Sigma 400 f/5.6 HSM Apo Macro : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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Kainefoto Photography

sent on 15 Marzo 2013

Pros: Very very sharp, comparable to Canon 400L f5.6 & Canon 100-400L...or better! Color & contrast. 1:3 minimun focusing distance, great for some macro work. Very good AF on my Canon EOS 550d. Tripod ring and built-in hood. Dirt cheap if you are patient enough, compared to 100-400L or 400L.

Cons: Decent built quality, but not ideal for professional use. No IS (OS). Bokeh is a bit ugly. AF is also a bit imprecise on my EOS 7d (it works great on my EOS 550d, though). Most of the copies only work at f/5.6, and finding a rechipped copy is not easy at all.

Opinion: Unfortunately Sigma discontinued this lens ages ago. It's difficult to find one of this lenses rechipped, and most of them now work only at f5.6, but if you have the luck to find a rechipped and HSM copy, get it! Optics are very good from the maximun aperture, a Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L equivalent for the poor man :-) Love it! It's an amazing value.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Peluigi

sent on 22 Febbraio 2024

Pros: Lightweight, slightly larger than a 70-200 f4 F5.6

Cons: Sharpness, prone to damage, very fragile tripod mount, only f 5.6

Opinion: Bought used for 67 (sixty-seven) euros in a flea market. What can I say, I probably wouldn't have spent more than 150 euros. Being dated and not HSM you can use it (on 6D, on analog cameras instead it is normally used) only at f 5.6 in manual mode, setting the ISO. It has major front/back focus problems. Even if you do the fine calibration, you get high every 3/4 outputs. Sometimes with +10 it's fine, sometimes at 0, sometimes at -10. The ring for the tripod breaks, so it's best not to use it. Slow and noisy focusing, better use the manual. That said, one shot out of 10 leaves you speechless, sharpness really superior to TA (even necessarily, it must always be at 5.6 otherwise it appears err01 and does not click. Is it worth it? I would say no, but if you find it at a real opportunity like mine I wouldn't miss it. Especially considering that if you pay little you can take it everywhere, in fact I'm not afraid of it falling or breaking. Summary: it is a lens that gives a lot of problems, but that every now and then will make you desist from selling it, as in my case. Vote 6, just because one, shot out of ten is almost on par with the more famous Canon, but at a price, decidedly different

Stefano Z.

sent on 05 Febbraio 2021

Pros: Sharpness, integrated light screen, lightness, price, minimum focus distance, limiter, bokeh

Cons: Tendency to spoil (and lack on the lenscoat market or the like, you have to sew it yourself), slow and noisy non-HSM version (but with already better limiter), front/back focus, sharpness at long distances, uncomfortable AF/MF ring

Opinion: Needing a light telephoto lens for Nikon, to take anywhere, and that is "ready to use" quickly, I happened to have an offer for this lens that I took for less than 170 euros. I was until the last undecided whether to take this or the Nikon AF-s 300mm f/4 with a multiplier, but in the end the 4-5 times lower price convinced me. Unfortunately, such a lens has never been achieved in the Nikon house (I mean by autofocus), which Canon has and has been looking forward to for more than 20 years. I was also able to make comparisons with photos taken with the Canon 400mm f/5.6 and I have to say that what you read from the various tests is true. The sharpness of this low/medium distance lens is something astounding that I didn't even think of. Already from 5.6 is good, at f8 it is great. By the way the bokeh at 5.6 personally I like it. Unfortunately over high distances it shows its limits. it is also to be said that compared to the Canon it is a bit of a snail and is quite noisy, however with the limiter it allows you to go from infinite-6meters-infinite in just under a second, which for me is enough, given also the price of the lens. I also find the light screen very comfortable, I needed a backpack lens attached to the camera, which was "ready" just pulled out of the backpack and attach the lampshed (tried with different such as the sigma 150-500 or the 150-600) takes away several important seconds. the limiter is then very comfortable to reach while shooting freehand. less convenient instead is the ring to switch from autofocus to manual focus, put in a position that does not allow you to "switch" it while you photograph it. Another point in favor is the minimum focus distance at 1.60meters, which allows very good photos even to insects a little larger, such as butterflies, dragonflies, mantises, etc., which with a 150-500 I could almost never get acceptable results. The main sore point of this objective is the fact that the barrel unfortunately spoils with little, despite all the precautions taken. So I tried to search the web for a suitable lenscoat but I had to note that for this telephoto lens they never made any, so I had to arrange with my own hands (in the end less than 20 euros of special fabric is enough). Another small piece of information: suffers from f/b focus in a fairly heavy way, adjusted in the car anyway not by problems, mine has +16. In spite of everything I find it excellent as a second canvas, on those occasions when you need an excellent canvas to keep in the backpack, which is fine freehand and you can not take away heavy and uncomfortable targetses, such as for a walk in the mountains, or by boat or on other occasions. Highly recommended!

Rita

sent on 27 Gennaio 2020

Pros: Sharpness, weight, transportability, used price

Cons: Tires that tend to spoil, built-in paralight that tends to get stuck. With new generation reflex set to 3d autofocus unstable and dancer, obviously not having internal engine even slow.

Opinion: Although I already had it, but with mold, and own the original Nikon 400 2.8 I bought it used for two pennies. Reason? No one in particular, maybe a little nostalgic because it was my first lens for birdlife. I'll use it because weight and size allow me to carry it around easily. The quality, for the price and date is still great! You can really have less of the cost of a multiplier and you can have fun thanks to the long focal and the minimum focus distance that makes it become a canvas for macros. the autofocus is slow and often unstable, it has its slices listed but it has from its beauty to be a good canvas not too heavy and not to suffer from the typical defects of zooms. I think I use it for light exits or where there really is so much to walk. With this combo (machine plus goal) reduced in weight and length I can really take it anywhere.

Gargasecca

sent on 12 Luglio 2014

Pros: The only "economic" alternative in the Nikon house, discreet smooth performance, multiplied with the mechanical 1.4x but with care

Cons: Rubber with the "tending" time to ruin towards the feeling of sticky, hood with little fluid extraction, slow AF speed

Opinion: Bought x can "lengthen" of + mm on my body Nikon, used smooth has a decent performance ... I think in a bit under my 300 + kenko 1,4x ... slow autofocus typical of optics with "PTO "without an internal motor, a hair speed is accelerated by inserting the limiter. Minimum distance 1.6mt and ratio in macro 1: 3 ... incredible for a 400mm canvas. rnA free hand usable quietly respecting the times in safety ... smooth at least 1/640 ... multiplied with kenko 1,4x last type becomes a 560mm f / 8 ... Never go below 1/1000 ... autofocus possible but it slows down further. Fair yield to TA and closed from 1 to 2 stops ... no further. Solid collar and tripod bracket, recommended for those who do not want to spend large amounts. Chromatic aberration good on water and "white" reflections typical of birds in oasis ... cmq repairable in PP. X microregulated duty in Autofocus at +15 ... so if you do not have a camera with this setting I would avoid the purchase, paid at the time around € 300.

Mauryg11

sent on 08 Febbraio 2014

Pros: Quality Optics - weight and dimensions - price

Cons: of canon can only be used to f. 5.6 - AF fast but not as much as you would like - AF does not hold the doubler - I do not like the Booken

Opinion: Optical dated but only economic alternative to the legendary Canon 400 f. 5.6 where as the yield is not very different - very good but even at f 5.6 on canon, having cip old version enables you to manage partitions only on the bodies + 1D old - so just f --- otherwise. 5.6 or the room indicates ERROR - the optical performance is good, at least up to distances of 10 / 15mt then begins to decline, although not conspicuously --- just does not hold the doubler unless strong conditions of light and contrast; a shame because the quality loss (1.4 x kenko) is not so drastic! Focus min. 1.6 meters ... a record that expands the possibilities of use in the field or close-up close-ups in passerines confidants - note: a Racconigi (temperature in the early morning in January of -2 °) I had to wait 10 xchè everything was locked - I was told because of the internal lubrication obsolete, which tends to harden with cold - seems to be common practice to send it to a photo-repairer x re-lubrication with appropriate products - I do not like the Booken (reminds me vagamentity a catadioptric) --- In conclusion, the awareness of being in front of a product of approximately 20 years and so no spare parts in case of failure, with a ridiculous price you would take home a glass of good quality, versatile and manageable, x open the doors to nature photography without having to accept the trade-offs of the various 50-500 or 150 to 150 not being able to get there (economically) to the legendary Canon 400 --- update to a few months away in October 2014: the problems of locking the AF have been resolved by a photo-repair (nothing to do lubrication), 1d III of the AF works even with kenko 1.4X while slowing, but nothing dramatic since versions x Canon has a good reactivity - confirm the progressive deterioration in the fluidity of extraction hood due to the softening of the rubber coating - no problem of F / B will focus on 50 of them on 1d III --- optics optimized for short distances 3 / 7 mt ... well, the quality tends to decline progressively, better not go beyond 10-15 meters (probably tends to pay theforcing in a "macro" to 1.6 mt) --- today I consider it a good buy