Sigma 150-500

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raider2727

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i have just seen one of these advertised on here and was wondering if anyone has used one on a D700 for wildlife / birds and if it was a good match?
 
raider2727 said:
i have just seen one of these advertised on here and was wondering if anyone has used one on a D700 for wildlife / birds and if it was a good match?
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I want to say something polite about this, but its hard. So it'll just say "its crap" as its short, to the point and unfortunately accurate.

You can put much much much better lenses than that on a D700.. a short list of the top of my head.. all of which should be cheaper and way better.

1) Nikon 300mm f/4 AF (non AF-S version) + Kenko 1.4x TC
2) Sigma 100-300 f/4 + TC
3) Tamron 200-500 Di
4) Sigma 50-500 (the "Bigma")

The 150-500mm was built to a price point. IMHO it doesn't achieve the optical standards required of that price point by a long long way.
 
Also the older 170-500mm siggy is regarded as being a helluva lot better than the 150-500 and you can pick those up £250 ish
 
Do not agree I am afraid, had the Sigma 100-300 with the 1.4 TC and also have the 150-500. The 150-500 is a better lens due to the OS as well as sharp and fast to focus.

Also had the 135-400 (short version of the 170-500), much worse then the 2 above.
 
CraigF said:
Also the older 170-500mm siggy is regarded as being a helluva lot better than the 150-500 and you can pick those up £250 ish
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I've HEARD the complete opposite, that the 170-500 is a total dog and that the 150-500 is pretty decent for the money.

Now...

I've just bought a 150-500 2nd hand to gain some experience of what focal lengths I'm likely to use so I can then invest in the right primes/TCs.

It's new to me and I'm not totally convinced of my technique at 500mm but I would say that as long as it is stopped down it is about the same sharpness as my Nikon 55-200 VR. As long as you're not pixel peeping or heavily cropping then the images are perfectly good for any size I'm ever likely to print.

Also, the OS system works a treat and focusing is super zippy.
 
I've just bought the Sigma 150-500mm OS and i'm quite pleased with it, i am a beginner when it comes to telephoto lenses and i shot this today at a RSPB reserve.
This is @ 450mm AND quite a crop !
See what you think Tony.

DSC_2046.jpg
 
micloi said:
Do not agree I am afraid
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Feel free to share your D700 experience with this lens then, which is what the OP is asking for...;)

All the altenative lens and combinations I listed will perform better on the D700 than the 150-500. I'd be happy to put money on that.
 
Nawty said:
Ah yes, conveniently overlooked that bit :bonk:

FWIW, I'm using it on a D90.
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Well the D90 you are only seeing a tiny bit of the image. The sensor is much smaller so its cropping out all the garbage - ie CA at the edges, and poor corners.

Plus on a D700 as you don't get a cropped image you are more likely to be on the long end - 500mm is definitely is a lot worse than the lens at 400mm (its reasonable at 400mm)
 
i have had a 2 150-500mm in pentax mount both were poor had 2 170-500mm in pentax mount dg and non dg version, both were cracking lenses,
had a 170-500mm in nikon mount but doesnt have os(like pentax do in there bodys) so sold it for a 150-500mm for my d300, its better than the ones i had in pentax mount. but still not as sharp as all 3 170-500mm i have had,

taken with the 150-500mm f8
DSC_4858.jpg


DSC_1421.jpg


DSC_2783.jpg


taken with 170-500mm f6.3
SJB10042a.jpg


IMGP7174.jpg


SJB10933.jpg
 
puddleduck said:
Feel free to share your D700 experience with this lens then, which is what the OP is asking for...;)

All the altenative lens and combinations I listed will perform better on the D700 than the 150-500. I'd be happy to put money on that.
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I do not have a D700 but I used the 150-500 with both an 1DsII and an 1DIII as well as my 7D and it was great with all 3 cameras (full frame, 1.3 and 1.6 crop). If the OP expects input from ONLY people with both the 150-500 and the D700 then he will have a couple of replies, if he is lucky :|

I do not see lens reviews online where they test the same lens with 20 different camera models to show how it performs on each and every one.
 
I've been using the Bigmos 150-500 for a while now, and it is an excellent lens for what it costs. Dont expect it to perform miracles, and stay on f8 or f11. At full 500mm it is a touch soft. This is in all other respects,,,,,an excellent lens.
 
Luckily the OP also has the D300s so this lens will give greater magnification on the crop sensor over the FF sensor. When i read about the 150-500 before buying it, Sigma says it was designed for FF but can be used well on crop sensor DSLR's :)
 
Hi Folks, thanks for all the help and i think taking all things into account the 150-500 probably is not the lens for me.
I asked the question because i do realise a few of these lenses seem to suit crop sensors more than full frame and as i am selling my D300s to help fund more lenses as i cant justify having both bodies it will have to be something usable on full frame.

My thoughts are now turning to a Sigma 120-300 f2.8 which although far more expensive will give me a fast tele and something i can use with a x1,4 TC if needed, this would have to wait until after i have sold the D300s, so for now as a stop gap i have posted a couple of wanted ads.

I did consider the Nikon 300 f4 ED however a fixed focal length will probably not suit me at that focal length and i will get more use from a tele.

Thanks again
 
raider2727 said:
Hi Folks, thanks for all the help and i think taking all things into account the 150-500 probably is not the lens for me.
I asked the question because i do realise a few of these lenses seem to suit crop sensors more than full frame and as i am selling my D300s to help fund more lenses as i cant justify having both bodies it will have to be something usable on full frame.

My thoughts are now turning to a Sigma 120-300 f2.8 which although far more expensive will give me a fast tele and something i can use with a x1,4 TC if needed, this would have to wait until after i have sold the D300s, so for now as a stop gap i have posted a couple of wanted ads.

I did consider the Nikon 300 f4 ED however a fixed focal length will probably not suit me at that focal length and i will get more use from a tele.

Thanks again
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the 120-300mm 2.8 works great with the 2xtc to.
 
Tony (Raider2727), where abouts are you in Devon? If you're close to Exeter, we could meet and you could try my 150-500 on your bodies for yourself.

IMO (and I have used both lenses on my D700), the 150-500 is better optically than the 170-500 although both suffer a little since they're slow at the long end, meaning that to freeze motion, you need high ISOs to get the shutter speeds you need. Neither is pin sharp in the corners but I rarely find a need for it there - subjects are usually closer to the centre.

One thing to bear in mind is that there's an OS version of the 50-500 due to hit the shelves fairly soon and that may well be better than the 150-500 (but will probably be a bit more expensive as well).

£/mm, the 150-500 is hard to beat but there are better lenses if you can afford them.
 
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