14 DAY TRIAL // Just when I thought I had seen them all, Sigma showed the world a new monster lens with applications in sports and wildlife photography and of course in spotting your lady neighbor when getting undressed (just kidding).
So, without further ado, meet the new APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG. Sigma touts at being the first 500mm with f/2.8 aperture and this is not marketing mumbo jumbo.
The hideous glass beast, it might have an excellent lens but it's not Sleeping Beauty, boasts four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements that correct optical aberrations and produce a high level of optical performance.
You might think that 200-500mm focal range is enough, especially since the picture angle of the lens, when mounted on a 1.5 crop factor camera, is that of a 300-750mm lens in 35mm terms, but Sigma provides a dedicated 2x APO Tele Converter EX DG II, which transforms the beast into a 600 - 1500mm f/5.6 monster. In other words, look out Hubble, papa's got a brand new telescope!
An interesting implementation is the lens' LCD panel which provides photographers with information on shooting distance and focal length.
Filters can also be used with the APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG, and while there are not many details, Sigma says that "a filter can be inserted towards the rear of the lens, and a circular polarizing filter can be used with its ingenious rotation mechanism."
Unfortunately, there's no word about price or release date, but I'm willing to bet good money that the APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG won't be cheap and accessible like the rest of the Sigma lenses.