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

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Nikon and Pentax mounts do not have an aperture ring. Some functions may not work depending on the camera model. On the APS-C format 24-Mpix Sony A-77 the Sigma doesn’t perform quite as well with a similar fall off in sharpness witnessed on the Sony A-99. Distortion is low at all focal lengths, as would be expected from a telephoto zoom of this type. It would be very unlikely to be a problem, in fact you'd probably have a hard time seeing it, even in architectural shots. 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. However, since I am starting off and do not want to spend a ton of money right way (unless you think its worth the extra couple hundred dollars), I have been looking at a used Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 OS.

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

The first question many readers had was about the comparative sharpness of each lens at its longest focal length. Is the Sigma 150-500mm as sharp at 500mm as the Tamron 150-600mm VC is at 600mm? Based on my experience the short answer is … no. To my eye, the Tamron is noticeably sharper at its full focal length compared to the Sigma 150-500mm OS. To be fair, both lenses at their longest focal lengths require sharpening in post. NIKON D800 @ 450mm, ISO 400, 1/640, f/6.3

Autofocus: All lenses in this comparison offer autofocus with built-in focus drive. Manual-focus override is by simply turning the dedicated focus ring. The focus ring on the Sigma 150-600 DN has the usual variable gearing of an original mirrorless design which allows for very precise manual focus when turned slowly but cannot be switched to linear gearing. Which makes smooth focus pulling for videographers almost impossible. The Sigma 150-600 HSM Sports and the Tamron 150-600 has the usual direct coupling and linear gearing of a lens designed for DSLRs and the Sony 200-600 also offers linear response for MF. [+] This is the third Sigma 500mm zoom that I've owned. The first was their non-OS 50-500mm, and then their 50-500mm OS and finally the 150-500mm OS. I use the 150-500mm on Nikons, including a D3, D700, D7100, D300 and D2X.

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

AF: AF with HSM (hyper sonic motor), means it works on Nikon’s D60/3×00/5×00-bodies, plus there’s simple manual-focus override by turning the focus ring. [+] as you can see there is a small amount of red/green fringing on high contrast edges. This can be minimized in post processing if it becomes an issue, but that's only likely if you're making large prints for close viewing. The CA seen at the edges of a full frame shot at 500mm isn't very different from this. So I did some tests hand-held at 500mm to find out whether switching on OS could help to get a hit rate of sharp photos that equals shots without OS at 4x shorter shutter speeds. So I was effectively testing the assumption that the OS could give you a 2 stops advantage. When I tested the Sigma 120-400 OS I was quite disappointed to find only a 1 stop advantage (see my review of the Sigma AF 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM).I’ve read this article a number of times since I use the Sigma 150-500 (circa 2010) on my D7100. I find that many of my photos suffer a bit from sharpness. I usually shoot in M, 11-point AF, matrix metering, with Auto ISO 100-3200, f/8.0 and 1/1250 – 1/2000. I also us in-camera sharpening on the D7100 Standard (SD) picture control set to 6. 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. I had the newer version of the 80-400 G for a long time, but I eventually replaced it with the Sigma 150-600 Sports, which, although it is much more cumbersome, focuses faster, and is far easier to zoom in and out with (simply a pull-push operation, no twisting needed), and is definitely sharper in the long end!