Sigma 100-600mm lens: Thinking about buying one of these monsters. I hear nothing bad about them. Anybody have experience with them? Looking to use it for sports and birds.

Bill Koepsel Loc: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Thinking about buying one of these monsters. I hear nothing bad about them. Anybody have experience with them? Looking to use it for sports and birds.

jkm757 Loc: San Diego, Ca.

Bill Koepsel wrote:

Thinking about buying one of these monsters. I hear nothing bad about them. Anybody have experience with them? Looking to use it for sports and birds.

I have the 150-600 sport and other than the fact this is a very heavy lens(I recommend using with a monopod or tripod), I like everything else about it.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Bill Koepsel wrote:

Thinking about buying one of these monsters. I hear nothing bad about them. Anybody have experience with them? Looking to use it for sports and birds.

I have the Sigma 150-600 Sport. It is every bit as sharp as my 600mm F4, but portable. I have owned it for a year and never needed to put it on a tripod. Using it hand-held has created opportunities for birds in flight that were not possible without a lot of "dancing around" tripod legs that I used to have to do when using the 600 F4. The Contemporary was not as sharp for my purposes.

My avatar shows me using the Sigma with a Black Rapid sling strap.

Active large, medium and small subjects are way easier with this lens.

I do like the Tamron G2 - similar image quality, and about 2 lbs lighter, and a few $$$ cheaper.

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Bootnose

I like the Tamaron 150 -600 . It has vibration control and the pictures hand held are beautiful . I have the standard one before the new G2. I'd look into the Tamaron. Cheaper than Sigma and as far as I'm concerned better.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I have the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary which serves me very well. I cannot compare it to other lenses but the things that stand out about it are the sharpness, quick focus and weight. I use it mainly for birds and place it on a tripod whenever possible.

MHField

For the price I found this lens to be a good investment.
I use it to shoot fast action Motocross Bike Races, Girls Fast Pitch Softball, and Flag Football.
You can see some pictures shot with this lens at Facebook: River Valley Raiders@RiverValleyRaiders (check out the Game album from Photos)
I shoot with several different lenses but the game (for the most part) is shot with my 600mm, I can stand at one end of the field and get good close-ups at the other end.

The Sigma gives you good bang for the buck, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

3dees

I wanted this lens, but it's a bit heavy for this old guy with a bad back. I just received a Sigma 100-400mm. half the weight and size and on my dx camera it's a 150-600mm.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I have a Sport for sale with extras. Only selling due to eye problem discussed here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-491736-1.html

wolfman

Now's a good time, as both the Sport and Contemporary are on sale. If you can handle the weight, I would suggest the Sport.

These were all hand held. Shooting BIF would not work very well using a tripod.

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vonzip Loc: cape cod

Gene51 wrote:

I have the Sigma 150-600 Sport. It is every bit as... (show quote)

good shot of the dragonfly in flight

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

wolfman wrote:

Now's a good time, as both the Sport and Contemporary are on sale. If you can handle the weight, I would suggest the Sport.

These were all hand held. Shooting BIF would not work very well using a tripod.

Depends upon the bird. Larger birds such as raptors glide in predictable paths so a tripod works well. The tripod lets you track very easily. Smaller birds are much faster and less predictable so you may be better off holding by hand even though tracking can be a lot more difficult.

wolfman

abc1234 wrote:

Depends upon the bird. Larger birds such as raptors glide in predictable paths so a tripod works well. The tripod lets you track very easily. Smaller birds are much faster and less predictable so you may be better off holding by hand even though tracking can be a lot more difficult.

True, I have used a tripod-gimbal head combo, and a monopod when shooting Herons and Cormorants, but in those cases, the birds were not high above the water.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Bill Koepsel wrote:

Thinking about buying one of these monsters. I hear nothing bad about them. Anybody have experience with them? Looking to use it for sports and birds.

Maybe you've been reading the wrong reviews. Have you read anything from Sigma?

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=15236
http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/tamron-vs-sigma-150-600.html
http://photo.net/equipment/150-600_lenses
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/articles/tamron-vs-sigma-150-600mm-the-7-key-differences-48183
https://photographylife.com/nikon-200-500mm-vs-tamron-150-600mm-vs-sigma-150-600mm-c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLXocpM5xno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_msTFAmwWY

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

3dees wrote:

I wanted this lens, but it's a bit heavy for this old guy with a bad back. I just received a Sigma 100-400mm. half the weight and size and on my dx camera it's a 150-600mm.

I recently purchased the Tamron 150-600 G2 VC (for my D750) and was totally surprised as to how light it was. My copy weighs 4 lbs. & 12 oz. I wanted to wait and compare it to the new Tamron 100-400 which is due to be released by the end of this year. But if I want to return my copy of the Tamron 150-600 lens, I need to return it soon for a full credit and get the pending Tamron 100-400 which is smaller and lighter. But I really like this lens and have decided to keep it and not exchange it for the pending Tamron 100-400.

Robert Bailey Loc: Canada

Does a Sigma 100-600 exist? I think it might be a 150-600.