A Pro's opinion on Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens

gut1kor · 10-17-2011, 07:21 PM

Hi Guys,

I have been considering this lens for a while now and was not sure of it's practicality in the field given it's slow aperture. When I was googling on this lens I came across websites of Arthur Morris and Robert O'Toole. Mr. Robert was using this lens and I have seen many pictures on his website and I also found his Pro profile in Sigma's website. So I wrote him an email asking about his experience with the lens and if he recommends one to an amaeteur like me. Below is his response and I thought it would help someone here to make a decision if considering a purchase.

Quote:

Hi Guna,

Thanks for writing. The 150-500 is capable of making professional quality images for sure. I have been using one for sometime and I like it very much. Here is a sample file I made testing a 150-500 before a big photo shoot.

I try to keep speeds at 1/1250 or higher for action but when I approach too high ISOs levels like 2000 I will drop the ISO and work on blurs at low ISOs. This is not a low light lens but it is compact and is a great value.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Robert

Cheers
Guna

mickey · 10-17-2011, 07:36 PM

Judging by many of the photos I've seen taken by users here, I'm in no doubt it's a great lens for the money, as is the 170-500.

gut1kor · 10-17-2011, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by mickey

Judging by many of the photos I've seen taken by users here, I'm in no doubt it's a great lens for the money, as is the 170-500.

This is also the confusion I have. This lens has mixed reviews from users. On the other hand I also read a positive review from Ken Rockwell's website on this lens apart from Mr. Robert Toole.

steve1307 · 10-17-2011, 09:03 PM

Originally posted by gut1kor

This is also the confusion I have. This lens has mixed reviews from users. On the other hand I also read a positive review from Ken Rockwell's website on this lens apart from Mr. Robert Toole.

The Devil's advocate would say that people who may be featured on Sigma's website or others who earn aliving from commenting on gear may not be completely impartial, (shall we say).

Best thing is to look at images producted by the lens to show what it is capable of in the right hands and then judge for yourself.
From what I've read in the 150-500 many of the critisms are more related to the QC or the physical aspects of the lens (weight / zoom creep etc). Read (or listen) to what people say about the handling of the lens as this seems to be key to getting the optimum performance out of it.
The other thing is, it also lives in the shadow of it's newer, more expensive brother, with a supposedly revised OS.

For myself, I considered the 150-500 (under <$1K) and also the 50-500 (~$1650).
In the end I went for a DA*300 paired with an AFA 1.7x which cost me simialr money to the Bigma. Very impressed with the DA*300.
A DA*60-250 costs about the same so paired with an AFA 1.7x this would give you 60-250 f4 up to a 425mm f6.7.
(just something else to think about)
These are a little over 1/2 the weight of the Bigma's.

audiobomber · 10-19-2011, 09:36 AM

"I try to keep speeds at 1/1250 or higher for action but when I approach too high ISOs levels like 2000 I will drop the ISO and work on blurs at low ISOs. This is not a low light lens but it is compact and is a great value."

Compact? Wow, he obviously has a different standard than most people. Family and friends actually burst out laughing when I showed them the Sigma. It is a large lens by any reasonable measure, compared to say a Bigma, Canon 100-400, 300 f/4 + TC for example. I cannot argue with the value statement. It is a lot of lens, both in reach and build quality for the price.

I had a 150-500mm for a couple of weeks. HSM was leisurely but dead silent, and OS in a quick test did appear more effective than SR at the long end. The size, zoom creep and rings that turned opposite to my Pentax lenses were annoying, but livable. I returned the lens because I wasn't satisfied with sharpness at 500mm. You would be correct to wonder about technique, but I replaced the Sigma with a Pentax A*300mm f/4 with Kenko PZ 1.5X TC, which has similar focal length and aperture. I am completely satisfied with results from the 300+TC, so I'm firmly convinced the Sigma was simply not sharp enough, for me, at the long end.

10-17-2011, 07:21 PM	#1
gut1kor Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore Photos: Albums Posts: 176	A Pro's opinion on Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens Hi Guys, I have been considering this lens for a while now and was not sure of it's practicality in the field given it's slow aperture. When I was googling on this lens I came across websites of Arthur Morris and Robert O'Toole. Mr. Robert was using this lens and I have seen many pictures on his website and I also found his Pro profile in Sigma's website. So I wrote him an email asking about his experience with the lens and if he recommends one to an amaeteur like me. Below is his response and I thought it would help someone here to make a decision if considering a purchase. Quote: Hi Guna, Thanks for writing. The 150-500 is capable of making professional quality images for sure. I have been using one for sometime and I like it very much. Here is a sample file I made testing a 150-500 before a big photo shoot. I try to keep speeds at 1/1250 or higher for action but when I approach too high ISOs levels like 2000 I will drop the ISO and work on blurs at low ISOs. This is not a low light lens but it is compact and is a great value. Hope this helps. Best regards, Robert Cheers Guna

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10-17-2011, 07:36 PM	#2
mickey Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,146	Judging by many of the photos I've seen taken by users here, I'm in no doubt it's a great lens for the money, as is the 170-500.

10-17-2011, 07:51 PM	#3
gut1kor Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore Photos: Albums Posts: 176 Original Poster	Originally posted by mickey Judging by many of the photos I've seen taken by users here, I'm in no doubt it's a great lens for the money, as is the 170-500. This is also the confusion I have. This lens has mixed reviews from users. On the other hand I also read a positive review from Ken Rockwell's website on this lens apart from Mr. Robert Toole.

10-17-2011, 09:03 PM	#4
steve1307 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,130	Originally posted by gut1kor This is also the confusion I have. This lens has mixed reviews from users. On the other hand I also read a positive review from Ken Rockwell's website on this lens apart from Mr. Robert Toole. The Devil's advocate would say that people who may be featured on Sigma's website or others who earn aliving from commenting on gear may not be completely impartial, (shall we say). Best thing is to look at images producted by the lens to show what it is capable of in the right hands and then judge for yourself. From what I've read in the 150-500 many of the critisms are more related to the QC or the physical aspects of the lens (weight / zoom creep etc). Read (or listen) to what people say about the handling of the lens as this seems to be key to getting the optimum performance out of it. The other thing is, it also lives in the shadow of it's newer, more expensive brother, with a supposedly revised OS. For myself, I considered the 150-500 (under <$1K) and also the 50-500 (~$1650). In the end I went for a DA300 paired with an AFA 1.7x which cost me simialr money to the Bigma. Very impressed with the DA300. A DA*60-250 costs about the same so paired with an AFA 1.7x this would give you 60-250 f4 up to a 425mm f6.7. (just something else to think about) These are a little over 1/2 the weight of the Bigma's.

10-19-2011, 09:36 AM	#5
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	"I try to keep speeds at 1/1250 or higher for action but when I approach too high ISOs levels like 2000 I will drop the ISO and work on blurs at low ISOs. This is not a low light lens but it is compact and is a great value." Compact? Wow, he obviously has a different standard than most people. Family and friends actually burst out laughing when I showed them the Sigma. It is a large lens by any reasonable measure, compared to say a Bigma, Canon 100-400, 300 f/4 + TC for example. I cannot argue with the value statement. It is a lot of lens, both in reach and build quality for the price. I had a 150-500mm for a couple of weeks. HSM was leisurely but dead silent, and OS in a quick test did appear more effective than SR at the long end. The size, zoom creep and rings that turned opposite to my Pentax lenses were annoying, but livable. I returned the lens because I wasn't satisfied with sharpness at 500mm. You would be correct to wonder about technique, but I replaced the Sigma with a Pentax A*300mm f/4 with Kenko PZ 1.5X TC, which has similar focal length and aperture. I am completely satisfied with results from the 300+TC, so I'm firmly convinced the Sigma was simply not sharp enough, for me, at the long end.