxes), while the Sigmonster cashes out at about $6,200 (before taxes).
And it also has the zoom, which I find more practical for the type of bird photography I do. So many times, I see fellow photogs with primes having to back up or close in on a particular bird (because of the fixed focal length), while I stand and rotate the zoom ring.
cheers,
jim
|