Posted on 03/03/2012 11:32:39 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER
It's a given in bird and critter photography that closer is always better but a big lens will work too.
This is a Sigma 400mm f5.6 in Minolta A mount. In this pic it's on my Minolta Maxxum XTsi but it also fits my Sony. On the Sony it is equivalent to 600mm.
This lens was made in the mid 80s but can pass for new, not a blemish on it anywhere.
pinglist
Looks brandy-new! Good luck with it...get out there and get some pictures of hummingbird tongues!
I've been unloading some stuff on Ebay so I can get some more stuff, LOL.
If I don't keep things moving this room would fill up and I'd have to sleep in the yard!
I have a couple of those old Sigma lenses. The APO version is even a bit better.
Also Tokina made a very fine 400mm f5.6 in all the popular mounts.
I also have a Tamron 200-400mm in Nikon mount and like it very much despite it usually being considered mediocre.
One thing to be careful about on these older lenses is they often have a bit of haze, sometimes not very noticeable until you view it just right.
Also a few scratches on the front or objective lens usually does very little harm and even that can be eliminated by running a fine black sharpie over the scratch. On the other hand, scratches on the rear element will harm the sharpness a lot.
Some of these Sigmas, the early ones, had to be rechipped to work on the later Maxxums, and the Minolta digitals and Sonys.. Sigma was doing it for free. This one seems to be out of a later batch.
Sigma made them in black, gray, white and green. The green ones are sort of putrid looking, really a horrible color, the white ones are known for flaking paint, so I was glad to find one of the gray ones. It's a nice dark charcoal.
Well, that’s nice but I expected a couple of bird pictures.
I saw a turkey the other day in an industrial section of Silicon Valley. If I had your camera, it would have made a snazzy picture. Instead all I had was a cell phone.
We got a flock that lives nearby, they cover a lot of ground too, we got mooing cows too in the hills.
The Great egrets are pairing off and starting to build nests and the other birds will follow soon. My Sony will be back from the shop next Tuesday, hopefully ready to go.
How wonderful!!!
I don't ever want to be reduced to watching TV.
Reach out and touch them critters!!
That’s just not right!!!
I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance he must have to carry for his livelihood. :)
7/30/08 - This is my prized case - it has all of my "prime" lenses (meaning non-zoom.) These are the sharpest lenses out there - and open up to f2 all the way down to f1.2 - you can shoot in incredibly low light and get images no one else gets. I'll try to bring this when I can - for special uses. I packed it in the waterproof case because I can stand on it if necc. and also lock it and leave it - with a chain of course. As I won't be using these lenses as much as my other lenses - but when I do, I hope to get images that stand appart from the rest. These are "my babies." Photo ©Vincent Laforet
Thank you for the education!
I have a ball head rigged to fit the handlebar on the scooter so I don't have to carry a tripod.
Awesome!!!! Cannot wait to see even more great pics that are yet to come :)
Have a wonderful time seeing what it will do my FRiend, and you can be sure we will enjoy you enjoying it ; }
Tatt
The 35-70 f4 was a Maxxum kit lens, lots of plastic but really good optics.
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