SIGMA APO 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM

800mm super telephoto lens

A review and photo examples of the SIGMA APO 800mm F5.6 EX HSM.

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Gallery

写真作例の撮影は SIGMA SD9

1．Overview

The SIGMA APO 800mm F5.6 EX HSM is a super telephoto autofocus (AF) lens made by Sigma that was released in 1999 and is compatible with 35mm format cameras.

It has a lens configuration of 12 elements in 9 groups, an ultrasonic motor (HSM), 9 aperture blades, an aperture value of F5.6, a minimum shooting distance of 7m, a weight of 4.9kg, and a tripod mount that cannot be removed.

Although there is no IF in the name, the lens length does not change during operation due to internal focus.

The compatible lens mounts for the non-DG version are definitely Sigma SA and Canon EF, but Nikon F is unknown, and no other mounts have been released.
The DG version with updated lens coating was released in 2005 for Sigma SA mount, Canon EF mount, and Nikon F mount, and in 2010 for Sony and Pentax.

Accessories include a case and a cylindrical hood (LH1571-01), and the list price is 750,000 yen (excluding tax).

2．Usage

I seriously considered buying the SIGMA APO 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM when I was photographing wild birds with the SD9, and used it for about a week with a connection to borrow it along with the 300-800mm zoom.

In conclusion, the 800mm was too heavy for my strength to shoot handheld in the field, so I bought the SIGMA 500mm EX DG HSM a little after trying it out.

As a result, I only used the 800mm and 300-800mm zoom when I borrowed them, and later, when I wanted to photograph hawks at Shirakaba Pass in Nagano, I didn’t end up buying it because I only use it a few times a year.

The 800mm prime lens is, of course, a clean, single-function lens, and it’s about 1kg lighter than the 300-800mm zoom, so if you’re only shooting distant subjects, this is the one to go for.

As mentioned above, the camera and the set weigh just under 6kg, so handheld shooting is difficult for frail people.

For the test shot, I used a large tripod, the SLIK Grand Pro CF-4. The camera and tripod set weighs over 10kg, so I drove the equipment to the port where the shooting was to take place and took the photos. The tripod mount directly attached to the lens rotates, but I did not shoot in portrait orientation with this lens.

Because the camera used for shooting was the SD9, I was left with the impression that the AF speed and focusing accuracy were on par with other Sigma lenses equipped with ultrasonic motors.

The SD9 and SD10 are equipped with a sports finder, which is a 35mm finder with the periphery masked to match the sensor size, and was useful when using this super telephoto lens because it allows you to see moving subjects outside the finder.

If you have a zoom lens in the EVF of a mirrorless camera, it seems possible to display a slightly wider focal length in the finder to check the subject while shooting at the actual focal length, so it might be a good idea for some manufacturers to implement this function.
I looked into it and found that Fujifilm has a function called “Sports Finder Mode”. However, this displays the actual focal length of the attached lens and the shot result is cropped. I would like a camera with a sports finder mode that allows shooting at the actual focal length, although it is limited to zoom lenses.

The lens structure of the 800mm prime lens is simpler than that of the 300-800mm zoom lens, and when compared under similar conditions, the resolution of the prime lens was naturally higher. This difference in resolution may be because zoom lenses are more sensitive to camera shake. Also, it is unfortunate that both the 800mm and 300-800mm zoom lenses have noticeable double-line blur depending on the background pattern and distance.

When the two lenses I borrowed arrived at my room by courier and I opened them, I couldn’t help but laugh. I remember taking photos with the lenses lined up, but unfortunately they are not coming out of the image archive on my hard drive.

Because the SD9 has a small sensor size, the focal length becomes a formidable 1,360mm when converted into 1.7 times the 35mm equivalent. Even so, it is difficult to capture a large image of a kingfisher on the opposite shore, making bird photography a difficult genre.

3．Add info.

Sigma’s APO 800mm has a new version with DG in the lens name and an old version without DG. The difference is the lens coating, and the basic elements of the lens such as the lens structure are the same.

In addition to this Sigma, Canon released the “EF800mm F5.6L IS USM” in 2008 and Nikon released the “AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR” in 2013 as an AF SLR lens with a focal length of 800mm, commonly known as Hachigoro. Both Nikon lenses have an image stabilization mechanism built into the lens.
Nikon released the manual focus lens Hachigoro in 1975.

In the days of SLR cameras, if the lens was not bright enough, the AF focusing accuracy would be poor and it was difficult to get the focus through the viewfinder, so a large aperture was required even for long focal lenses. However, the EVF of a mirrorless camera can amplify even a dark lens to a moderate brightness, so dark lenses with a long focal length, such as the 800mm F11, are sold.

I haven’t actually used any of the recent dark super telephoto lenses, so I can’t say for sure, but these bright super telephoto lenses are expensive, so they are designed and manufactured with the utmost luxury to justify the price, and I would like to think that their image quality is in a class of its own from cheaper dark lenses.

Specification

Focal length(mm)	800	300-800
Max aperture	5.6	5.6
Min aperture	32	32
Lens Construction	13 elements in 11 groups	18 elements in 16 groups
Aperture blade	9	9
Min distance(m)	7	6
Lens length(mm) SIGMA-SA	521	544
Max diameter(mm)	156.5	156.5
Filter Size(mm)	46(rear)	46(rear)
Hood	LH1571-01	LH1571-02
Weight(g) SIGMA-SA	4900	5880
Release date	1999 2005(DG)	2003 2005(DG)
Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥750,000-	¥850,000-