Sigma 150–600mm F5–6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM Lens Discussions | Drop

Jan 22, 2018

Getting away from the warranty talk and into what I am most interested in, the pictures it takes. Up to this point, my 2 long lenses have been a Nikon 70-300mm f4-6.3G. It is pretty much a starter lens that I just kept using. Soft images, some nasty chroma aberrations, bad autofocus. I also have a 500mm reflex Nikkor from the 1970's, and of course all the disadvantages of that style lens.
So the last 2 weekends I took a trip to the dam at Prairie du Sac on the Wisconsin River. It is a spot locally where bald eagles congregate when the lakes and rivers freeze-over as the hydro-electric plant keeps the river water open downstream of it. Two weekends ago I did not have the Sigma lens yet, so I photographed mostly with my Nikon D7000 + Nikon 70-300. I had my backup D80 + Nikkor 500mm reflex along and used it for some shots. It was frigid out and there were plenty of birds to photograph. This past weekend I had just the D7000 + Sigma 150-600mm C along. It was 45 degrees warmer that day, and very few birds to find, and they were mostly across the river on a slightly hazy day. But I still got better shots this past weekend. What they say about this lens being sharp is spot on. See the 2 photos below.

First image is the full image, the second one is a crop. A crop from near the lower-left corner. This would be a potentially unsharp section of the frame in many telephotos, but it looks plenty sharp to me. Even the ducks in the foreground are clear. Compared to what I shot the weekend before, it is leaps and bounds better. And this was with some haziness in the air, fully zoomed to 600mm. I was in Shutter priority mode, ISO200, 1/800s, image stabilization mode 2, and using a monopod. I found the 3D tracking autofocus mode in the D7000 worked best for birds in motion and flying. Focus stayed on point fairly well, would sometimes get lost if tracking past some tree branches or if I lost the subject moving across the sky. Still much better than the Nikon 70-300, as it should be for 3.5x the cost.
Some other shots. Most are cropped, some cropped a lot.

Now just to give a comparison, here are some from the previous weekend using the Nikon lenses, all handheld. ISO 400 or more, 1/1000s or faster.

The last one was using the D80 + Nikkor 500mm reflex lens, handheld at 1/400s. I steadied my arm by resting on the door of my Jeep.
I can think of one negative about the Sigma: I need a new tripod now! My old Sunpak carbon fiber 'pod with pistol-grip ball head only has half of the needed load capacity. The thing shakes like a phone on vibrate mode. I need a drop for a good tripod. For now I stick to the monopod without any head attached.

Jaysun

1855

Jan 22, 2018

BF_HammerThanks for sharing!

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Feb 9, 2018

BF_HammerYou may not need to buy a whole new tripod. Start by replacing the pistol grip head. Those things are convenient, but cannot handle heavy loads.

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Feb 10, 2018

MrSharkbaitI've been researching just that for the past 2 weeks. At the time I wrote that post one of the tripod leg bushings had broken and the segment would fall out. I since sent the tripod back to Sunpak (lifetime warranty) and it was sent back repaired. It is pretty stable and I am looking at a Sirui K30X ball-head now. I also have decided to do a full conversion of all my gear to Arca-Swiss quick-release mounts. I am letting my charge card cool down a bit before I do this. That also gives me time to look into the merits of a gimbal-head or a video fluid head. There are pros and cons to adding either option.

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Feb 10, 2018

BF_HammerArca-Swiss system is the way to go. The most useful accessory for me is the L-bracket. I cannot live without that stability you get when shooting in portrait orientation.
When I did my research for a ball head, I came across a German site that actually has test measurements like clamping force and how much a dot on a test target blurs. I ended up with their recommnedation then, a Feisol. I’ll see if I can dig it up.
Have you checked out the RRS gimbal setup?

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Feb 10, 2018

MrSharkbaitHere is the German site: https://www.traumflieger.de/reports/DSLR-Zubehoer/Stativ-Tipps-/Stativkoepfe/Kugelkoepfe-im-grossen-Traumflieger-Test::1341.html The Sirui you are interested in is also tested.

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Feb 10, 2018

MrSharkbaitI have been looking more seriously at the $100-$200 range for all the heads I am researching. I know that the good gimbals like RRS are far more. I do most of my tripod work by far indoors taking photos of my watch collection, so the ball-head is more for that. But a gimbal is sure looking attractive based on my eagle photo-trek with this Sigma. I tend to shoot wider-angle for more of my work outdoors. I have a lot of prioritizing to do with this decision. But I am committed to that decision to put Arca-Swiss mounts and clamps on all of my existing gear. I have an older, lighter tripod and a monopod to outfit as well as 2 lenses, 3 DSLR bodies, and maybe my IR-converted Coolpix 995 too.
Thanks for your help too!

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Feb 10, 2018

BF_HammerOn a slightly different topic, did you consider the Tamron G2 before deciding to purchase this lens? I rented it for a weekend and shot some Sand Hill Cranes. Pretty happy with the results.

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