hammond

The Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary was the first lens I ever bought.
Was gifted an old Nikon D70 and it came with a kit lens with limited zoom.
I was living right at the rivermouth of the Kaifu River in a remote area of Japan, and mainly wanted to shoot surfers and birds. I was just dipping my toes into the world of photography, and wasn't sure how far down the rabbit's hole I wanted to plunge. Found a used Sigma for about $750 on Yahoo Japan, and toko the chance - it was super new (packaging and everything), and I was thrilled with the reach of this lens.

But the pictures were out of focus and not sharp. Some of this was simply due to using a really old camera (after all, it was a 6.1 mpxl camera with an outdated focusing system), but much of it was simply due to the fact that I knew almost nothing about shutter speed and the exposure triangle.

I upgraded to the D500, and this was transformative: I went from getting 1 out of 10 shots as 'keeper's to feeling that all my previous keepers were junk, and was happy with the majority of my shots (at least in terms of IQ).

HOWEVER, as I have gone deeper down the rabbit's hole, I now recognize that my shots, especially those taken at full extension, are not nearly as sharp as what I've seen taken with the Nikon 200-500.

If I could do it over again, I would go back and buy the Nikon 200-500 over the Sigma. And am currently pondering whether to sell the Sigma (I now have also acquired the matching 1.4x teleconverter) and buy the Nikon.

I would recommend the Nikon.

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

I have had the Sigma 150-600C for several years and love it. At the time I bought it it was $989 on Amazon. An example shot at 600mm.

(Download)

tcthome Loc: NJ

I 2nd that. The other choice would be the Tamron g2 lens & I think the prices are pretty close. Pretty sure Matt Grainger on u tube has a recent vid comparing the sigma , tamron &, Nikon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZrK8tQZO20

Good luck & have fun, Tom

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I have owned both the Sigma 150-600 Sport and the Nikon 200-500. Of the two, I thought the 200-500 was the better choice optically. The Sigma was better sealed. Best of luck.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

I believe KEH started in the UK, and has more recently come to the U.S. The OP should be able to easily access the UK site for KEH.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

I used the Tamron 150-600 G2 - great lens. Perhaps the Nikon 200-500 is a tad sharper (and a bit heavier/bulkier), but will give you 100mm less reach...but on a crop body shouldn't matter for most subjects (I use the D7200).

There are a handful of long range zooms in that range Sigma makes 2 - a sport and contemporary, Nikon's 200-500, and the Tamron 150-600mm G2, all in the "affordable" range. The Sigma sport version is the most expensive, and also the heaviest/largest, but has been highest rated in a recent NPhoto lab test - some here may dispute that.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Tamron 150-600mm G2 would be an excellent choice to not break the bank.

Siemienczuk

I just got the Nikon 200-500 and I’m happy so far with sharpness, including throughout the focal length range. At first I thought it was too heavy but I found it quite manageable hand held on a birding outing, particularly using a strap (Peak Design Slide) attached to the tripod collar. Hangs nicely at the side. Coincidentally (?) mine also front focused a little (on a D7200), fixed at +9 in Fine Tune.

CWGordon

I have the G2. It IS sharpat 600 if you learn, as a prior contributor noted, to manage breathing, etc. i am very critical of lens sharpness. The G2 is not a $million dollar lens, but when you balance weight, cost, sharpness, ease of use, it comes up to be a pretty big bargain. I think it is more sharp than my Nikon 500 5.6, which cost me a lot more.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

Wow that's interesting...a lot of things affect sharpness not related to lens quality, for example when shooting over water on a warm summer day a distant subject, the water vapor will distort the image a bit (wavy lines)- variable refraction of the warmer/cooler air mix. Over dry land there will be practically no distortion.

I also found turning off VC (in the G2) for 1/1600 or faster helps too as the VC induces blur for the higher shutter speeds.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

That's interesting. I didn't know that. I told two of my friends about KEH. Each bought a good condition lens, and were satisfied what they paid for them. The UK also have excellent photography magazines. But, the subscription rates are too high for me. I have Nikon Gear.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

I also found turning off VC (in the G2) for 1/1600 or faster helps too as the VC induces blur for the higher shutter speeds.


I agree chrisg-optical

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

I bought a sigma 150-500mm that manuel focused only off eBay for 168.00 USD. I used it that way for a month then sent it to sigma to be repaired. I told them I was using a D7200. They replaced a focus pcb and charged me 100.00usd cost me 20.00 for shipping. When I got it back it was extremely sharp. Way better than when I sent it in. Just a thought if you can find something broken in sigma. I know other manufacturers are extremely expensive for repairs. Sigma was fast and reasonable. I have 290.00 in a 150 500mm pretty darn sharp lense.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My favorite Nikon wildlife lens is the Nikon 200-500. On the D7500 you would have an field of view of 300-750 mm (more than enough to capture most any wildlife scenario. The 200-500 is designed to work with your camera, it was developed and designed specifically for Nikon. The Sigma was designed to work with a variety of camera bodies.
I have found the 200-500 mm one of my go to lenses in Florida Everglades. It has a constant 5.6 through out the range. And using GROUP AUTO FOCUS on your camera you can achieve a outstanding 98% keep rate. Yes, that lens is that good. And, your Nikon will be worth twice the Sigma at trade on upgrade time. It holds it's value much better than third party glass.
Below are two examples of this lens.