Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with Pentax KAF mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
| Photography Type |
Suitability |
| Bird/Wildlife | Excellent |
| Sports | Excellent |
| Portrait | Fair |
| Travel | Poor |
| Street | Poor |
| Wedding | Fair |
| Walk Around | Poor |
| Vlogging | Poor |
| Landscape | Poor |
| Macro | Poor |
Reasons to Buy Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM Lens
Here, we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 9 Diaphragm Blades |
| 500mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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Buy Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM from Amazon or B&H PHOTO
| Slow Aperture for a Prime Lens |
| Heavy |
| Pricey |
Lens Mount
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM is compatible with cameras that have Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax KF, Pentax K-3 III and Pentax K-1 II.
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX) and Sigma SA mounts.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM has a maximum diameter of 123mm and total length of 350mm. It weighs 3150g / 111.1 oz.
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM has a filter thread of 46mm.
Focal Range
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM has a fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
Optical Image Stabilization
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.13x and has a minimum focusing distance of 4m. 0.13x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Aperture
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM has a max aperture of F4.5 and a minimum aperture of F32.0.
Optical Formula
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM's optical formula consists of 11 elements in 8 groups . Special elements used in this design is 2 ELD glass elements.
Lens Hood
Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Popular Comparisons of Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM
Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG HSM amongst Camera Decision readers.