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BUYER BEWARE! After hearing of an aquaintance buying one of these in Dec 2010, I decided I wanted one. In 2011 I won 3 on Ebay. All were listed as having CLEAN GLASS. Two said NO HAZE OR FUNGUS. All 3 came with a hazy fungus infection on the same interior glass element. Let me say that I bought one of these new from Adorama in the 90s. This was a well-made, good performing lens while Sigma was still making them. After my experience last year, I contacted the guy who bought his in 2010 to ask how he liked the one he got. He told me he no longer had it because it arrived with a fungus infection. Once again, this lens was a great performer in its day but perhaps it does not keep well. Ask the seller about the interior glass. Many photographers on the net will tell you that a lens infected with fungus can infect and ruin the other lenses in your camera bag. If you buy one be sure to check it thoroughly as per the excellent Ebay guide: http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Detect-Flaws-in-Used-Camera-Lenses-on-Ebay_W0QQugidZ10000000001005542 If you do get a fungus-free one, you will find that it is a sharp lens with very good contrast at all apertures. Understand that Sigma made 2 versions of this 72mm filter-size lens--APO and DL. Both were good, the APO had better glass elements for a bit more money. At the same time that Sigma was making them, Tokina also made 2 versions of this lens--SD and ATX. ATX was comparable to Sigmas APO, SD to Sigmas DL. I have both the APO and the ATX versions and did a side-by-side test with my D700 on both lenses using lens-testing charts. Both tested very well, autofocusing quickly and giving sharp, contrasty images. Just for the record, the Tokina is 1oz lighter, almost half an inch shorter and focuses much closer(96in vs 158in). The tripod collar knob on the Sigma is larger and easier to adjust. The telescoping hood on the Sigma is VERY loose(have seen this on 4 others as well) and slides out whenever the lens is pointed down. On the Tokina, the hood stays in place and feels much better made. Both are excellent lenses for very little relative cost for the digital shooter today. For birders and wildlife shooters, for horseracing or sailboat racing shots, for images at the ballpark or from the sidelines of your children's soccer match either lens will get you close, sharp images even wide open. Just remember to test it thoroughly on your camera if you buy one. All these lenses (APO-ATX-SD-DL) went out of production at the end of the 1900s. I had to send my Tokina back to Tokina for re-chipping when I moved up from a D80 to my D700. Cost was $70.00 but now it works beautifully.Read full review
This is the 1st version of the APO 400mm AF lenses. They also made a macro version, and later an HSM version. This is the version with 72mm filter size. I am using it with a D300 and I must say I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of the images. This is not a lens for fast moving subjects, sports, birds in flight etc, as the focus speed is not the fastest, although it is really not too bad considering it does not have an internal focusing motor. It will hunt for focus in low light. Manual focus is difficult as it is very loose feeling, perhaps that is just this lens. This is definately an "Old School" lens, and you must live within its limitations to get acceptable images. If you are willing to either use it on a tripod or shoot at high enough speeds to eliminate camera shake then you can get some exceptional images. It is pretty hard to hold steady due to the size. Best on tripod or at least a monopod. The lens is super sharp even wide open, and has a beautiful bokeh at f5.6. One drawback is the minimum focus is 15', so definately limited in that respect. Great lens for the zoo and wildlife. If you can find one of these or better yet the HSM version, then I would recommend going for it. There are not many other options for 400mm without taking out a mortgage to pay for it. Just remember to use it correctly and you should be happy.Read full review
I bought Sigma APO because I was curious about APO lenses and wanted also to improve my wildlife photography. I use the Sigma APO 400mm f/5.6 Lens For Nikon on a D1X with great results. The 1.5 crop factor effectively turns the lens into a 600 mm. The shutter speed is always set to 1/650, to assure sharpness. I primarily photograph Birds and Butter Flys. In fact, I find my self using the APO more than my 200 mm Micro Nikkor. The APO has a longer reach. An extension tube set turns the lens into a sharp APO Macro lens of sorts. Also, color really pops, as you would expect with an APO lens.