276°
Posted 20 hours ago

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

£324.5£649Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

Strong point sources of light will not cause much flare in images, but I did notice that shooting into the light will result in a loss of contrast, especially at the 500mm end. The supplied lens hood does a great job of shielding the front element from extraneous light, reducing the effect light sources outside the frame have on images taken with this lens. Even after post-processing, I liked the Tamron produced files better than those from the Sigma 150-500mm OS. They just seemed sharper, had richer colors, and just ‘popped’ more. That’s not to say that you can’t get some decent images using the Sigma. You certainly can. It just takes more time in post to get them to where they need to be. NIKON D800 @ 500mm, ISO 1600, 1/1600, f/6.3 I plan to acquire a Nikon 300mm 2.8 (and converter) but I see that as complementary to this lens as I certainly would not "walk around" with that set-up. All lenses in this comparison cover full frame sensors or can equally be used on a cropped APS-C camera body. [+] When set to maximum zoom (nominally 500mm) I measured the actual focal length of the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM set to be around 480mm focused at infinity and around 450mm focused at 10 m (about 30 ft). At the closest possible focus (~2.2 m), magnification is around 0.2x, which implies a focal length of roughly 300mm. None of these numbers are out of the ordinary for a lens of this type.

Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS review | Cameralabs Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG DN OS review | Cameralabs

P.S. I just saw that you are using the d7100. For me the d7100 underperformed in terms of autofocus (accuracy, not speed, both are very fast focusing) on both the C and S versions of the Sigma 150-600. So D7100 aut0focus performance may be a limiting factor also. Renting the C version would answer all your questions in one day and elimainate many of the risks (except copy-to-copy variability -unless you end up buying the copy that you rented). 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. I've had very good results with the basic D3300 and the Sigma 150-600 Sports, but, as always, VR/OS is an issue as usual. Certain shutter speeds, on tripod, works better with with VR/OS off, while handheld is no problem with it on. 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 I was using a Nikon D7000 for part of my hands-on test and I was able to get a number of usable images of swallows in flight with it when using the Sigma 150-500mm OS. This was something I didn’t even bother trying with the Tamron when shooting with a D7000 due to focus lag. I also tried a number of AF-C bursts with the D7000 and got good results with the Sigma, filling up the D7000’s buffer on numerous occasions with well-focused sequential shots. NIKON D800 @ 300mm, ISO 1600, 1/2500, f/6.0Lens Description: The Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 is ultra telephoto zoom designed for Full Frame sensors but may also be used with smaller APS-c size sensors with a corresponding effective increase in focal length to about 255mm to 850mm on the Sigma SD format. An Optical Stabilizer (OS) allows for handheld photography even in low light scenarios, while a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet, high speed, and accurate autofocusing. This unique lens is an excellent optical performer featuring three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements for optimum color correction and sharpness throughout the entire zoom range, rear focusing system corrects for fluctuation of aberration due to focusing. It compact size of a mere 10 inches and weight of only 4 pounds for its focal length make it a must have for any camera bag. The Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM isn't a macro lens. Maximum magnification is 0.19x (about 1/5 life size) but nevertheless it's fine for closups of flowers and detail shots of larger objects. On a full frame camera at maximum magnification the area in the image will measure about 5" x 7.5". On an APS-C crop sensor camera like the EOS 7D, the frame will cover about 3.1" x 4.7". 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. 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 Lens for Pentax Digital Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens for Pentax Digital

Sometimes I need more than 300mm. Wanted to wait for a new Nikon telezoom but needed something now. SLR Gear didn't have any test results to help my decision, but I bought one anyway.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. Having had a chance to use this on wildlife that move a bit slower, I can say that my feelings have improved a little. Its quite clear that it IS possible to get good IQ - see - In bright sunlight, the Sigma performed better and the jpegs looked cleaner, although the shadows areas on some images still had a bit of muddiness to them. In good lighting focusing with the Sigma was very fast and accurate. If any Photography Life readers have ever tried to capture a swallow in flight over water…you know exactly how challenging that can be. I must confess that given the price differential and performance of this lens that I do not understand why anyone would go the 50-500 route.

Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS review | Cameralabs

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

Samples

Ria1, I haven't used the 150-500 so I can't contrast directly. But I will say that the 150-600C is very fast in focusing and I don't think you will be disappointed in that regard at all. In regards to hit or miss, I found it to be pretty consistent from shot to shot. motorsport (both to freeze and pan for motion blur) panning for motion blur at 750 equiv is a challenge because unless the subject is very fast you cannot get the shutterspeed low enough (this however is a feature of the focal length and not specifically this lens.) Have used the lens for some wildlife and sports photography. Been using lens on canon mark III and the results are very good. Was able to compare pictures with a canon 500 f4 used on the same wildlife outing and found the images to be comparable in sharpness and tone but a bit off in color compared to canon. It is much lighter and portable than the canon and has the advantage of zoom. I am happy with it and would buy it again. I enjoy wildlife and sports photography but have never considered spending all the money it would take to get the canon lense. This one is great and i think you would have to do some very close scrutiny to tell the difference in the photograph produced.

APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM - SIGMA Corporation

Optics: 21 elements in 15 groups. This is a lot of glass but pretty much standard for modern zooms. The manufacturer has to be extra careful with good lens-coatings to maintain a decent level of contrast and flare-resistance. And the owner should really use the lens-hood. This is also a good protection for the large front-element. The cross-section shows three low dispersion elements. [0] Use with teleconverters: Yes, Sigma offers two teleconverters TC-1411 and TC-2011 which multiply focal length and maximum magnification by 1.4x resp. 2x – but only for L-mount. The lens probably does not work with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters – only the Sony 200-600 certifiably works on Sony’s teleconverters. [+] 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). As well as the tempting zoom range the Sigma has four-stop image stabilization (Sony and Pentax users are advised to turn off respective in-body stabilization according to Sigma) and an ultrasonic-type AF motor for fast and quiet autofocus. The optical construction consists of 21 elements arranged in 15 groups and includes three low-dispersion glass elements to correct chromatic aberration. Having had a Sigma 150-600mm some years before getting a Sigma 150-600mm C, I can tell you that there was what I would call a good deal of difference in the copies I had. My Nikon 80-400mm G that replaced the Sigma 150-500 was a good bit sharper at the longer end than the Sigma 150-500. So I sold the Sigma not long after getting the Nikon. Reason I bring up the 80-400G is because every review I've seen where they compared the 150-600 lenses to the 80-400G has all the newer lenses sharper than the 80-400G at 400mm. As for focusing, sorry never used the old Sigma for BIF or sports. But the Sigma C is definitely usable for sports in the daylight. Is it worth it for you? Don't know you well enough to say.Filter-thread: 82mm = bigger and more expensive than the 77mm standard with pro lenses. But to achieve f6.3 at 500mm you cannot stay at 77mm filter thread. [0] I've also used it with a Sigma 1.4X teleconverter, and although focussing becomes super critical, with perseverance it provides stunning images. 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: Weight: 1780 g (62.8 oz) = not too heavy for its size. But you should definitely not use a strap attached to your DSLR to carry the combo on your shoulder. Better to use the supplied lens-strap fixed to the grip of the lens. [0]

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment