Sigma 150-600mm contemporary

dougan said:
Have the usb dock as well, still in its box though!
You can change far more on the Sport than the Contemporary though.
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That's great you also have the usb dock! But yes it's true, less options on the Contemporary. o_O
 
A large crop from last night, just to see how it looked, not to bad at all.
Hand held on a windy evening, so the lens was moving around a bit.

_MG_0969_wheatear.jpg
 
dougan said:
I have the Sigma 150-500mm so will be good how the 2 compare.
I will hopefully get out tomorrow afternoon, so will post the results later on.

Matt, quite a few stores now have it in stock, all the same price though!
I got mine from Digital Depot, as I have P/X my 150-500 at the same time. They offered £110 more in P/X than WEX did!
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How do you find the 150-500 you has compares to the 150-600 C.. ?
 
dougan said:
Have the usb dock as well, still in its box though!
You can change far more on the Sport than the Contemporary though.
Click to expand...

jshen808 said:
That's great you also have the usb dock! But yes it's true, less options on the Contemporary. o_O
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What can you change on the Sport that you cannot on the C ??. I have downloaded the dock manual and have also got the C and the Dock and from what I can tell all the options are available with the C.
I have changed the focus priority to 'focus' and the OS to 'dynamic'. (although I already have 'focus' priority set in the Camera and it does not seem to make any difference by changing it on the lens as well). My lens does not need any focus tweaking as far as front or back focusing goes so have not touched that but I would have thought the in-camera AFMA would do the same thing (albeit for zoom lenses the sigma dock allows you to set it for 4 different zones if you can be bothered to carryout that many tests).
If you are shooting a lot within a specific range then changing the focus limiter settings could be useful but I have not bothered (sods law says that something outside of the set range will come along and you will miss the shot).
 
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Photo of an alarm (33m away) had to do for comparing teleconverters.

One shot at 600mm f6.3, the rest at 840mm f9 (Canon 1.4x ml1, Canon 1.4x mk2 and Kenko PRO 300 DG White edition)

The AF with the Sigma TC-1401 was too inconsistent so I had to return it. AF with both Canon TCs is great, the Kenko sometimes hunts a little.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16187250/Sigma 150-600mm contemporary/TCs/1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16187250/Sigma 150-600mm contemporary/TCs/2.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16187250/Sigma 150-600mm contemporary/TCs/3.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16187250/Sigma 150-600mm contemporary/TCs/4.JPG
 
Roy C said:
What can you change on the Sport that you cannot on the C ??. I have downloaded the dock manual and have also got the C and the Dock and from what I can tell all the options are available with the C.
I have changed the focus priority to 'focus' and the OS to 'dynamic'. (although I already have 'focus' priority set in the Camera and it does not seem to make any difference by changing it on the lens as well). My lens does not need any focus tweaking as far as front or back focusing goes so have not touched that but I would have thought the in-camera AFMA would do the same thing (albeit for zoom lenses the sigma dock allows you to set it for 4 different zones if you can be bothered to carryout that many tests).
If you are shooting a lot within a specific range then changing the focus limiter settings could be useful but I have not bothered (sods law says that something outside of the set range will come along and you will miss the shot).
Click to expand...

Contemporary, Art and Sports
Updating Lens Firmware It is possible to update the lens firmware via the internet.
Focus Setting Multiple focus setting options are available: 4 categories for fixed focal length lenses, and 16 categories (4 options for focal length) x (4 options for shooting distance) for zoom lenses.
Full-time MF Setting* It is possible to adjust the timing to operate the Full-time MF function by customizing how much rotation of the focus ring is required.
* Compatible with 24mm F1.4 DG HSM A015,50mm F1.4 DG HSM A014, 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM S013, 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C015.

For Sports line*
AF Speed Adjustment There are 3 AF speed modes.
Focus Limiter Adjustment Offering customization for the driving range of auto focus enables a photographer to exactly reflect the personal preference.
OS Setting There are 3 OS (Optical Stabilizer) adjustment modes.
* Currently only compatible with 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C015.

From the Sigma website.
 
dougan said:
Contemporary, Art and Sports
Updating Lens Firmware It is possible to update the lens firmware via the internet.
Focus Setting Multiple focus setting options are available: 4 categories for fixed focal length lenses, and 16 categories (4 options for focal length) x (4 options for shooting distance) for zoom lenses.
Full-time MF Setting* It is possible to adjust the timing to operate the Full-time MF function by customizing how much rotation of the focus ring is required.
* Compatible with 24mm F1.4 DG HSM A015,50mm F1.4 DG HSM A014, 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM S013, 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C015.

For Sports line*
AF Speed Adjustment There are 3 AF speed modes.
Focus Limiter Adjustment Offering customization for the driving range of auto focus enables a photographer to exactly reflect the personal preference.
OS Setting There are 3 OS (Optical Stabilizer) adjustment modes.
* Currently only compatible with 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C015.

From the Sigma website.
Click to expand...
That is rubbish I am afraid Dougan, you can do every thing on the 'C' with the dock that the sport offers. Rather than relying on what an out of date web site might say all you have to do is try it for yourself. As I have already said I have already changed the OS setting (to dynamic) and the focus speed (to focus priority) on my 'C'
 
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Am I right in thinking I would loose AF on a 70d with a 1.4 extender
 
Hi I wonder if someone can help me, I just bought this lens and I'm very impressed with it,fast and sharp however I cant see a discernible difference with the O.S whether its on or off, it doesnt seem to steady the image in the viewfinder as my Canon 70-300 L lens does, I spoke to Jeff (Black Fox) and he recommended changing the settings on the dock (on order) as he had similar issues with his Sport version, I'm just not sure if its faulty and would prefer to have it sorted out asap or take it back to where I purchased it from, It seems odd that if the dock will change this why is it not sorted at factory default settings

Gord
 
GordH said:
Hi I wonder if someone can help me, I just bought this lens and I'm very impressed with it,fast and sharp however I cant see a discernible difference with the O.S whether its on or off, it doesnt seem to steady the image in the viewfinder as my Canon 70-300 L lens does, I spoke to Jeff (Black Fox) and he recommended changing the settings on the dock (on order) as he had similar issues with his Sport version, I'm just not sure if its faulty and would prefer to have it sorted out asap or take it back to where I purchased it from, It seems odd that if the dock will change this why is it not sorted at factory default settings

Gord
Click to expand...
You need to change the OS (via the dock) to Dynamic OS Gord. With this mode you can see the image stabilising in the viewfinder.
I think the reason this is not the default is because it is not the most effective stabilisation, but it is the quickest mode for the image to settled down in the viewfinder. Here is how they describe the modes in the Dock Manual:
Dynamic View Mode
This mode offers a recognizable OS effect to the image in the viewfinder. This helps to ensure the composition of images quickly.
Standard
This is the default setting. The OS effect is well-balanced and suitable for various scenes.
Moderate View Mode
This mode offers an excellent compensation of camera shake, and achieves very smooth transition of the image in the viewfinder. The composition of the image remains natural even when the angle of view keeps changing
 
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RKC said:
Am I right in thinking I would loose AF on a 70d with a 1.4 extender
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This is a f6.3 lens at the long end Bob, so adding a 1.4x tc brings it up to f9 (although the Cameras AF system is fooled into thinking it is still at f8). It works OK an both my 5D3 and 7D2 but it would not work on your 70D as that only AFs up to f5.6.
I am surprised just how well/quick it seems to AF with a converter seeing it is at f9 (I use a Canon 1.4x MKII) but I am still undecided as to just how good the IQ is with a tc onboard. Also Hand-holding 840mm on a 1.6 crop Camera (1344mm FOV) is asking a heck of a lot - I would only contemplate using this focal length with a tripod and decent head.
 
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Roy C said:
This is a f6.3 lens at the long end Bob, so adding a 1.4x tc brings it up to f9 (although the Cameras AF system is fooled into thinking it is still at f8). It works OK an both my 5D3 and 7D2 but it would not work on your 70D as that only AFs up to f5.6.
I am surprised just how well/quick it seems to AF with a converter seeing it is at f9 (I use a Canon 1.4x MKII) but I am still undecided as to just how good the IQ is with a tc onboard. Also Hand-holding 840mm on a 1.6 crop Camera (1344mm FOV) is asking a heck of a lot - I would only contemplate using this focal length with a tripod and decent head.
Click to expand...

Sorry to sound silly, but are you saying then that the 70d won't autofocus with is lens at 600mm being a F6.3. Has it will only AF to f5.6 or am I getting confused and not understanding correctly?
 
simonm8 said:
Sorry to sound silly, but are you saying then that the 70d won't autofocus with is lens at 600mm being a F6.3. Has it will only AF to f5.6 or am I getting confused and not understanding correctly?
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It will AF fine on the 70D, all these third party f6.3 zooms (Tamron and Sigma, 150-600 and 150-500 lenses) trick the Cameras AF system into thinking it is still f5.6 so it will AF. They have been doing this for many years.
 
P
Roy C said:
This is a f6.3 lens at the long end Bob, so adding a 1.4x tc brings it up to f9 (although the Cameras AF system is fooled into thinking it is still at f8). It works OK an both my 5D3 and 7D2 but it would not work on your 70D as that only AFs up to f5.6.
I am surprised just how well/quick it seems to AF with a converter seeing it is at f9 (I use a Canon 1.4x MKII) but I am still undecided as to just how good the IQ is with a tc onboard. Also Hand-holding 840mm on a 1.6 crop Camera (1344mm FOV) is asking a heck of a lot - I would only contemplate using this focal length with a tripod and decent head.
Click to expand...

Thought so Roy, basically beyond F4 constant it will not AF on my 70d, maybe completly wrong but I believe certain models of the Kenko might AF with it?
 
RKC said:
P


Thought so Roy, basically beyond F4 constant it will not AF on my 70d, maybe completly wrong but I believe certain models of the Kenko might AF with it?
Click to expand...
Yep, that's right Bob for those Cameras that will only AF up to f5.6 you have to have a f4 or faster lens to use a tc. I have not tried one the the Kenko tc which also attempt to fool the Cameras AF system but I think I have read somewhere that they do not work with these third party f6.3 zooms. Funny think about using a 1.4x tc with this lens is that it appears from every thing I have read that a Canon 1.4x tc (I use a MkII) works a lot better that a new Sigma converter which is very strange.
 
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Roy C said:
Yep, that's right Bob for those Cameras that will only AF up to f5.6 you have to have a f4 or faster lens to use a tc. I have not tried one the the Kenko tc which also attempt to fool the Cameras AF system but I think I have read somewhere that they do not work with these third party f6.3 zooms. Funny think about using a 1.4x tc with this lens is that it appears from every thing I have read that a Canon 1.4x tc (I use a MkII) works a lot better that a new Sigma converter which is very strange.
Click to expand...

That would appear strange as Sigma have new range of extenders which one would assume would be a good match
 
Roy C said:
That is rubbish I am afraid Dougan, you can do every thing on the 'C' with the dock that the sport offers. Rather than relying on what an out of date web site might say all you have to do is try it for yourself. As I have already said I have already changed the OS setting (to dynamic) and the focus speed (to focus priority) on my 'C'
Click to expand...

Yes Roy, I was talking a load of rubbish, as you so kindly pointed out!
I was convinced I had read it somewhere, but after contacting Sigma, there are no differences.
So I apologise for any confusion caused.
 
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dougan said:
Yes Roy, I was talking a load of rubbish, as you so kindly pointed out!
I was convinced I had read it somewhere, but after contacting Sigma, there are no differences.
So I apologise for any confusion caused.
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I was not referring to you dougan but to the article that you were referring to when I said it was rubbish - just saying
 
It is starting to impress me, what would be really good if some of you would not mind indicating how much cropping is happening.

I am seriously considering this lens, it would only be used handheld so any examples before and after cropping would be appreciated
 
RKC said:
Very nice Roy nearly went there myself last night
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I knew you would guess where they were taken Bob, they are nesting under at least two of those underpasses again this year. The trouble with going in the evening is that if it is sunny you are always shooting into the light - would be great on an overcast evening though.
 
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The pictures are all very good but apart from the (excellent) ones from micloi they don't have any shooting data. How are people finding this lens works best in the field? Do you find it preferable to stop down at longer focal lengths for distant birds? Is it better to shoot at 600mm and crop less, or 500mm and crop more, again bearing distance in mind? Any insights along such lines much appreciated!
 
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Thanks for all the useful information. Looking to get a lens in this focal range at the moment. Has anyone here had experience comparing the Sigma C with the Tamron?
 
Sid said:
Thanks for all the useful information. Looking to get a lens in this focal range at the moment. Has anyone here had experience comparing the Sigma C with the Tamron?
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Yes, I have owned both the Tamron 150-600 (now sold) and the Sigma C - IMO the Sigma is the better lens. IQ wise at the long end there is not a lot in it but I think the AF on the sigma is better. You can also get the dock with the Sigma where you can fine tune the lens. Another bonus is that the Siggy works fairly well with a 1.4x tc (840mm) providing you have a Camera that will AF at f8 (actually the Sigma is at f9 with a 1.4x tc but the lens fools the Camera into thinking it is still f8).
 
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guess&press said:
The pictures are all very good but apart from the (excellent) ones from micloi they don't have any shooting data. How are people finding this lens works best in the field? Do you find it preferable to stop down at longer focal lengths for distant birds? Is it better to shoot at 600mm and crop less, or 500mm and crop more, again bearing distance in mind? Any insights along such lines much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Yep, it is worth while stopping down to f8 at the long end IMO. I much prefer to shoot at 600mm rather than cropping a lesser focal length, all my shots on this thread are at the full 600mm. Like all of these third party zooms you need to be fairly close to get top detail, I know this could be said of all long lenses but these relatively cheap lenses do not yeild the detail from a distant shoot that you would get from something like a Canon big white prime (that is one reason why they cost so much more). For the money these lenses are very good value and relatively lightweight for 600mm but if you are expecting Canon big white prime performance then forget it.
 
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Some great info in this thread, and very impressed with the IQ of the images posted. I was uming and aring over getting the Tamron or the Sigma and have settled on the Sigma what swung it is the ability to fine tune the lens and update the firmware when applicable. Hopefully going to purchase one from the local camera shop friday in Nikon fit to strap onto my D810.
 
Roy C said:
but if you are expecting Canon big white prime performance then forget it.
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Obviously not that (I nearly coughed for a Nikon 300mm f2.8 the other day and am still thinking I might have done the wrong thing by missing it), but top info in your last two posts. (y)

Plus a 1.4 tc? Blimey...
 
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Martipa said:
Some great info in this thread, and very impressed with the IQ of the images posted. I was uming and aring over getting the Tamron or the Sigma and have settled on the Sigma what swung it is the ability to fine tune the lens and update the firmware when applicable. Hopefully going to purchase one from the local camera shop friday in Nikon fit to strap onto my D810.
Click to expand...
One thing I would advocate with the dock is to change the OS setting to 'dynamic OS'. I also changed the Focus speed to 'Focus' rather than the mid point which is the default (this works the same as Canon's Image priority settings). I am assuming that the dock options for Nikon is the same as the Canon ones.
 
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