Island Capture (aka Silverph or psilver)
Sigma 50-500 Action on the Field
Nikon Stunning Gallery: August 13, 2007
About the image:
We got so many action shots that day but I prefer this one since it did give a great perspective and composition, showing how high the bike was and the amazed crowd in the background. Again, i prefer shots that tells the whole story.
Not much editing done except for +11 on vibrancy slider. It just came out great for me.
Sigma APO 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG HSM
I initially bought this lens for shooting wildlife (especially birds) but I could not resist testing it during the Metro NY Balloon and Music Festival held last Saturday.
This is not a thorough review, there are tons of that already on the Internet.
This lens works great for its price! At a very wiiiide 50-500mm focal range (10x!), I expect it to suck (I couldn't think of a better word at the moment) at quality, but it didn't! However, I did have very high expectations on my lenses since I do own tack sharp lenses like the Nikon 70-200 VR f/2.8 and even the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and tamron 28-75mm f/2.8.
Please refer here for my first impression.
At more than 4 lbs.(lens only), this is definitely not for everybody. I did handheld it most of the time during the event and I got sore arms after that but I got great sharp images as well. As long as you have enough shutter speed, a tripod is not necessary.
I could have used a monopod not only to make it more stable and be able to use a lower ISO and shutter speed, but also to have a platform so that I can rest my arms once in a while but I did not bring it because I had a tripod with me which I intend to use when the sun goes down. There is no way I can use the tripod during the day since there was so much action going on at the same time and we had to move from one vantage point to the next.
A guy with a camera and monopod approached us after (I think) he saw us geting entangled with our tripods and he said that's the reason why he opted to bring the monopod instead. However, when the sun came down, we were glad we brought the tripod and got awesome slow shutter speed shots at night!
Going back to the lens, I seldom used it at 500mm since the event did not require it. If I did, hand-holding made it very shaky so I had to take a few more shots than required just to make sure the composition is just right and not off centered (like head getting cut off!) I'm so spoiled by VR lenses.
I did have too much range and I would have preferred to use my Nikon 70-200mm VR f/2.8 since that was lighter and the range is perfect for the event. The fast aperture also means I could throw the background out of focus and that would have saved a lot of my shots that day especially during the BMX event. There wasn't a clear shot of a clean background from our tall vantage point so even if my shots came out perfectly sharp and with action, I wasn't too happy with the cluttered background which I could have avoided at f/2.8 or so. I will mention is again, there is a reason why you pay more than double with those fast lenses!
Nevertheless, if I only had one lens to work with, the Sigma 50-500 works excellent! 50mm means I could shoot portraits and at 500mm, I can shoot the details on those monster trucks. HSM means it focused fast and accurate. The only thing that prevented it from working better for me is my camera! The Nikon D50 is such a beginner's dSLR that it sometimes slows me down with its simple capabilities. It IS a great camera but don't expect to use it for action shots!
For me though, I would prefer using two lenses on events like this. A 70-200mm and the 12-24mm preferably mounted on another body (but not necessary) for occasional wide shots but I prefer using a telephoto most of the time to isolate a scene I want to shoot.
the Sigma 50-500mm lens will remain as my wildlife photography lens which I did the next day. I'll write my insights on it soon.
Sigma 50-500 Action on the Field
Nikon Stunning Gallery: August 13, 2007
About the image:
We got so many action shots that day but I prefer this one since it did give a great perspective and composition, showing how high the bike was and the amazed crowd in the background. Again, i prefer shots that tells the whole story.
Not much editing done except for +11 on vibrancy slider. It just came out great for me.
Sigma APO 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG HSM
I initially bought this lens for shooting wildlife (especially birds) but I could not resist testing it during the Metro NY Balloon and Music Festival held last Saturday.
This is not a thorough review, there are tons of that already on the Internet.
This lens works great for its price! At a very wiiiide 50-500mm focal range (10x!), I expect it to suck (I couldn't think of a better word at the moment) at quality, but it didn't! However, I did have very high expectations on my lenses since I do own tack sharp lenses like the Nikon 70-200 VR f/2.8 and even the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and tamron 28-75mm f/2.8.
Please refer here for my first impression.
At more than 4 lbs.(lens only), this is definitely not for everybody. I did handheld it most of the time during the event and I got sore arms after that but I got great sharp images as well. As long as you have enough shutter speed, a tripod is not necessary.
I could have used a monopod not only to make it more stable and be able to use a lower ISO and shutter speed, but also to have a platform so that I can rest my arms once in a while but I did not bring it because I had a tripod with me which I intend to use when the sun goes down. There is no way I can use the tripod during the day since there was so much action going on at the same time and we had to move from one vantage point to the next.
A guy with a camera and monopod approached us after (I think) he saw us geting entangled with our tripods and he said that's the reason why he opted to bring the monopod instead. However, when the sun came down, we were glad we brought the tripod and got awesome slow shutter speed shots at night!
Going back to the lens, I seldom used it at 500mm since the event did not require it. If I did, hand-holding made it very shaky so I had to take a few more shots than required just to make sure the composition is just right and not off centered (like head getting cut off!) I'm so spoiled by VR lenses.
I did have too much range and I would have preferred to use my Nikon 70-200mm VR f/2.8 since that was lighter and the range is perfect for the event. The fast aperture also means I could throw the background out of focus and that would have saved a lot of my shots that day especially during the BMX event. There wasn't a clear shot of a clean background from our tall vantage point so even if my shots came out perfectly sharp and with action, I wasn't too happy with the cluttered background which I could have avoided at f/2.8 or so. I will mention is again, there is a reason why you pay more than double with those fast lenses!
Nevertheless, if I only had one lens to work with, the Sigma 50-500 works excellent! 50mm means I could shoot portraits and at 500mm, I can shoot the details on those monster trucks. HSM means it focused fast and accurate. The only thing that prevented it from working better for me is my camera! The Nikon D50 is such a beginner's dSLR that it sometimes slows me down with its simple capabilities. It IS a great camera but don't expect to use it for action shots!
For me though, I would prefer using two lenses on events like this. A 70-200mm and the 12-24mm preferably mounted on another body (but not necessary) for occasional wide shots but I prefer using a telephoto most of the time to isolate a scene I want to shoot.
the Sigma 50-500mm lens will remain as my wildlife photography lens which I did the next day. I'll write my insights on it soon.