My thoughts on the Sigma 150-500OS Bigmos

[Bob Barnett]

Keep in mind that I am fairly new to photography and my advice is better suited for amatuers. I know many on here are at a different level of photography skill.(I hope to be there soon:)). I spent the day yesterday knee deep in mud at my favorite wetlands area. It was 100 degrees and the cattails completely blocked the wind. It was HOT but GREAT!! What started as a birding trip quickly turned into a Swamp Deer shoot. I was covered up in deer all day long!

Anyway, The Sigma 150-500mm is a decent sized lens but very handholdable(is that a word). I had no problem using this lens for 5 straight hours in a very uncomfortable position. The best part of the lens IMO is the OS. The OS is extremely effective and impressive. Like a lot of lenses, there is definitely a sweet spot. The Bigmos was somewhat soft wide open. The best sharpness was achieved at f/8-f/10 and I was satisfied with the results at those apertures. The AF was much quicker than I had anticipated which was a great surprise. I had read about it being slow and clumsy but I didnt experience that at all. Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase. For my level of skill and my personal needs this lens is eactly what I had hoped for. It will allow me to get a little closer and personal to my subjects. I think I will eventually want a faster lens for low light ducks but I'll have to wait and see. Here are a few shots from yesterday. The composition isnt great but you can get an idea of IQ.



Bob,
We only allow 1 image per post. If you would like to add another please do so as a reply.
Thanks James

[David Stephens]

Nice buck.

What were the focal lengths and apertures on those shots? It looks like a great lens for the money. I'm telling my friends that can't afford the big Canons and Nikons to look to the Sigmas. Did you consider the 50-500mm and why did you go with the 150-500mm instead?

[Bob Barnett]

Sorry James, Im a noob here!

David the buck and butterfly were at:

500mm
f/8
ISO 400

The doe in the cattails:
430
f/8
ISO 640

I did consider the 50-500 but I couldn't tell any difference in IQ. I knew I would be shooting near 500mm at all times with this lens so the extra versatility wasn't a factor for me. When it came down to it I could save a few $100 bucks for the same IQ. I have read conflicting reports online about this and I know the 50-500 has a better reputation but I couldn't tell a difference. This lens will be great for me to learn on and then I can step up to some L glass later if I feel it is worth it. My next purchase is a 7D:)

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Bob glad you are enjoying your lens and did some fine mudding :) .. one suggestion, to test image quality do place on a tripod and shoot a target, just doing shots in the field will not give you the answers !!! Looking forward to many more !!!

[Roger Clark]

Bob,
It looks like the focus is behind the deer. Did you use multiple AF points or a single AF point on the eye of the animal?

Roger

[Bob Barnett]

Single on the eyes but I might have missed it. I was lucky to get any decent shots. He came out totally unexpected moving quickly and angleing away from me. I'm just happy to get what I got. I don't see many bucks in velvet in that environment. Fun to witness.

[arash_hazeghi]

Good points above about using a standard target and focus being on the BG, def missed the focus in this one. To do a meaningful test it is best to find a stationary target with lots of fine details like a dollar bill and stack it flat against the wall and then test for sharpness at different apertures, you also need to include 100% crops from the files as anything will look sharp enough and identical at small 1024 pixel size :)

Sigma lenses are good but they do not have the optical and mechanical performance of Canon or Nikon lenses, They are good for snapshots and casual photography but not for serious Avian photography. That is why they are so much cheaper. My cousin had Sigma 35 f/1.4, not a cheap lens, focus failed, first time they fixed it which took them a month, failed again in less than a month and they refused to fix for free! He ended up trashing it.

Best

[Bob Barnett]

As I stated in my post, I am an amatuer and I am offering my thoughts as such. I do not believe the average amatuer is going to spend the type of money that a "serious avian" photographer would. I'm very fortunate financially and could buy just about whatever I wanted to...including a Canon 800mm if I felt the need. However, I am a businessman/father that loves to take pics. I've been a hunter since I was 6 years old. Once I discovered the camera, I don't have much interested in replacing it with a gun. For ppl like me, the Sigma fits the bill.

Lastly, I did compare images of a 150-500, 50-500, and Canon 100-400L. All were shot on a tripod at my local photography store(great place!) The photo was of a sign at different ranges. There was little if any difference between them. The 50-500 was probably the sharpest of the 3 but was hard to tell.
As for my buck pic, again I might have missed the shot. I'm new and enjoy the photo very much. I didn't post it bc I thought it was a technical masterpiece but only to give some idea of how the lens performed at 500mm, handheld, in less than perfect conditions. If it doesn't pass your test then my post was worth your time. For me, I'm happy enough about it to be leaving at 4:45am this morning on a 3hr drive to a very productive WMA!! I'm pretty pumped about it.
I appreciate all yalls advice and might pop back in some other time when I am a little more skilled. This is a great forum but probably a little out of my league here.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Bob your missing the entire point?

You posted the image to show how your lens worked and that is good. We had no idea you had gone and tried that and others at the local shop with a tripod under controlled conditions, that is great. Can only make suggestions on what we are seeing and testing hand holding in the mud at a deer is not the way to go.

As far as missing the shot or not we are just pointing out how to go make your photography better ... no more no less. Hope next time you go out you will keep the af point on the head of the deer !! Looking forward to your next post, drop over to ETL and will get some excellent advice !!!

[Bob Barnett]

Alfred I appreciate the feedback very much. I didn't mean to come across that I didn't! I look at shots on here all the time and I'm amazed. Great stuff on here.

Anyway, I'm out the door to take some pics. I've got a long drive to get there but I'm off all week so I should be able to put my Sigma through the ringers.

Thanks!

[James Shadle]

Arash said:
"Sigma lenses are good but they do not have the optical and mechanical performance of Canon or Nikon lenses, They are good for snapshots and casual photography but not for serious Avian photography."

Really? In that case I have been deluding myself and photo editors into believing my images are worthy of being published in their magazines. Please don't tell the magazines I've been published in, the contests I've won or my workshop participants that I use a Sigma lens.:)

[arash_hazeghi]

Arash said:
"Sigma lenses are good but they do not have the optical and mechanical performance of Canon or Nikon lenses, They are good for snapshots and casual photography but not for serious Avian photography."

Really? In that case I have been deluding myself and photo editors into believing my images are worthy of being published in their magazines. Please don't tell the magazines I've been published in, the contests I've won or my workshop participants that I use a Sigma lens.:)

Captain your images are top notch!!! But I thought you only used the Sigmonster not the Bigma, huge difference is optics and $$$ :D What other Sigma's do you use besides the monster? sure they must be excellent if you say so.

Best

[Dave Weller]

I thought I would add my $0.02 worth, I too have the 150-500 Sigma lens and I find much the same as the OP, however I have seen some top notch photo's taken with this lens. All in all I am happy with the lens for my level of skill and experience. The OS works great even for my shaky hands :)

[Robert O'Toole]

Sigma lenses are good but they do not have the optical and mechanical performance of Canon or Nikon lenses, They are good for snapshots and casual photography but not for serious Avian photography.

Arash I agree with Shadle 100% on this, Sigma lenses can give you sharp results, dont write the optical quality off.

Sigma lenses do not have the same level of refinement or design as C and N, but they are good enough optically for professional use. I can tell you this from my professional experience. I have only used a handful of lenses, the 70-200, 100-300, 150-500, and the 300-800 (only once). I also have to mention that I have a contract with Sigma for images and presentations.

In Europe you find that Sigma lenses are more popular then the US and many have been used to make some stunning images, some have been shown here on BPN.

Last month Sigma was nice enough to Fedex me a 150-500 for some photographing during my Bald Eagle workshop and I took it out one day for a test and I was very pleasantly surprised. At F8 I found the sharpness was very good and the reach, flexibility and price was amazing.

I will post a Sigma optic image in Avian tomorrow when I get a chance.

Robert

[Lance Peters]

Im using the 300-800 all the time - my recent BSC posts have all been taken with that lens and a 36mm extension tube.
I think that its a excellent lens that offers flexibility - Nikon dont have a competing product and if they did would no doubt be much more expensive and a little bit better.
I love the Sigmonster :)

[Roger Clark]

I agree with Robert. I have won best in show in a national photo contest with a Sigma lens. The lens is very sharp, but a little heavy.

My Sigma 170-500 is sharper than my Canon 100-400 L lens.

Roger

[Robert O'Toole]

Just posted an image in Avian made with the 150-500, if interested:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...074#post546074

This session was my very first time using this lens. I was very happy with the IQ and the flexibility.

Robert

[Mike Vanecek]

Just posted an image in Avian made with the 150-500, if interested:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...074#post546074

This session was my very first time using this lens. I was very happy with the IQ and the flexibility.

Robert

I was thinking about renting the 150-500; however, the rental store told me that they had a very high failure rate with them and suggested the 50-500 OS instead. I may rent one and try it out. I was looking for a cost effective option that would give me more reach. Do you think the 50-500 OS would be suitable for New Mexico in November? I had initially planned on renting a 500 but the rental place has a deal with a camera store that will apply some of the rental charges to the purchase of the Sigma making it cost even less.

Regards,

Mike

[Robert O'Toole]

I was thinking about renting the 150-500; however, the rental store told me that they had a very high failure rate with them and suggested the 50-500 OS instead. I may rent one and try it out. I was looking for a cost effective option that would give me more reach. Do you think the 50-500 OS would be suitable for New Mexico in November? I had initially planned on renting a 500 but the rental place has a deal with a camera store that will apply some of the rental charges to the purchase of the Sigma making it cost even less.

Mike,
The 50-500 should be a good all around lens for a place like bosque, especially with a 1.5-1.6 X sensor body. Give it a try, I dont see how you can go wrong. The more flexible the range of a lens at Bosque the better I typically use focal lengths from fish eye to 750-1000 mm.
Robert