Sigma APO 150-500mm DG OS HSM

[KmH]

I received this lens yesterday. I posted an image I made with the lens at 500mm here at Photo Camel.

The lens weighs 4.2 lbs. Attached to my D90 w/vertical grip it all weighs 6 3/4 lbs.

The weather here is supposed to be decent tomorrow, sunny, air temp above freezing (not counting wind chill) and I will try and get some more images out at the long end (500mm). I will probably use the monopod on most shots.

I thought it best to cover some of the features and some of my initial impressions of the lens before I do.

The weight gives the lens a solid feel and I noted no discrepancies in the outward build quility. The weight of this lens comes from 21 glass elements in 15 groups. The exterior of the lens has a soft textured covering that will minimize reflections and provides a positive grip when mounting and unmounting the lens from the camera body. The lens hood is covered with the same material and is easily attached and removed from the end of the lens and secures in a smooth, solid fashion. The hood has a nice positive snap when it fully seats.

The lens comes in a black carry case that is made of a cordura nylon like material and the case is padded top, bottom, and sides with dense foam (quite thick top and bottom). Inside the case there is an additional loose piece of 3/4" thick dense foam that surrounds the mount end of the lens so it cannot move back and forth in the case. The case has a zippered top and comes with an adjustable, 1 1/8 inch wide, detachable nylon carry strap. The case measures 6 3/4" X 6 3/4" square and is 12" tall. The case has a small black Sigma/EX logo plate that is very unobtrusive so you are not announcing to the world you are carrying an expensive camera lens.

The users manual that comes with the lens is the now usual, large folded single sheet that has the operating instructions printed in most of the languages spoken on planet Earth. The illustrations used are clear and effective. I took sissors to my instructions and excised all of the languages I could. However, I saved the excised portion in the off chance I were to sell the lens at some point in the future.

This is the first lens I have owned that seems to dwarf my camera and grip. I wonder what it will look like attached to my compact D60?

The lens comes with a removable strap of its own. The strap attaches to a bar that is part of the rotating tripod collar. The tripod collar is removeable only if the lens is not on a camera body. Some will find removing the collar useful for using the lens handheld. Tension on the tripod collar can be adjusted so the camera can be quickly rotated between horizontal and vertical formats while mounted on a mono or tripod. The focus ring was readily at hand should manual focusing be desired. The lens has a locking feature to secure the zoom at 150mm for mounting, dismounting and placing in the carry case. I found the zoom action to be somewhat stiff, though that may bode well for control when setting up a quick shot.

Auto focus and manual focus modes are available. There is a selector switch on the side of barrel near the lens mount. Manual Focus can be invoked when in Auto Focus mode by simply using the focus ring. The Optical Stabilization has 2 settings: 1 is for normal OS. OS 2 is for subjects moving horizontally and compensates for vertical camera shake. The OS does not function properly if images are attempted from a moving vehicle and Sigma recommends against using OS if the lens is mono or tripod mounted.

I haven't used the lens with the OS turned on yet, so that will have to wait for the next installment of my review. Till then, Happy trails!

[INSOMNIAC269]

Keith, I look forward to more of your comments on this lens after you have used it some more. I've been debating for a while now between the 150-500 and the 120-400. My issue with the 150-500 is it's slowness, f5.6-6.3, seems like a sunny day lens only, especially if you don't want to turn up your ISO, because it is mainly a sports or nature lens, and most of the time you'll be shooting at higher shutter speeds so not to blur the subject.

Did you consider the faster 120-400, even though it doesn't have the focal reach?

[KmH]

Originally Posted by INSOMNIAC269

Did you consider the faster 120-400, even though it doesn't have the focal reach?

Yes, I did consider the 120-400 but the additional 100mm reach was worth the 1/3 of a stop difference for me.

500mm, f/6.3, 1/1500....OS set on 1, handheld but I was sitting down. The image has been PP'd.


500mm 1/1000, f/6.3 ISO 200. Standing, handheld, OS on 1. I made 1 adjustment, I set the temperature to 6000 in ACR. Focus was on the dark foreground headstone.

[KmH]

500mm, f/6.3/ 1/1500, ISO 200. I goofed on this one. The OS should have been set to 2, for moving subjects. It corrects for vertical camera shake when set to 2. I really like the saturation and contrast of this lens though.

[pixelens]

It is a good thing that I did not see your review about the lens yesterday before placing an order for one. If I had, I might have asked for overnight shipping.
My wife, though, was excited about your photo of the squirrels and prompted me to ask you regarding the origin of the ears of corn being enjoyed by the critters.

I'm not at all knowledgeable about how you would respond to my wife's inquiry here in PhotoCamel or if or when you did. My email address is camera29@gmail.com.

Thank you,

pixelens

[boikman]

I bought mine after researching the lens thoroughly. I use it for sports such as soccer,baseball and softball. I use the OS and the images are amazing...most images shot at over 1/1000 sec. This past month I was perched over the outfield fence at a softball game and photographed the batter swinging away right at me.Most photographers shoot from down the baselines but it is cool to get them looking right at me !
When shooting soccer I can sit next to the goal and get the plays at the other end, plus the autofocus tracks the players coming up the field....the images are SHARP too.
You will love this lens !