- Have read many complaints on build quality but mine is build like a brick. - AF surprisingly fast snappy on my dynax 5 when all 7 AF sensors are enabled. Even in low light (dawn/dusk when photographing wildlife in low-contrast situations). - Even autofocusses with my 1.7x converter attached!!! (viva minolta!), but only in good light. - At 5.6 good image quality (checked by 8"x10" prints), very sharp in the centre, getting slightly soft near the corners (but still pretty good). No vignetting. - At F8 tack sharp throughout the frame. - Still usable with 1.7x converter at 5.6, although slight chromatic abberations become visible in small area's in the corners, as well as very-very slight vignetting. - At F8 + 1.7x converter, you'll have long shutterspeeds - it will still give excellent results (comparable to at 5.6 without a TC). At f8, no vignetting with the TC. - Note the above might vary depending on how well a specific TC matches with any lens. I've had this TC on a 300mm minolta giving horrid results. - Exclelent AF (even tracking fast cars at close range on overcast days) in combination with the Dynax 5. Quite a combo!!

- Requires a reasonably heavy tripod & head & proper long lens technique. Which is difficult to master. - Gets frowns from those with more expensive glass. Even more frowns when showing prints taken at 680mm with the 1.7x tc - Has a bad reputation (many reports say its much worse then the newer, but now also discontinued APO-Macro version), but I havent been disapointed with it. Gives excelent images when used properly. Except for contrast, it's sharpness compares to the 135mm 2.8 used at 5.6. which is no easy task for a 400mm lens.

I've got this lens for AF minolta for my minolta Dynax 5. I've been pleasently surprised by both build quality and image quality. I was afraid of non sharpness / colors / contrast in comparison to more expensive glass. I've shot a 24 exp. test roll with Fuji Reala 100 print film of both wildlife (from a hide), and 4 shots at different apertures, and again these 4 shots using a soligor C/CD4 1.7x converter. If you can get your hands on one, BUY IT!!, but do keep in mind i've been working on my long lens tecnique for over 2 years before buying this lens. It's not easy to get these great results without proper technique!!! (hence the many reports that it gives blurry images). A 400mm 5.6 lens gives shutterspeeds that require proper technique!.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 135mm 2.8, minolta 50mm 1.7

Cheap for a telephoto light enough to lug around everyday Can be sharp if you know you to use long lens

slow at f5.6 Autofocus is kinda slow but not so slow that would piss me off.

After reading lots about this lens i decided to give it a shot and i am not dissapointed with the purchase. If you use proper long lens technique you can get really sharp pictures.It is really small and light. Built in lens hood is nice. But could focus closer.I beleive new mocro model focuses a lot closer.

Customer Service

never used

Similar Products Used:

exakta 300mm nikon AF 300mm f4

Decent price. Tripod ring, built-in lens hood.

Poor manual focus; has a lot of play in the focus ring. Will not focus close enough for some shots, like bird photography.

This is a decent lens for the price (on the used market, of course). I've gotten some pretty good shots with it, although the lack of close-focus is annoying, and if you have to manually focus, the feel is bad. Autofocus speed is slow to average. Try to get the Macro version.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

n/a

1) Value: 400mm f/5.6 apochromatic lens for under $400!
2) Internal Focusing
3) Rotatable Tripod Mount
4) Relatively light weight

1) Lightweight construction material may not be as durable as all-metal.

I use this lens primarily for astrophotography and have been very pleased with its flatness of field and color-free images. Very little vignetting, even at f/5.6. Not the best image quality of long telephotos available (compare to 400mm f/2.8 SMC ED IF), but an excellent value.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Pentax SMC lenses

Decent price
Tripod ring
built-in lens hood
light weight

A loot of plastic parts.
Slow focusing speed.

I get my lens used 6 month ago, and i am very satisfiede with the results.I use it for wildlife and photographs in the Zoo. If you can get a used one for a good prise, buy it!
It is not ccompatible with a 2x Telekonverter !

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 300/4.0 APO Makro
Canon 200/2.8

- Fairly Light weight (fits into my daypack for long hikes)
- Built in rotating tripod mount and shade
- Sharpness & contrast, even at widest aperture
- Fairly inexpensive
- Fixed front element
- f5.6 vs competitors f8.0
- 72mm front filter ring is compatible with my other lenses

- No macro
- f5.6 does yield too much depth of field that may not be suitable to separate wildlife subjects from background

I bought the lens used on eBay. It's for use on Canon FD-mount manual focus cameras. The person who sold it to me told me that I would not be disappointed. He was right. My first use of lens was at a wildlife photography field trip with a bunch of experts, armed with larger f4 and f2.8 lenses. Well, I managed to move around faster and easier, and with my cheapy 4-element 2x teleconverter still got sharp, high contrast shots of the birds' eyes. The lens has a good, solid feel to it, and with a little bit of work you can work around the high depth of field of f5.6 by finding a good angle on the subject. For its focal lenght, it is still a light lens, so I am not yet convinced about replacing this lens with a lighter 500mm mirror lens on long day hikes.

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

None

Small, light
cheap (compare to Canon lens)

Very easily flare
Permanent fog up in months after perchased and the distributer can not fix it.
Optical quality can not match Canon FD 300/4L attached with 1.4X extender that I purchased later.

Really bad value for money even cheap, useless in months and can not be fixed.

Customer Service

Really bad in Thailand at that time (FOTO SYSTEMS). I send my Fogged up lens to repair there and was told to wait for some spare part for 2 months, 3 YEARS LATER the distributor called me to recieve my lens back but nothing was repaired, They just say There are no spare part.
This is true story and my useless lens is still with me, don't known who is wrong ? Sigma, Foto Systems, or... I ?

Similar Products Used:

FD 300/4L with 1.4X (exellent)
Zenit 300/4.5 (big but better than the Sigma, cheaper too)

Cheap. Light. Sharp. built in lens hood.

None.

A very light weight, cheap but very sharp lens. Ideal for wildlife work. Have used it wide open and trannies are still sharp enough for publication.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 400mm f5.6

Very sharp
Fairly lightweight
Nice built-in lens hood and tripod mount
Well constructed... very sturdy!
Well balanced
Internal focusing - no rotation or extension of front element.

Obviously darker to focus than an f4 lens
Lens cap design could be better
Other than that, nothing!

I've only had this lens a short time, but I love it! Knocks the socks off my old 500mm mirror lens. Easy to focus, a good weight, and it fits into my Lowepro Mini-Trekker.
Finding long telephoto lenses in MD fit is tricky... but I'm more than happy with this find... it's a wonderful lens! Definitely to be recommended.

Customer Service

Not had to use

Similar Products Used:

500mm f8 mirror
70-210 zoom w/2x conv