GigaLens :eek:

[Dr Mordrid]

Just a quick pic of the SIGMA 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG.

Just $22,049 USD at B&H for the base lens, $35,000 list with a 2x tele-extender

I'd love one, but would have to put up an addition to house it

[mmp121]

Is that a sigma in your hand or are you just happy to see me?!

[KRSESQ]

No wonder it's so expensive: it's an autofocus.

At that price you'd think they'd throw in the $5.95 microfibre cleaning cloth for free.

Kevin

[Fat Tone]

Who needs Hubble now?

[VJ]

No wonder it's so expensive: it's an autofocus.

My guess it is that it is more caused by the constant f/2.8 aperture... Making lenses with such large diameters is expensive... The 300-800 f/5.6 by Sigma is also an autofocus, and costs "only" $9900.

[IM_Riktar]

5 figure price tag and no image stabilization?

Well at least they dropped the price from the original $25,000 at B&H.

Even if I could afford the price tag, I don't think I could get back in shape to wield something like that. The dude in the picture looks to be struggling a bit to hold that monster.

Kind of makes the "Bigma" (50-500mm) lens look positively portable, huh?

And now I have something to throw at the wife: "Well it's cheap compared to this" kind of argument on my next lens purchase.

[Brian Ellis]

15.7 kg makes it transportable, if not exactly for hand-held photography, but this includes the auto-focus battery and motor.

On my Nikon, the focussing and aperture motors are in the lenses. I paid about $120 from B&H for my superb 55-200 mm lens AF/AE/VR lens, so I doubt whether the big bucks is in the motor. To obtain f2.8 at 500 mm requires the front element to be ~200 mm diameter and it is probably aspherical which would make it a right bugger to grind. A Schmidt mirror lens combination would be smaller, lighter and cheaper but I don't think you could get a 2½:1 zoom ratio on such a device, more a fixed focal length. I think the modern ones can give refractive lenses a run for their money.

[VJ]

On Nikon, the AFS lenses have integrated focus motors, whereas the AF lenses work with the screw-system. My sister-in-law has a superb 80-200 f/2.8, but it focusses slow as it has no internal focus motor.

[Dr Mordrid]

I'll stick with my mirror lenses.