Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG APO HSM OS - any good?

[DrScottNicol]

A friend may be getting a s/h sigma 15-500 into his shop. No price yet and I haven't had a chance to check the condition but he's asked me if I'd be interested when it comes in - seems to get good user reviews on Dyxum but I was wondering if anyone here had any direct experience of this lens? I'd be getting it mainly for the 400mm+ range as I'm pretty happy with the quality (and size!) of its little brother the sigma 70-300 OS so particularly interested on IQ at the long end.
Scott

[David Kilpatrick]

Have used it but not on Sony, only on Nikon and Fuji bodies. It's a good lens, yes. There is nothing else like it on the market, so it has no competition to compare it with.

David

[DrScottNicol]

I 'd never seen one in real life (just pictures on the web) but got to handle the Nikon version in his shop at the the weekend (mainly to get a feel for weight rather than IQ) - it felt hand holdable (at a push) but I wonder if its weight / size will fit my style - I can see it being left at home due to its size / weight whenever I have an internal debate about which lenses to pack into the car for a trip. No price has been confirmed yet but he thinks it will be around the 650GBP mark, again making it a serious purchase (for me anyway) rather than an impulse buy... but I'll definitely give it a go when he gets it in to see what it can do.

The sad thing is the sale is by one of his regulars who is moving away from Sony to Nikon His reasoning is that he's fed up of not being able to test Sony lenses in shops before he buys (because beyond the basic cheap stuff, they don't stock Sony) and I know what he means - I flit between North Kent and Reading, giving me easy access to 6 or 7 Camera shops plus a few 'non camera shops that stock cameras' eg pc world). Their combined Sony lens collection is rather poor and very spread out - which is rather annoying because I really like to try before I buy, particularly when it comes to Sigma lenses. Strangely enough, the local PC World has more Sony lenses than the closest Jessops (in fact this particular PC World's camera selection overall is larger than the closest Jessops store). Still, whilst I like access to bargain s/h lenses via my friend, its always sad to do so when someone is dumping their collection in favour of something else.

[DrScottNicol]

Disappointing update in that the lens the seller finally brought into the shop was actually the slightly older non-OS version. I'll still take a look but the Sigma OS on this one was a positive given the long range. Also, I'm wondering if this slightly older chip will have an issue with the a55. Finally, price will be in the region of 650 boxed which is a bit on the high side I think for a S/H copy.

[bakubo]

Disappointing update in that the lens the seller finally brought into the shop was actually the slightly older non-OS version. I'll still take a look but the Sigma OS on this one was a positive given the long range. Also, I'm wondering if this slightly older chip will have an issue with the a55. Finally, price will be in the region of 650 boxed which is a bit on the high side I think for a S/H copy.

Is there even an A-mount version that has OS? Many Sigma lenses that have OS for other mounts don't for A-mount. The 18-250mm OS is one of the exceptions. Yeah, either way 650 pounds seem high for a used one. I just did a quick check and it looks like they are new about $1100 here.

[Dr. Harout]

The Sigma 17-70 /2.8-4 OS HSM has OS with A mount. Our friend Aram (who still didn't post anything here, yet) received his a few days ago. I've tried it and it's a quite decent lens.

[UrsaMajor]

My son-in-law recently purchased a new Sigma 70-200mm f:2.8 lens with OS for use on his A700. (He seems to be very happy with it.)

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[DrScottNicol]

Babuko
Sigma recently (last year or so) started offering many of their OS lenses in alpha mount WITH OS still on board - I have the 70-300 OS and its actually pretty good, with the lens OS outdoing the Steady Shot at the 300mm end (at the 70 end the steady shot is about on par). Remembering to turn one or the other stabilisation system on / off is a real pain though as they don't play well together (i.e. blurry as they basically fight it out). The above lens was originally described by my friend to be the new OS version (2010) but alas its the slightly older non-OS (2008). That, plus the weight plus the price make me a bit wary of this one.. shame as I'd almost managed to convince myself that I REALLY needed a 500mm in my bag

[Karl Scharf 56]

I have the Sigma 50-500mm DG OS HSM lens. The in-lens OS works very well with my Sony A700. This is a versatile, very sharp lens, and autofocuses fast and silently under most outdoor lighting conditions. This lens costs about 50% more than the 150-500mm version, but it is well worth it.

[DrScottNicol]

Well, I finally got to try it, haggled him down and am now the proud owner of said lens

a few comments...

1) Its the non OS version but from what little I can glean on the web, appears to be optically identical to the slightly newer OS version.

2) In good light, its pretty sharp and is just about usable handheld at a reasonable shutter speed. Its heavy compared to all my other lens but I was able to carry it around my neck without any apparent permant damage to me or the lens . In poor light you either really crank up the iso or its a tripod job. I went out shooting at a wildlife park and pretty much the first hour or so was a wipeout - a grey drizzly day plus my experience using such a heavy / long lens. However it got better as I started to understand what it could and coudnt do.

3) It came with a very nice padded case which is a real plus

4) I noticed it has a nice always on manual focus function - you can autofocus then tweak manually without switching the AF off (my nex kit lens does something similar - dmf or direct manual focus?).

Overall, its looking to be a nice lens... heres a few shots, all handheld with varying degrees of blur

a55, Sigma 150-500 non OS version, 500mm at 1/500s, iso 200, f 6.3 taken at Childe Beale park just outside Reading, UK



for some reason I've lost the exif data on this one but I'm guessing the settings were similar to the above but at 150mm as the shot was only a minute or so later.



settings as per the first shot - this was shot through a close knit fence the diffraction is pretty well hidden in the dark background.

[Birma]

Congratulations on the new lens Scott. Pictures look great.

[Dr. Harout]

Happy shooting Scott.

[pakodominguez]

OMG, that huge guinea Pig! we can have a nice dinner with him...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig#As_food

[Dusty]

OMG, that huge guinea Pig! we can have a nice dinner with him...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig#As_food

Been there, (Peruvian Andes, 1983), done that. Had it in a stew with some noodles and veggies. Pretty good.

Dusty