Beginner Advice Wanted : Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary

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robz

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Getting back into a bit of wildlife photography and as expected, the bug has bitten to buy more gear.

Currently using a 70-200 f4 L which I actually picked up from a member here many years ago, still going strong but find myself looking for more focal length and also some stabilisation.

Does anyone have experience with the Sigma 150-600mm ? I've seen some fairly mixed reviews , some slating it because it's not an internal zoom , other's praising it as very sharp and worth buying.

At this point, I'm open to other suggestions, I don't think i need faster glass such as the 70-200 f2.8 but am happy to be corrected.

TIA
 
IME, it's a cracking lens and for the money, you won't go wrong. Mine is razor sharp and I don't mind it not being internal zoom, neither is my 100-400L. Only gripe for me is the aperture at 600mm but that said, when I'm close to birds, I'm at f8 anyway.

There is a potential bug bear for me though and that's its compatibility with the R7, which I have on pre order.

If your using a DSLR though, I don't think you'll get a bigger bang for your buck.

Might be worth you trying one out before purchase?
 
Most reviews are pretty favourable. You'd be getting 3x the reach you already have, at the expense of 1 1/3 stops at the long end. You may have to run a slightly higher ISO to get the shutter speed you want.

Getting long focal length and a fast-ish aperture gets very expensive pretty much any other way!
 
IMHO it is cracking good lens for the money. I use on a D7500 body all the time for birds, it is a bit on the heavy side so I use a tripod with gimble to get the shots.
It has a good range and is sharp and clean IMO.
I also have the USB docking unit for custom settings and sometimes use the matched 1.4TC albeit that means F9.

As an example of its merits - I took this picture today with 1.4TC giving 850mm F9 in light rain of this White Tailed Eagle that was just short of 1km away. Pushed ISO a bit high but Topaz De-noise helped, with a heavy crop also.

05-09-2022 White Tailed Eagle in Tree.jpg
 
I bought one last week. Still to have a proper play with it, but in my very limited experience, I'm more than happy with it.
 
Appreciated thanks all , Now just debating whether to get it with or without the 1.4 TC , and If i will need the dock. Using an 80D So don't forsee any issues hopefully.
 
I had one for 4 year and found it to be a brilliant lens for the price. Very sharp and pretty quick focus.

If you do buy one make sure you get the dock too.

I’ve just bought a £3k RF 100-500 and that’s not internal zoom either.
 
I used a 150-600mm for a few years. Cracking lens for the money.
I'd definitely get the dock too...
 
You'll have to accept the extending barrel zoom - the only internal zooming lenses which won't even cover that focal length range will cost £10k plus.

Nikon's 180-400 F4 and 120-300 F2.8's are internal zoom but cost five figures. I am sure Canon's 200-400 F4 will be internal zooming but only the very most expensive and professional grade lenses are built like this. And they weigh a ton.

At this price point - extending barrel vs internal zoom isn't even a consideration. Just clean the sensor a bit more as it'll suck dust in. My 200-500 F5.6 was terrible for that.
 
robz said:
Now just debating whether to get it with or without the 1.4 TC
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Absolute 'no brainer' here in my opinion. Get it!

An additional £100 if you buy with the lens now. If you don't, then change your mind later, you're looking at ~£249 to buy one new, or £157/£168 for a used 9/9+ rating on Wex at the minute.
 
Dale. said:
Might be worth you trying one out before purchase?
Click to expand...

I would strongly suggest doing this - don't take other people's words on how good the lens is. OH's was superb be she hated its' handling.

Spend some time with the lens before splashing the cash.
 
It's a lens you can't go wrong with IMHO. If you buy a new one, then obviously you'll lose money if you don't like it and decide to sell it on. However, if you buy a used one it will be easy to sell on again and it will be highly unlikely that you'll lose money.

In use, it takes a bit of getting used to because it's heavy and long. I use mine with a double strap (one to the lens and one to the camera body) for extra support, but I am in a wheelchair - most people won't need to do this. If possible, I use a gimbal with a tripod or monopod.

I let a tog I met a few weeks ago try mine for half an hour and as he handed it back with this thanks, he said 'I'll be buying one this weekend'.

Like anything, it's always best to try before you buy if possible, but if you can't do this (like most of us), then you'll have to bite the bullet.

For the money, you won't get another lens of this focal length to beat it. (y)

Edit - I forgot to add that I had the Sigma teleconverter for this lens, but sold it as there was rarely enough light to be able to use it. I also sold the dock as I never needed to use it as I could just fine tune it on my camera.
 
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robz said:
Appreciated thanks all , Now just debating whether to get it with or without the 1.4 TC , and If i will need the dock. Using an 80D So don't forsee any issues hopefully.
Click to expand...
On an 80D you're already at an effective focal length of 960mm (FF equivalent) at the long end so the 1.4TC seems a bit superfluous to me, and it will have a noticeable IQ impact. Your camera will also struggle to AF with the TC installed. I'd definitely get the dock, or look for used ones on here or MPB
 
Thanks again, Doesn't seem to be much used on ebay , will keep an eye out for one either appearing here or watch for a black-friday sale.
 
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