Sigma 150-600mm contemporary

StewartR · 4 Feb 2018

odd jim said:
Long lens landscaping, Chugach Mountains, Alaska;

Above the clouds 2, Chugach mountains, Alaska by Jim, on Flickr

Nice. Long lens landscapes are often more interesting than ultra wide lens (rock-in-the-foreground) landscapes.

odd jim · 4 Feb 2018

StewartR said:
Nice. Long lens landscapes are often more interesting than ultra wide lens (rock-in-the-foreground) landscapes.

Thanks Stuart. I agree, I’m a big advocate for long lens landscapes, and always try and make that point in the “I need a lens for landscapes, which UWA is best” threads

I have a few more from that sequence which are some of my favourites from the trip.

rackhs · 7 Feb 2018

2 different subjects but both with the lens.

Kingfisher-12 by rackhs, on Flickr

Moon by rackhs, on Flickr

StewartR · 7 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
Moon by rackhs, on Flickr

That's a lovely moon shot. If that's just one image rather than a stack, it's excellent.

rackhs · 7 Feb 2018

StewartR said:
That's a lovely moon shot. If that's just one image rather than a stack, it's excellent.

thanks, yeah, just one. I did leave the camera outside first rather than shooting from inside the house, but still just in the garden (so light pollution still about) and just one image not stacked. Seeing some of the great moon shots on hear have been really inspiring!

mark.roper · 7 Feb 2018

Hello

I've just bought myself a Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary, not had a chance to use it much yet but here's an obligatory moon shot :-

moon-20180131 by mark roper, on Flickr

And a Lion :-

lion-20180204 by mark roper, on Flickr

Both hand-held, at 600mm, really pleased with how this lens performs, can't wait to do some proper stuff with it.

User.82148 · 7 Feb 2018

Do you think it is the FF camera that has made the resolution good enough to see the craters etc or the lens?

I have a similar shot from a cropped sensor with the same lens on a tripod but the resolution is not as good. The sky was quite clear, or so I thought.

StewartR said:
That's a lovely moon shot. If that's just one image rather than a stack, it's excellent.

kingo15 · 7 Feb 2018

Archie747 said:
Do you think it is the FF camera that has made the resolution good enough to see the craters etc or the lens?

I have a similar shot from a cropped sensor with the same lens on a tripod but the resolution is not as good. The sky was quite clear, or so I thought.

its a dx camera not full frame

Lemaildetom · 7 Feb 2018

Moon shot depend a lot of atmospheric conditions. A good crisp night is the best.

What i don't know and it will be great to know is it better to take it when it's low and big but through a lot of atmosphere so potentially not good quality or when it's high up and smaller so likely loosing details as it's not filling the whole frame? What is best?

User.82148 · 7 Feb 2018

kingo15 said:
its a dx camera not full frame

I thought the D7500 was FF.

rackhs · 7 Feb 2018

Archie747 said:
I thought the D7500 was FF.

no, definitely crop. It is modelled on the full frame D500 though I believe.

In terms of my picture, in the past I have taken the shots out of a loft window. I could actually 'see' the heat waves which distorted the pictures. this time, I set up outside and left the camera there for about 20-30 mins to get acclimatised to the cold then went out. things I have learnt over time and from others on here - you actually need a faster shutter speed than you may think as the moon will move across your viewfinder faster than you may realise!

trevorbray · 7 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
no, definitely crop. It is modelled on the full frame D500 though I believe.

In terms of my picture, in the past I have taken the shots out of a loft window. I could actually 'see' the heat waves which distorted the pictures. this time, I set up outside and left the camera there for about 20-30 mins to get acclimatised to the cold then went out. things I have learnt over time and from others on here - you actually need a faster shutter speed than you may think as the moon will move across your viewfinder faster than you may realise!

D500 is a crop camera

rackhs · 7 Feb 2018

trevorbray said:
D500 is a crop camera

learn something new every day

Nikon f1.8 · 7 Feb 2018

mark.roper said:
Hello

I've just bought myself a Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary, not had a chance to use it much yet but here's an obligatory moon shot :-

moon-20180131 by mark roper, on Flickr

And a Lion :-

lion-20180204 by mark roper, on Flickr

Both hand-held, at 600mm, really pleased with how this lens performs, can't wait to do some proper stuff with it.

Two nice images there Mark, I think everyone of us that bought this lens has the moon shot and the lioness is quite impressive as well especially at 1400 ISO

Nikon f1.8 · 7 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
2 different subjects but both with the lens.

Kingfisher-12 by rackhs, on Flickr

Nice Kingfisher image, its a pity about the twigs around the beak area, but nevertheless a nice sharp capture.

rackhs · 7 Feb 2018

Canon f1.8 said:
Nice Kingfisher image, its a pity about the twigs around the beak area, but nevertheless a nice sharp capture.

Thanks Paul. Someone else in another thread said the same (thought it myself as well TBH) and suggested trying some PP to remove it. Not something I have done before so I am going to give it a try when I get back from a work trip.

User.82148 · 8 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
no, definitely crop. It is modelled on the full frame D500 though I believe.

In terms of my picture, in the past I have taken the shots out of a loft window. I could actually 'see' the heat waves which distorted the pictures. this time, I set up outside and left the camera there for about 20-30 mins to get acclimatised to the cold then went out. things I have learnt over time and from others on here - you actually need a faster shutter speed than you may think as the moon will move across your viewfinder faster than you may realise!

My mistake. I mixed up up with a D750.

Canon user should never comment on Nikon!

I was surprised how bright the moon was and had to us a higher shutter speed than expected. Good but not good enough.

StewartR · 8 Feb 2018

Lemaildetom said:
Moon shot depend a lot of atmospheric conditions. A good crisp night is the best.

You're absolutely right that the atmospheric conditions are critical. For that reason a good crisp *morning* is best. (The atmosphere is generally less turbulent in the morning because it's cooler, and the ground and buildings are putting less heat into the air.)

Lemaildetom said:
What i don't know and it will be great to know is it better to take it when it's low and big but through a lot of atmosphere so potentially not good quality or when it's high up and smaller so likely loosing details as it's not filling the whole frame? What is best?

That's an easy one. The moon is *not* bigger when it's low. It's the same size and the fact that it appears bigger when low is just an optical illusion. So you're better off shooting through 5 miles of atmosphere when it's high than through 500 miles of atmosphere when it's low.

StewartR · 8 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
In terms of my picture, in the past I have taken the shots out of a loft window. I could actually 'see' the heat waves which distorted the pictures. this time, I set up outside and left the camera there for about 20-30 mins to get acclimatised to the cold then went out. things I have learnt over time and from others on here - you actually need a faster shutter speed than you may think as the moon will move across your viewfinder faster than you may realise!

Good technique.

The moon moves its own diameter in 2 minutes, approximately. On a 24 megapixel DX camera with a 600mm lens, the moon will be roughly 1500 pixels across. So it moves about 12 pixels per second.

The real reason you need a fast shutter speed is because its a sunlit object. A moon rock in full sunlight is just as bright as an earth rock in full sunlight.

mark.roper · 8 Feb 2018

Never realised the Moon moved so fast, I took my shot at 1/320th hand-held at 600mm (900mm equivalent on my crop-sensor) because I was trying to keep ISO as low as possible, will try a faster shutter next time, surprising how bright the Moon actually is.

StewartR · 8 Feb 2018

mark.roper said:
Never realised the Moon moved so fast, I took my shot at 1/320th hand-held at 600mm (900mm equivalent on my crop-sensor) because I was trying to keep ISO as low as possible, will try a faster shutter next time...

You really don't need to. With a 600mm lens on a 24M megapixel DX camera, the moon moves about 0.04 pixels whist your shutter is open.

mark.roper said:
... surprising how bright the Moon actually is.

It's in full sunlight. Of course it's bright.

chuckles · 8 Feb 2018

On Kodak's film carton Exposure guide.....

.... Seaside/Snow, bright sunshine ..... f16 ....

User.82148 · 8 Feb 2018

My moon attempt. Not as good as others on here, but OK for a first go. (Not stacked)

Phil-D · 9 Feb 2018

Here's a few test shots, taken a few minutes ago, of the Sigma with a Nikon 14tcEii teleconverter attached to a Nikon D7200

The modification was quick and easy, 4 screws to remove the mounting and a half moon file to remove the offending lug, no more than a couple of minutes.

AF was, imo, good on the centre AF point, faster than expected but hunted a little more with other AF points as it moved further away off centre.

One problem with the Nikon tc, its not recognised by the lens, @ f9 it reads as f6.3, both in the meter and exif

These are SOOC apart from a resize to post on TP, all hand held. A little bit of pp'ing on the raw file and I think I'll be fairly happy with the combo.

The challenge will be bif

First was in the shade, only bird in the garden

1/640th, f9, ISO 5000 @840mm

1/1000th, f9, ISO 800 @840mm

1/1600, f9, ISO 400 @840mm

1/1000th, f9, ISO 640 @840mm. There's quite a bad halo around this, not sure why? It was close to its limit for close focus, the contrasting light maybe?

Terrywoodenpic · 9 Feb 2018

Phil-D said:
Here's a few test shots, taken a few minutes ago, of the Sigma with a Nikon 14tcEii teleconverter attached to a Nikon D7200

The modification was quick and easy, 4 screws to remove the mounting and a half moon file to remove the offending lug, no more than a couple of minutes.

AF was, imo, good on the centre AF point, faster than expected but hunted a little more with other AF points as it moved further away off centre.

One problem with the Nikon tc, its not recognised by the lens, @ f9 it reads as f6.3, both in the meter and exif

These are SOOC apart from a resize to post on TP, all hand held. A little bit of pp'ing on the raw file and I think I'll be fairly happy with the combo.

The challenge will be bif

First was in the shade, only bird in the garden

1/640th, f9, ISO 5000 @840mm

View attachment 119886

1/1000th, f9, ISO 800 @840mm

View attachment 119887

1/1600, f9, ISO 400 @840mm

View attachment 119888

1/1000th, f9, ISO 640 @840mm. There's quite a bad halo around this, not sure why? It was close to its limit for close focus, the contrasting light maybe?

View attachment 119889

No micro detail but about what you would expect at that focal length and distance.

odd jim · 9 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
no, definitely crop. It is modelled on the full frame D500 though I believe.

In terms of my picture, in the past I have taken the shots out of a loft window. I could actually 'see' the heat waves which distorted the pictures. this time, I set up outside and left the camera there for about 20-30 mins to get acclimatised to the cold then went out. things I have learnt over time and from others on here - you actually need a faster shutter speed than you may think as the moon will move across your viewfinder faster than you may realise!

The D500 is also a crop. But there are so many elements that affect sharpness it could be a number of reasons one is sharper than the other.

Edit - didn’t see Trevor’s post.

michael23 · 11 Feb 2018

Churnet Valley #69 by Michael Johnson, on Flickr

Ganton Gunner · 11 Feb 2018

todays pics with the sigma

PAS_2258 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2273 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2302 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2307 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2311 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2316 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2319 by peter staddon, on Flickr

PAS_2328 by peter staddon, on Flickr

trevorbray · 11 Feb 2018

@Ganton Gunner

Love these Peter, especially the Buzzard

Ganton Gunner · 11 Feb 2018

trevorbray said:
@Ganton Gunner

Love these Peter, especially the Buzzard

thanks the Buzzard was a massive crop though

photogwannabe · 12 Feb 2018

[url=https://flic.kr/p/22VRLwn]

Mount Baker by Paul, on Flickr[/URL]

If you don't venture in the D750 thread, here's a view of Mt. Baker, a dormant volcano, that is located just across the border in Washington State.

rackhs · 16 Feb 2018

Another couple of a Kingfisher and a Treecreeper -

1)

Kingfisher-18 by rackhs, on Flickr

2) (caught him blinking!)

Kingfisher-20 by rackhs, on Flickr

3)

Treecreeper-4 by rackhs, on Flickr

4)

Treecreeper-3 by rackhs, on Flickr

trevorbray · 17 Feb 2018

rackhs said:
Another couple of a Kingfisher and a Treecreeper -

1)
Kingfisher-18 by rackhs, on Flickr

2) (caught him blinking!)
Kingfisher-20 by rackhs, on Flickr

3)
Treecreeper-4 by rackhs, on Flickr

4)
Treecreeper-3 by rackhs, on Flickr

Great. Not sure I’ve seen a Treecreeper. Lovely bird.

rackhs · 17 Feb 2018

Thanks Trevor, if I see them, it is normally a quick glimpse as they don’t stop moving for long so really pleased!

michael23 · 18 Feb 2018

idle valley #3 by Michael Johnson, on Flickr

idle valley #2 by Michael Johnson, on Flickr

idle valley #10 by Michael Johnson, on Flickr

idle valley #12 by Michael Johnson, on Flickr

Phil-1 · 26 Feb 2018

I’m having problems with my Sigma. I’ve had it over a year but due to work, family and other things I haven’t used it very much in that time.
The problem is my images are soft. I went out at the weekend with a friend that shoots all Nikon and the same shots as mine we so much sharper than mine. I’m using a shutter speed from 1/640 to 1/1000 F6.1 to F8. I have read that most people micro adjust their lens.

Here some from the weekend. All have been sharpened but are still soft.

Bobsyeruncle · 26 Feb 2018

Phil-1 said:
I’m having problems with my Sigma. I’ve had it over a year but due to work, family and other things I haven’t used it very much in that time.
The problem is my images are soft. I went out at the weekend with a friend that shoots all Nikon and the same shots as mine we so much sharper than mine. I’m using a shutter speed from 1/640 to 1/1000 F6.1 to F8. I have read that most people micro adjust their lens.

Here some from the weekend. All have been sharpened but are still soft.

View attachment 121059

View attachment 121060

View attachment 121061

Handheld?
Should've tried swapping for a few shots and compare his technique to yours.
I got lots of soft shots with my 150-600, but only when handheld. on the tripod, they were sharp.
It was me that was the problem, not the lens.

wave01 · 27 Feb 2018

I hand mine and i wouldn’t dream of having a shutter speed less than 1/2000. It does freeze time

mark.roper · 27 Feb 2018

Finally got to use the Sigma for it's intended purpose this weekend, motorsports! This is my son and his friend on the bike at Snetterton for a Track Day:-

DSC_9518 by mark roper, on Flickr

DSC_9804 by mark roper, on Flickr

There's always someone who's got a bigger one!

DSC_0039 by mark roper, on Flickr

'Twas freezing out there though, not just my hands that were shaking!