PMA 2007: Sigma has today announced one massive beast of a lens; the APO 200 - 500 mm F2.8 EX DG. This lens is stated by Sigma as being the worlds first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers an impressively fast F2.8 maximum aperture through its range. The lens also features and LCD panel with a readout of focal length and subject distance. If 500 mm isn't enough reach a dedicated 2x Tele Converter is supplied with the lens as standard and changes it into a 400 - 1000 mm F5.6. Combine that with a typical APS-size 1.5x FOV crop on a digital SLR and you've got either 300 - 750 mm F2.8 or a 600 - 1500 mm F5.6 (better have a good tripod). No news on price, availability or weight yet.

Here's the link to this badboy!

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0703/07030805sigma200500mm.asp#press

I'll have to check with my Chiropractor and banker but I don't think either one of them will let me have one of those Big Boys!

Best regards,

Dick:)

Good gosh and just when I resigned myself into I wasn't going to be able to resist the new MKIII....

Yeah......I was thinking I would have to start working out. Guess I can buy this and combine my workouts with my nature hikes...LOLOL!!!

Sigma Body Building Program.

Roman

This lens should weigh about 11 kilograms.

Hey Kenny,

Thanks for the response. 22 pounds? That is a ton of weight - though I guess it is to be expected. I really wish that Canon would start producing more DO lenses as this is where you would really start seeing useful weight savings.

Still, you have to give Sigma credit. This is really quite ambitious. I wonder what they are planning on charging for it.

James

i am going to go out on a limb here & say that my guess is somewhere near the $15,000 range - but i might be still low.

jp

ps - for what it's worth, when i 1st saw this, i had to wonder if it was even real. had the look of one of those hoax kind of feel to it.

Hey JP,

It is interesting that you say that. It definitely seems to be one of those products that is going to be difficult to envision. I just cannot imagine how they are going to produce a zoom of that size that will be vaguely portable without having your own caddy...or worse, have to check in at the airport.

James

Hey Richard,

That would be very funny if it weren't true. LOL, when I saw this, I honestly almost fell off my chair. Where did you find an elephant in the Smokey Mountains?

James