Sigma 745101 150 - 600 mm F5 - 6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Canon Mount Lens, Black

Product Information

Both lenses have their own image stabilization systems: Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation) and Sigma’s OS (Optical Stabilization). The Tamron has a simple on and off for the VC, while the Sigma has two settings: #1 is the standard setting for normal lens movement, and setting #2 is used for hand-held panning on a vertical plane, which will correct for up and down movement in subjects, such as birds in flight. We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.

All lenses in this comparison cover full frame sensors or can equally be used on a cropped APS-C camera body. [+] The addition of the 1.4x TC to the Sigma when stopped down, doesn’t seem to affect the image quality. The Sigma seems to have a clear advantage when it comes to chromatic aberration (CA), and even using the 1.4x TC there was noticeably less fringing in high contrast areas, when compared to the Tamron. Of course, CA is very easily corrected in Camera RAW or Lightroom when shooting in RAW. Closest focus distance (achieved with manual focus) is 0.53m (1.7ft.) with a very good magnification of 1:2.5 and a working distance of 0.24m (0.8ft.) at 150mm focal length. At 600mm focal length maximum magnification is 1:4.8 with a much longer working distance of around 2.3m (7.5ft.). The Tamron 150-500 goes to 1:2.8 at 150mm focal length (0.36m working distance) and 1:3.2 at 500mm focal length (1.32m working distance). The other lenses in this comparison achieve their maximum magnification at their longest focal length: This is 1:5 at around 2.1m working distance for the Sony 200-600 and Sigma 150-600 HSM Sports, and 1:3.5 at 1.6m working distance for the Tamron 150-600. The Sigma 150-600 DN achieves a magnification of 1:10 at its longest focal length at 5.5m (18ft.) distance. [+] 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. Sports photographers would probably never use them, but sometimes wildlife photographers use a polarizer to cut the reflections and glare off leaves.You may be surprised to see that these lenses don't at all change at the same focal lengths, meaning that one of the lenses is actually faster than the other. The tripod foot also works as a handle making it easy to carry this lens and/or your camera together. I will point out that Sigma advertises the Sport as having “twist and push-pull” functionality for zoom, but the Contemporary is advertised as only “twist.”

Of course, that wouldn't matter if the lens itself was no good. Fortunately, it's excellent. The optical path is a little different from the DSLR version, including 25 elements arranged in 15 groups, and it produces impressive sharpness throughout the entirety of the zoom range. There's some inevitable fall-off in the corners, but not enough to worry about, and it's the sort of thing that will be hidden anyway when you're shooting with a shallow depth of field. Personally I own and love my Canon 100-400mm L IS II, which focuses faster and is smaller, lighter, less expensive and much better made of almost all metal — but doesn't go to 600mm. If you currently have a Tamron it may not be worth making a switch. But with the addition of the 1.4x TC, the Sigma bundle offers a great setup for full frame cameras, as well as crop sensors for some extra reach. So if you are looking for some extra reach (and we all are) the addition of the 1.4 TC to the Sigma may be a game changer. It was for me! This is a great lens. It is super-sharp at every setting and covers such a huge range and focuses so fast and so close that it can replace several lenses — if you don't mind the huge size, weight and price. Even if you go out of your way to turn off automatic correction or are shooting this on film, even without correction there is no visible distortion except at 60mm. There is no visible distortion from 100-500mm, and even at 600mm it's mostly invisible even uncorrected.

All it means is that Sigma put a rubber ring around the end of the Sport version that you could grab and push/pull the lens in or out to zoom. Vignetting. With a lens like this you’d expect vignetting at large apertures. It definitely has that. It’s relatively strong wide open, but what’d a bit surprising is that it stays up until pretty small apertures. It gets gradually less obvious as you make the aperture smaller, but it’s still fairly pronounced at f/14 and it’s not until f/20 that I’d say it’s all but gone. This is an all-around excellent lens that's absolutely worth the money for E-mount and L-mount users. See our full Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports review. 150-600mm lens alternatives Either way, it would appear from Sigma's marketing materials that there is at least some amount of better weather sealing than the contemporary version.

All of these tests are shot at f/6.3. The reason I'm showing the tests at f/6.3 is that it's the most common focal length you'd shoot this lens at. Comparison table of Sigma Art vs. Sports vs. Contemporary Lens Do I Need to Calibrate My Sigma Lens?Whether you’re capturing the majestic flight of an eagle or the subtle nuances of a distant landscape, this lens promises unparalleled clarity and detail. What Does the Sigma Lens Mean? I missed countless shots that week when I'd pull over and see a fox in the snow that only gave me a few seconds to shoot it before it ran away.