Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for Nikon Digital and Film SLR Cameras

Product Information

Focus accuracy and repeatability is critical to consistently produce sharp shots. Repeatability (the accuracy of focus on the same subject after repeated focus-acquisition) of the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS under well-lit test conditions is good (measured 96.4% in Reikan FoCal) but shows some focus variation especially when focusing from further away. And there was one clearly misfocused shot over a series of 40 shots. At 200mm focal length the lens focuses in around 0.7 sec from infinity to 2.08m (1:10 magnification). In darker conditions (+5EV) I encountered a lot of hunting at focal lengths of 300mm and beyond. Autofocus: All lenses in this comparison offer autofocus with built-in focus drive. Manual-focus override is by simply turning the dedicated focus ring. The focus ring on the Sigma 150-600 DN has the usual variable gearing of an original mirrorless design which allows for very precise manual focus when turned slowly but cannot be switched to linear gearing. Which makes smooth focus pulling for videographers almost impossible. The Sigma 150-600 HSM Sports and the Tamron 150-600 has the usual direct coupling and linear gearing of a lens designed for DSLRs and the Sony 200-600 also offers linear response for MF. [+] Wildlife photographers will also appreciate the useful minimum focus distance of 86.6” (2.2m) at all focal lengths including 500mm and the lens’ maximum magnification of 1:5.2. With a 86mm accessory thread and measuring 9.9 x 3.6” (252 x 94.7mm) it’s a comparatively compact model but it’s no lightweight at 62.8 oz (1,780g).

Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Overview: Digital

I ended up with a Nikon 80-400 and did some comparisons. Wide open at 400mm the Sigma matched or beat the Nikon in sharpness - though the balance tips as you step down. IMO, this lens is a better value than the current version of the Nikon 80-400. Longer reach, faster AF and 2/3 the price. One thing I would say is that the copy-to-copy variability between a given lens is quite large (and this goes for the Nikon 200-500 also -reference photography life's review where they had to go through 3 copies to find a sharp one). So there is a "hit or miss" to consider in regards to whether you get a very sharp, sharp, or unsharp copy of new lens. Size (diameter x length): 109 x 265mm (4.3 x 10.4in.) plus 66mm for the lens hood (120mm diameter). The Tamron 150-500 is 93 x 209mm + 55mm lens hood, the Sony 200-600 is 112 x 318mm and the Sigma 150-600 HSM Sports is 121 x 290mm (both without lens hood), the Tamron 150-600 is 108 x 260mm + 97mm lens hood. All lenses except for the Sony 200-600 extend when zoomed to their longest focal length: The Sigma 150-600 DN extends 100mm to a total length of 431mm (incl. lens hood). [0]

Intro

Yes it DOES focus at F6.3 and 500mm and yes it will focus on a moving object but only until it gets to about 25-20 metres but after this it gives up every time. As with any lens with this range, you can only use MF with a TC, but that's a minor issue. Though no lightweight, it's not as heavy as you might expect, weighing 62.8 oz, much less than Sigma's 120-300 2.8 lens, which weighs 104 oz. Following the advice of SLR Gear reviewers it is used mainly at f8 and with as high a shutter speed as I can obtain and still keep the ISO sensitivity reasonably low. The focus ring is 15mm wide and is located just in front of the tripod mount. It also has a rubberized surface, moves smoothly, and can easily be operated with one finger. AF-operation and image stabilization of the Sigma 150-600 DN is inaudible if you record video with the built-in microphone. There is no way that I can cost justify switching to another system, taking cash out of my business, and adding gear to our depreciation schedule for different format equipment that we don’t need. The Nikon 1 system is simply the best system for what I do with my business.

Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for Sigma Digital and Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for Sigma Digital and

Vignetting is observed with the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM, especially when the lens is used with a full frame DSLR, wide open or at 500mm. The images below show the extent of corner darkening when shooting with a full frame camera initial trials shooting Gannets in New Zealand were very disapointing and a Nikkor 80-200 on a d300 (even with a TC) just blow it away, although I will concede that the lens does seem to perform reasonably well from 150-300. I had the newer version of the 80-400 G for a long time, but I eventually replaced it with the Sigma 150-600 Sports, which, although it is much more cumbersome, focuses faster, and is far easier to zoom in and out with (simply a pull-push operation, no twisting needed), and is definitely sharper in the long end! Distortion is low at all focal lengths, as would be expected from a telephoto zoom of this type. It would be very unlikely to be a problem, in fact you'd probably have a hard time seeing it, even in architectural shots. At 150mm, this lens performs impressively. Sharpness across the frame is very good at all apertures. Peak performance at the focal length is at f/11, although the difference between here and the sharpness at maximum aperture is only very slight.Shooting hand-held is not a problem, for me anyway, and the OS makes it even easier. I shot my non-OS Sigma 50-500 hand-held most of the time, and at any speed of 125s and above, at 500mm, I could get sharp images. The weight of both lenses is similar, as is the tripod handle shape and location, which is a big help when hand-holding. This Sigma 150-500 OS was a big oportunity for me and I buy it. I'm very happy with, from about one year. While this could be an issue, usually it's not. Vignetting is fairly easy to digitally correct in post processing. Also, unless the corners of the frame contain areas which are uniform in brightness (e.g. sky), vignetting even wide open may not be noticeable. If shooting with an APS-C crop sensor camera, vignetting, even wide open at 500mm is very unlikely to be a problem. The image below is the full images captured using an EOS 7D with the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM wide open (f6.3) at 500mm. The worst case scenario is shown below. A full frame shot at 500mm and f6.3 with a uniform sky. The top corners are clearly darker.

Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM: Digital Photography Review Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM: Digital Photography Review

The minimum shutter speed for shake free images = 1 / (focal length (in mm) x crop factor) still applies, so at 500 mm (if you use a APS-C camera) you should use 1/750 sec at the most, to be on the safe side. as you can see there is a small amount of red/green fringing on high contrast edges. This can be minimized in post processing if it becomes an issue, but that's only likely if you're making large prints for close viewing. The CA seen at the edges of a full frame shot at 500mm isn't very different from this. The lens is priced at 1399 EUR / 1499 USD / 1199 GBP and so far only available for Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount. But I’m pretty sure Sigma is working on Z- and RF-mount versions of their lenses too. So, what’s the bottom line? I think readers who own newer DSLR bodies will be better served to buy the Tamron 150-600mm VC in terms of overall lens performance and image quality. Of course, that is assuming that they are prepared to invest the additional money in the Tamron 150-600mm VC over the Sigma 150-500mm OS. NIKON D800 @ 500mm, ISO 1600, 1/2500, f/6.3 AF: AF with HSM (hyper sonic motor), means it works on Nikon’s D60/3×00/5×00-bodies, plus there’s simple manual-focus override by turning the focus ring. [+]

Focal Length, Aperture and Optical Stabilization

The reason I went for this particular lens in favor of its competition in the stabilized tele zoom group the Nikon 80-400VR , Sigma 80-400OS and Canon 100-400IS because: With these three lenses Sigma has covered many bases in its long zoom offerings. So people looking for something to complement their kit lenses or moderate tele-zooms will almost certainly have one of Sigma’s zooms on their short-list. As all three offer optical stabilization the choice comes down to maximum focal length and zoom-range. The 50-500mm seems to be the logical choice here as it covers the greatest range. But it also is the most expensive of all three, and a 10x super-zoom represents a much greater challenge for optical construction than the moderate 3.3x zooms covering 120-400mm or 150-500mm. That makes the 150-500mm the best choice for people wanting the longest reach at the most affordable price. Whether Sigma was able to come up with a well performing zoom within these design parameters is subject of my review. To really put this super-telephoto zoom through its paces I got hold of the F-mount version and tested it on a 36 Megapixel full-frame Nikon D800. Read on to discover how it performed. I was angry last month when Sigma anounce 50-500 OS but I must ignore it because is double the price of my 150-500 OS. But I'm sure this 50-500 OS is perfect for all the fases in sport, nearly and far. The maximum aperture of the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM varies from f/5 between 150mm and 173mm to f5.6 between 174 and 313mm to f6.3 from 314mm to 500mm. Optically, it isn't a bad performer either, especially at the shorter end of the zoom. Unfortunately at 500mm, which is what I feel a lens like this is all about, the results are noticeably softer and the level of colour aberrations may become an issue. Still, for the price if you can live with these flaws this lens could represent excellent value for money.

Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for Nikon Digital and Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for Nikon Digital and

The first question many readers had was about the comparative sharpness of each lens at its longest focal length. Is the Sigma 150-500mm as sharp at 500mm as the Tamron 150-600mm VC is at 600mm? Based on my experience the short answer is … no. To my eye, the Tamron is noticeably sharper at its full focal length compared to the Sigma 150-500mm OS. To be fair, both lenses at their longest focal lengths require sharpening in post. NIKON D800 @ 450mm, ISO 400, 1/640, f/6.3 The 150-500mm is available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts. Announced January 2008, it’s the longer sibling to the Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM which is very similar in construction. In fact it looks like only the front-end between both lenses is different to accommodate the different focal lengths. Also against the Nikon 80 - 400VR was its age. It is generally considered to be overdue for an update, and I didn't want to buy one then find it superseded by an improved version in the near future!At 150mm vignetting is negligible if the lens is stopped down to f11, but at 500mm the corners are darker even with the lens stopped down to f11. It has a fair bit of weight to it too. Weighing 1780g, many who've not used a large super-telephoto like this before may find hand-holding for long periods tiring. A sturdy, removable tripod collar is supplied with the lens, which has a finger grip on its base to aid easy carrying when out and about.