Sigma 150-600mm contemporary

loving the mach loop set on flickr @bledyn125
Yeah, some cracking shots there, are these all hand held, if they are then Martyn you have a lot steadier hand than me.....
 
Well I must say this lens will take some getting used to, since my biggest and heaviest lens previously was a 70-200. My hand holding technique needs a lot of work after reviewing the shots from yesterday.
The obligatory duck shot :)

duck%20nik%20fx_zpsnklcpypp.jpg


also managed to get a few shots of a red kite, although I need to hone my BIF skills somewhat.

red%20kite_zps0eiepsam.jpg
 
A few more from this mornings walk around St Marys nature reserve. A couple of juvenile Gold finches ,(I think ) in there .


SMNR 003.jpg SMNR 013.jpg SMNR 046.jpg SMNR 063.jpg SMNR 067.jpg
 
Can someone recommend the dock settings for accurate autofocus, I'm not too sure as to what to change for a custom setting with the USB dock. Looked on youtube but there was nothing there.
 
Can someone recommend the dock settings for accurate autofocus, I'm not too sure as to what to change for a custom setting with the USB dock. Looked on youtube but there was nothing there.

It'll be different for each body if it really needs doing.

Do you actually need to MA? It should already be accurate.
 
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Some more from this mornings walk around A foggy Seaton Sluice. All hand held, still tying to master it tho

foggy sluce 015.jpg foggy sluce 019.jpg foggy sluce 026.jpg foggy sluce 032.jpg
 
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Hi all,

Glad I found this thread. Some interesting discussion. I'm hoping to get a bigger tele lens in the new year and this is on my shortlist along with the 50-500 Sigma and the Mk1 Canon 100-400 (used). I currently have a 30D (also being upgraded) and a 70-200 f4 L. Most of my photography is aviation and motorsports. Will I really benefit from the extra 100mm reach that this offers?
 
Hi all,

Glad I found this thread. Some interesting discussion. I'm hoping to get a bigger tele lens in the new year and this is on my shortlist along with the 50-500 Sigma and the Mk1 Canon 100-400 (used). I currently have a 30D (also being upgraded) and a 70-200 f4 L. Most of my photography is aviation and motorsports. Will I really benefit from the extra 100mm reach that this offers?

A very good question, I have the 50-500 still as well, when I am using the 150-600 I miss the 50 end sometimes, it really is useful, but at the same time the 600 end is beneficial. I find the af better on the 150-600 over the 50-500, if you are not bothered by the 50 end, or have a 2nd body that covers it then probably go for the 150-600.
 
Thanks Michael. I'd probably keep the 70-200 on the 30D on a day when I wanted full coverage.
 
Good lord, thats a shame!! :(

My mate was over at Formby a couple of days ago and has brought back loads of images. He tells me he saw six individual reds during his two hour visit so they are certainly still there.
 
Has anyone plugged their lens into the dock recently?

I'm sure it used to give an option between accurate focus or fast focus but now its just a choice between fastest, standard and smoothest (for movies). Has this changed or is it my imagination?

I was presuming so but I'm sure it used to be worded differently and now it doesn't say anything about most accurate just that smoothest is for movie filming. So I'm now confused as what to have it set on because I don't need smoothness, I just need accuracy and speed

I just got my Contemporary & dock delivered today and was wondering the same.

Is smooth AF Priority the setting to use for best focus and is this what most of you guys are using?
 
I have really been thinking about getting this lens over the past few months as a light weight alternative to my Nikon 600f4 for when light would be good and I'm having to walk long distances or climb hills etc however this thread has me so confused. There are some very good pics however there is so much poor images and soft images its actually making me think its a bad idea and i might be really disappointed if i do buy one..Sorry just my thoughts so far.
 
I have really been thinking about getting this lens over the past few months as a light weight alternative to my Nikon 600f4 for when light would be good and I'm having to walk long distances or climb hills etc however this thread has me so confused. There are some very good pics however there is so much poor images and soft images its actually making me think its a bad idea and i might be really disappointed if i do buy one..Sorry just my thoughts so far.



It's a great lens, I'd suggest any OOF of softness is down to technique ;)
 
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I agree , I know most of my photos are soft and the focus is not the best, but its all down to me.
 
I have really been thinking about getting this lens over the past few months as a light weight alternative to my Nikon 600f4 for when light would be good and I'm having to walk long distances or climb hills etc however this thread has me so confused. There are some very good pics however there is so much poor images and soft images its actually making me think its a bad idea and i might be really disappointed if i do buy one..Sorry just my thoughts so far.
If you are going to compare it with a lens that cost over ten times as much then.. yeah I think you will be disappointed. As said above, it is probably down to technique, I know it is with me. I've been out with mine once and its a bit of a handful for me as I'm not used to something that long, thats why I've just bought a gimbal ;). If the lens needs a bit of a tweak then I have the USB Dock to tinker with, thats the beauty of this lens, no sending back to Sigma for calibration with a Canon / Nikon. There are some excellent images on this thread and the posters know how to handle the lens, me and a couple of others just need to up the learning curve a touch.
 
Im not attempting to compare it to my 600f4 but as i said its for a light weight alternative to that lens. My comments were around so many shots with poor focus, thise are from various different posters. Is it a case that as an entry level long lens that people are moving up who have never experience a long lens before, no matter what it is then on balance so far then im correct to have my concerns.
 
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I have a sport version and a canon 600 f4 and I find the sport does what I need for a walk about lens aircraft etc but did have to buy the dock to get the lens spot on
 
Im not attempting to compate it to my 600f4 but as i said its for a light weight alternative to that lens. My comments were around so many shots with poor focus, thise are from various different posters. Is it a case that as an entry level long lens tgat people are moving up who have never experience a long lens before, no matter what it is then on balance so far then im correct to have my concerns.

It's a very well regarded lens and has won many awards since release. The two I've used (the one I tested and the one I bought) perform brilliantly, focus perfectly and are very sharp. If this isn't sufficient why don't you just google some reviews?
 
Already Googled reviews a few weeks after it came out. I have a friend who bought one as well a d he " quite" likes it but we know the IQ and Bokeh arent great but at the price it makes it tempting for a lens i could have in my bag and use on the odd occasion.
Have you seen your friends images taken with this lens?
 
Already Googled reviews a few weeks after it came out. I have a friend who bought one as well a d he " quite" likes it but we know the IQ and Bokeh arent great but at the price it makes it tempting for a lens i could have in my bag and use on the odd occasion.
The IQ and bokeh (for a max f/5.6) are very good? The detail it's able to render is astonishing given its range and price (a few I've already posted, I don't know if you've seen mine?)

Finley 21st June 16 a by Jim, on Flickr

Magnussen 3 by Jim, on Flickr

11 by Jim, on Flickr

Why do you say there's issues with the IQ (or even bokeh)? Take it from me there isn't, but why would you consider buying a lens with IQ that "isn't great"?? o_O
 
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The IQ and bokeh (for a max f/5.6) are very good? The detail it's able to render is astonishing given its range and price (a few I've already posted, I don't know if you've seen mine?)

Finley 21st June 16 a by Jim, on Flickr

Magnussen 3 by Jim, on Flickr

11 by Jim, on Flickr

Why do you say there's issues with the IQ (or even bokeh)? Take it from me there isn't, but why would you consider buying a lens with IQ that "isn't great"?? o_O


Because the price range it sits in, its built to a compromise obviously but i need to consider if im happy with that compromise or not.
 
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The IQ and bokeh (for a max f/5.6) are very good? The detail it's able to render is astonishing given its range and price (a few I've already posted, I don't know if you've seen mine?)

Finley 21st June 16 a by Jim, on Flickr

Magnussen 3 by Jim, on Flickr

11 by Jim, on Flickr

Why do you say there's issues with the IQ? Why would you consider buying a lens with IQ that "isn't great"?? o_O
Just what I was wondering. I love the lens, and get a great deal of pleasure using it. I'm delighted with the results I get. But I probably like a lot of images for the wrong reasons. I'm not a pixel peeper, and don't spend any time looking for issues such as slight softness at the edges etc. But that's just me.
 
Yeah i have and saw the images where it didnt focus quickly enough as well and he missed decent chances. So i have saw the good and bad but this thread keans towards poor focus for one reason or another.Again its something which needs considered.
Has he set his AF to it's fastest setting via the dock? I've shot F1 and the red arrows, trust me the AF is more than fast enough, easily as fast and HSM EX lens focusing.

There is no AF speed issue (can be tweaked via the dock which makes it much faster).

There is no AF issue.

There is no poor IQ or poor bokeh issue.

As I've said, any missed focus / softness is down to technique, which can be tricky with lenses this size and range.
 
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Yeah i have and saw the images where it didnt focus quickly enough as well and he missed decent chances. So i have saw the good and bad but this thread keans towards poor focus for one reason or another.Again its something which needs considered.
Why don't you borrow your friends lens and see how you get on? Missed focus may be just an issue with your friends technique.
 
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Why don't you borrow your friends lens and see how you get on? Missed focus may be just an issue with your friends technique.


Cannon where i use Nikon. Is the Nikon 200-500 a better allround lens given they arent that far apart on price?
 
Cannon where i use Nikon. Is the Nikon 200-500 a better allround lens given they arent that far apart on price?
Best to ask that on the 200-500 thread I think....
I don't see much point in you buying the sigma if you think it's that bad
 
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Cannon where i use Nikon. Is the Nikon 200-500 a better allround lens given they arent that far apart on price?
Its about £300 - £500 difference depending where you buy? Loads of comparisons on Google.
 
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Some need to tweak some dont.
I brought the dock mainly for the agency adjustment.

Ended up having a play with it. Tbh I don't think it's made that much difference on making the images any sharper.
 
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