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Sigma 150-600mm Sports Lens?
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Jan 14, 2019 10:32:33   #
Kandfoto Loc: Conroe, TX
 
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.

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Jan 14, 2019 10:56:35   #
AHK Loc: Lakewood Ranch, Fl.
 
Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.


I use it for wildlife on a Canon 7D and a EOS 1-dx. Great for the price.

I try not to go beyond 525-550mm...I find it soft beyond that range.

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Jan 14, 2019 11:07:30   #
old man 88 Loc: Palmview, TX when not on road
 
Try these reviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6tCUFXiDws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4kBPKd8Ihs

Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.

Reply
 
 
Jan 14, 2019 11:16:44   #
MT Shooter Loc: Montana
 
Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.


I have and have used it for 4 years on D800E, D500, D850, and Df. Love it! Very sharp but does benefit from proper tuning.

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Jan 14, 2019 11:55:04   #
sandiegosteve Loc: San Diego, CA
 
What kind of sports? From what I know of that lens, it is big and heavy. I think I'd prefer to stick with the high speed primes for weight, low light and ability to blur out background. I'm sure that the lens would be good for certain shots. Venue pending, if I were going to be changing to my 70-200 or 24-70, I wouldn't want to cary it around.

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Jan 14, 2019 12:09:02   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.
Had the Sport 150-600 for my Nikon D800. Found is super sharp up to around 500. Did buy the Sigma USB Dock system. It did not correct the problem. I sold it for the Nikon 200-500 which my copy is super sharp through the range.

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Jan 14, 2019 12:45:40   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
AHK wrote:
I use it for wildlife on a Canon 7D and a EOS 1-dx. Great for the price.

I try not to go beyond 525-550mm...I find it soft beyond that range.


I have the C and use it at 600 without any noticeable loss of sharpness. I think the C is a great lens but many consider the S sharper. It is also much heavier and expensive so you have, excess the pun, a lot to weigh in deciding between the two and the comparable Tamron.

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Jan 14, 2019 12:46:31   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
PixelStan77 wrote:
Had the Sport 150-600 for my Nikon D800. Found is super sharp up to around 500. Did buy the Sigma USB Dock system. It did not correct the problem. I sold it for the Nikon 200-500 which my copy is super sharp through the range.


Might have needed a focus microadjustment.

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Jan 14, 2019 12:52:39   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
sandiegosteve wrote:
What kind of sports? From what I know of that lens, it is big and heavy. I think I'd prefer to stick with the high speed primes for weight, low light and ability to blur out background. I'm sure that the lens would be good for certain shots. Venue pending, if I were going to be changing to my 70-200 or 24-70, I wouldn't want to cary it around.


I shoot a lot of indoor basketball in small high school gyms and do not bring my 150-600 along. Might be good for outside depending upon how close up you want to be. I have Sigma's 24-70 and 70-200, both f/2.8, and they are great for where I shoot basketball. Typically, I use 1/500, f/2.8, auto-ISO (usually 3200-6400) which do not have that much noise with my Canon 80D. LR does a great job of getting rid of it. With the longer lens, I go up to the balcony and get pretty good angles that give you a very different view of the action.

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Jan 14, 2019 15:25:00   #
Vietnam Vet
 
you will have a difficult time with a lens that only opens to f5 for basketball. A sports lens should be at least a 2.8. the 70-200 2.8 is probably the most popular sports lens on the market.

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Jan 14, 2019 16:17:10   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
Vietnam Vet wrote:
you will have a difficult time with a lens that only opens to f5 for basketball. A sports lens should be at least a 2.8. the 70-200 2.8 is probably the most popular sports lens on the market.


For inside shooting. If you want faster than f/2.8, then you probably have to go to a prime. The problem with that is you have to wait for the action to come to you while with a zoom you can follow it. f/5.6 for indoors basketball simply will not work unless you have a body that goes up to at least 25000 ISO. Also, unless you just want to have faces, you do not need much more than 200 mm. The 150-600 probably has a role in outside sports.

An exception to this is a guy who uses something like a 600 mm prime, f/4. I shoots from the far side of the court to catch the action under the distant basket. Can you imagine how heavy that lens is!

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Jan 14, 2019 18:18:03   #
Kandfoto Loc: Conroe, TX
 
Thanks for all the great information. I'm a wildlife photographer, who shoots in Africa, Alaska, Norway, Brazil, and many more places. I have the Nikon 500mm, f4.0, VRII, lens. It's an amazing lens. I will be in Zimbabwe, and I was thinking I would not bring the 500mm. I usually bring two pro bodies, a wide angle, 70-200mm, 1.4x, and my 500mm prime. I rented the Nikon 80-400mm in India but I wasn't to please with its sharpness so I thought I could rent this Sigma lens 150-600mm or maybe the Nikon 200-500mm.

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Jan 14, 2019 18:26:02   #
Kandfoto Loc: Conroe, TX
 
Thanks for the video links . . . that guy's hair is really wild but he makes some good points about the difference between $1000 to $12k on the lenses. I think the C model would be fine.

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Jan 14, 2019 19:43:17   #
btbg
 
Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.

I have the lens in question. It weighs approximately six pounds. Early versions of the lens seemed to have a problem with a couple of screws that worked loose. Sigma replaced the screws and the parts the screws held in place and since then there has been no problem.

For the cost the lens is a good for what it was designed for. The biggest problem is that it isn't a fixed f stop, it would be better if it was, but that would make it cost prohibitive, at least for me.

The lens is great for daytime outdoor sports such as baseball, softball and soccer. It isn't fast enough for nighttime sports unless the stadium is very well lit.

Pluses - Much more sturdily built than the other choices. Good weather sealing. Reasonably sharp up to about 550mm, still usable to 600mm, but does not quite focus as quickly and is slightly less sharp. Balances well on a monopod.

Disadvantages - not fixed fstop. Heavier than the other comparable lenses.

The lens can be hand held regardless of what other people will tell you, but it does feel heavy to some people after holding it for long periods of time.

The lens also works well for wildlife photography, including birds in flight and focuses well on the D5. If you decide to buy one then make sure that you spend the extra money to get the attachment to adjust focus on the lens and update software. It's worth the extra money. The other thing you might consider is purchasing the Sigma after market foot for the lens. I carry big lenses by the tripod mount and the one supplied with the camera is rather narrow. The after market one leaves more space between the lens and the tripod mount, making it easier to carry the lens bottom side up by the mount. At least for me it was worth the extra money.

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Jan 14, 2019 21:07:47   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Kandfoto wrote:
Does anyone know or have this lens? If so, any review on how this lens performs in the field and how sharp is this lens? I need it for a Nikon D5 and/or Nikon D850.

Thanks.


I've replaced my 600mm F4 with one.

I just posted a bunch of hand-held shots I took with it, using either a D800 or a D810 here:

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-573491-3.html

And here:

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-573491-5.html

It's a little on the heavy side, but I have no complaints with regards to performance and image quality.

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