Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens
Anybody have this lense? If so, are you happy with it? I am considering it. It's going for about $980 on amazon. My intended use would be sports, and occasionally wild life in good light. With the narrow aperture, it's pretty much limited to full daylight, or at worst cloudy conditions. Does autofocus work well on this lense?
In my mind, it's closest competitor is the Canon 100 mm - 400 mm - f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM which sells for a little over $200 more and is a 100 mm shorter.
In my mind, it's closest competitor is the Canon 100 mm - 400 mm - f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM which sells for a little over $200 more and is a 100 mm shorter.
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I've heard mixed things about the AF. Some say it's slow, some say it's ok.
The OS seems to take a few seconds to settle down and the lens is f6.3 from 300mm on IIRC.
Here is a review by Jojo, who is excellent at comparing lenses and has vast first hand knowledge on many lenses for the Canon mount.
http://www.pbase.com/lightrules/bigmos
Thanks for the info. From reading that review, it sounds like the greatest weakness of that lense is slow autofocusing. He mentioned 1.5 seconds max time to autofocus, but I suppose it would be a lot quicker if you're already most of the way there. I think it's greatest advantage over the 50 - 500 would be the OS (optical stabilization).
http://www.jonathanswinton.com
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Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=98993
Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600
Are you speaking of the Sigma 170-500mm? I have that lens in the Nikon mount. I find the contrast noticeably weaker than my other Nikkor lenses.
I took it out in cold weather (Illinois winter about 20 degrees) and the lens hood (plastic) contracted so much that I couldn't remove it until I got it warmed up some.
I would like to sell it but haven't made a real effort to. It's almost like new even though it's 4 years old.
Mike Flood
No Mike, this is a new lens from Sigma 150-500 with OS.
Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600
Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600
Thanks
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/2655804033_244e8a2529_b.jpg
and the original:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/2655804033_e8b7a40c2f_o.jpg
As I mentioned, this was taken off the cuff, no preparation and very poor lighting. Just wanted to get a feel for the lens.
Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600
Not bad for a $1000 lense of that focal length. I know that for something like catching a batter batting a ball, having a fast autofocus is not that big of an issue, since you would have already focused on or near the batter before you took the shot. Your photos have established that the lense is capable of performing well hand-held for long distance shots, something the old 50-500 apparently did not do well, since it has no stabilization. One thing I'm still curious about: if you do action shots at the 400 - 500 mm range, is the autofocus quick enough to keep up when you've got the subject running toward or away from the camera? If so, then the Canon version of that lense will probably be one of the next major items on my list.
My suggestion would be to try one out if you can find one at a local dealer. It really is not a sports lens but does have capabilities. My copy has quick focus with the HSM motor. When I get time I plan to test it out. I know in sunlight or decent light it should be no problem at all
Nikon D80, D300, D700 all gripped, Nikkor 50 f1.8 Nikkor 18-200 VR Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8 Nikkor 28-300 VR, Sigma 50-150 f2.8 Sigma 80-400 OS Sigma 150-500 OS Nikon SB600