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New Sigma 150/600 (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter GYRob
- Start date
Snakemeister
Member
Extremely impressive for such a heavy crop! It always feels awesome when you manage to get those nasty colour castings or other imprefections out in post and end up with a great result! Feels very accomplishing! Nice work!
Nick Leech
Well-known member
Bought a second copy of the Sigma Sports and (again) compared side-by-side with my Tamron 150-600 on my 7D2.
Same subject, conditions, settings. Used liveview focusing to avoid micro-AF issues. On tripod with cable release. Multiple shots each time and picked the best of each batch. Repeated whole thing with different targets - furry toy, resolution chart, wood-grain. Tried comparison shots at different apertures.
Also did some hand-held comparison shots at targets close and distant.
RESULT: as with my last copy of the Sigma Sports, it was definitely no sharper at 600mm than my copy of the Tammy!
I don't feel (for me) the Sports is worth the extra cost and weight.
I have returned this second copy of the Sigma Sports for a refund!
I don't feel there is that much difference in IQ between the three lenses (Sports, Contemporary and Tammy), it's mostly down to good technique, good light and getting close to the bird (as per shots by Isaac, Jeff et al).
I might later in the year, buy a second copy of the Sigma Contemporary and compare with my Tammy. But last time I tried the Contemp it was no sharper than the Tammy. But I do like the idea of the dock for the Siggy to update firmware, custom settings etc.
But I feel a bit fed up with the endless comparisons for now and will just enjoy my Tammy and try to improve my technique!
Same subject, conditions, settings. Used liveview focusing to avoid micro-AF issues. On tripod with cable release. Multiple shots each time and picked the best of each batch. Repeated whole thing with different targets - furry toy, resolution chart, wood-grain. Tried comparison shots at different apertures.
Also did some hand-held comparison shots at targets close and distant.
RESULT: as with my last copy of the Sigma Sports, it was definitely no sharper at 600mm than my copy of the Tammy!
I don't feel (for me) the Sports is worth the extra cost and weight.
I have returned this second copy of the Sigma Sports for a refund!
I don't feel there is that much difference in IQ between the three lenses (Sports, Contemporary and Tammy), it's mostly down to good technique, good light and getting close to the bird (as per shots by Isaac, Jeff et al).
I might later in the year, buy a second copy of the Sigma Contemporary and compare with my Tammy. But last time I tried the Contemp it was no sharper than the Tammy. But I do like the idea of the dock for the Siggy to update firmware, custom settings etc.
But I feel a bit fed up with the endless comparisons for now and will just enjoy my Tammy and try to improve my technique!
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
I took my Sport to the Flying Legends air display at Duxford yesterday. I wasn't sure how it would perform on distant, fast moving objects, so I took my Canon 400/F5.6L as back-up because it's a lens I trust 100%.
In the event I got to the display ground car park, took my rucksack out of the boot and decided that it was time to bite the bullet. I opted not to drag the extra weight of the 400 around with me for what was going to be a long day, when it probably wouldn't be needed if things went right.
Well things did go right. The Sigma performed well, although fast-approaching aircraft, particularly those that were in a highly-reflective chrome finish had a tendency to out-fox the camera autofocus at times. Other missed-focus shots were undoubtedly my fault because of letting the focus point drift in a situation where there were several people who insisted in getting their be-hatted heads in the way at the critical moment, not only blocking the view, but limiting the time available to track subjects and lock focus. Nevertheless, after a first cull of the shots to get rid of the obvious rubbish, I still have over 70% surviving to the next round of deletion.
In the event I wish that I'd chosen to leave my tripod in the boot with the 400mm to save even more clutter and encumbrance. I only used it for a couple of video clips of static aircraft being readied for the off. All my action shots were hand-held over a period extending from mid-morning to late afternoon. From 9am to about 11 the Sigma was on my back while I used a short lens for static shots on the ground. After that the Sigma was mounted and in use from 11 am to after 5.30pm.
A small selection here. They aren't the best, they certainly aren't the worst shots of the 2500 I took on the day, I've got a lot of deleting, filing and labelling still to do. They are just a few low resolution edits chosen more or less at random when I got home late last night that give a flavour of how the lens coped with subjects not so far posted here and which the manufacturers claim it was designed for (wildlife, sports and air displays).
In the event I got to the display ground car park, took my rucksack out of the boot and decided that it was time to bite the bullet. I opted not to drag the extra weight of the 400 around with me for what was going to be a long day, when it probably wouldn't be needed if things went right.
Well things did go right. The Sigma performed well, although fast-approaching aircraft, particularly those that were in a highly-reflective chrome finish had a tendency to out-fox the camera autofocus at times. Other missed-focus shots were undoubtedly my fault because of letting the focus point drift in a situation where there were several people who insisted in getting their be-hatted heads in the way at the critical moment, not only blocking the view, but limiting the time available to track subjects and lock focus. Nevertheless, after a first cull of the shots to get rid of the obvious rubbish, I still have over 70% surviving to the next round of deletion.
In the event I wish that I'd chosen to leave my tripod in the boot with the 400mm to save even more clutter and encumbrance. I only used it for a couple of video clips of static aircraft being readied for the off. All my action shots were hand-held over a period extending from mid-morning to late afternoon. From 9am to about 11 the Sigma was on my back while I used a short lens for static shots on the ground. After that the Sigma was mounted and in use from 11 am to after 5.30pm.
A small selection here. They aren't the best, they certainly aren't the worst shots of the 2500 I took on the day, I've got a lot of deleting, filing and labelling still to do. They are just a few low resolution edits chosen more or less at random when I got home late last night that give a flavour of how the lens coped with subjects not so far posted here and which the manufacturers claim it was designed for (wildlife, sports and air displays).
Attachments
Last edited:
Snakemeister
Member
More Shots
Hey everyone!
So I haven't been able to get out much as of late due to a super busy schedule, but as I will be going to Mexico in a week, I decided to test my local lagoon to get some more practice in.
I typically go here for Kingfishers and the occasional Green Heron, and I got to see one of those so that was nice.
It was a super overcast day, pretty bad weather. The clouds did open up for a little bit of sunlight at one point, but overall kinda meh.
These are the 2 shots I kept. Really pleased with them. I shot at iso 800 or 1600 all day, but I kept it in manual because I wanted to see what kind of results I could get handheld at 1/250th of a second with OS1 on. So kept it in manual and just adjusted the iso accordingly to see what kind of results came out. Was pleasantly surprised with the results as I got some pretty sharp keepers, and shooting at 1/250th at 600mm seems a little crazy haha.
Belted Kingfisher:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobmctaggart/19463269858
Song Sparrow:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobmctaggart/19463272138
Hope you enjoyed them. Let me know if you have any pointers or constructive criticism! I'm always open to it =)
I'll try and make a larger post when I get back from Mexico with some more results.
Cheers and Happy Birding All!
Hey everyone!
So I haven't been able to get out much as of late due to a super busy schedule, but as I will be going to Mexico in a week, I decided to test my local lagoon to get some more practice in.
I typically go here for Kingfishers and the occasional Green Heron, and I got to see one of those so that was nice.
It was a super overcast day, pretty bad weather. The clouds did open up for a little bit of sunlight at one point, but overall kinda meh.
These are the 2 shots I kept. Really pleased with them. I shot at iso 800 or 1600 all day, but I kept it in manual because I wanted to see what kind of results I could get handheld at 1/250th of a second with OS1 on. So kept it in manual and just adjusted the iso accordingly to see what kind of results came out. Was pleasantly surprised with the results as I got some pretty sharp keepers, and shooting at 1/250th at 600mm seems a little crazy haha.
Belted Kingfisher:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobmctaggart/19463269858
Song Sparrow:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobmctaggart/19463272138
Hope you enjoyed them. Let me know if you have any pointers or constructive criticism! I'm always open to it =)
I'll try and make a larger post when I get back from Mexico with some more results.
Cheers and Happy Birding All!
Paul - Herts
Paul Herts
I drove past Duxford at quarter to 8 Saturday morning on the way to Lakenheath; hadn't realised that it was the air show weekend. I very nearly had an instant change of plan as I approached the car park but continued on my way and had an enjoyable morning watching Marsh Harriers. I was on my way home and passed by again around the time that your 3rd shot was taken, had a Spitfire swooping over the road as I passed the car park :king:
I dropped into Fowlmere and watched the planes whizzing around in the distance - though I did have several, including a Grumman Wildcat, right overhead there.
I had a good day out and I'm sure you did too
Paul
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
It was a brilliant day Paul. I've been to Duxford quite a few times, but it's hard to believe the last time was 6 years ago when I was there for a ride in a Tiger Moth. It seems like yesterday. The last time I was at Flying Legends was a while ago also. Frightening to think that it was as long ago as 1998. My camera gear was a bit more limited in those days before digital too. A Nikon FM with a 50mm lens that I couldn't afford when I bought them in 1981, with a 200mm zoom that I think I got at a car boot sale or something.
I thought I was being extravagant when I knocked out six rolls of film at Flying Legands. Almost all on static exhibits, because the kit wasn't up to flight shots.
I thought I was being extravagant when I knocked out six rolls of film at Flying Legands. Almost all on static exhibits, because the kit wasn't up to flight shots.
Paul - Herts
Paul Herts
It's a very important point you make about 35mm gear - we're spoiled rotten these days but we still want more. Affordable and high quality digital gear has opened up a world of possibilities for everyone.
hi guys
just thought i would post a couple of shots taken at the weekend in lousy weather and hi iso just to give this thread a bit of a boost
https://flic.kr/p/ASATTk
https://flic.kr/p/AdBS5d
https://flic.kr/p/APgXdh
thanks for looking
chris
just thought i would post a couple of shots taken at the weekend in lousy weather and hi iso just to give this thread a bit of a boost
https://flic.kr/p/ASATTk
https://flic.kr/p/AdBS5d
https://flic.kr/p/APgXdh
thanks for looking
chris
the black fox
Well-known member
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
I found out this morning that there's a firmware update available for the 150-600. It improves autofocus.
I've downloaded it, but as usual with anything that needs a field test, there's heavy cloud forecast all day.
I did hope that it would solve the misreporting problem, where since the last firmware update my 7DII fails to detect the lens through my Canon MkIII converter, but no such luck.
I've downloaded it, but as usual with anything that needs a field test, there's heavy cloud forecast all day.
I did hope that it would solve the misreporting problem, where since the last firmware update my 7DII fails to detect the lens through my Canon MkIII converter, but no such luck.
danevansBOP
Well-known member
Anyone tried this lense with an 80D?
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
I bought this lens on the evidence of this thread and Brad Hill's recommendations, took it out to Spain with me this weekend and was very happy with almost the first shot I took with it - camera is a D7100, hand held.
The shot has been cropped by about half, and resized but no other processing undertaken. All I need now is some arm-strengthening excercises...
The shot has been cropped by about half, and resized but no other processing undertaken. All I need now is some arm-strengthening excercises...
Attachments
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
I traded in a Nikon 80-400 zoom to get this lens, and the improvement in both reach and quality continues to impress.
I have a Kenco 1.4X converter which I used with the 80-400, and thought I would try it out on the Siggy. Today I found an obliging Spotted Flycatcher which enabled me to take comparison shots in a few moments with and without the converter.
Somewhat disappointing results as you can see - the lens focussed OK with the converter on, but the degradation was quite marked. However, I don't really feel the need for extra reach with the converter as the Siggy on it's own is giving me good enough results.
Hope this is of interest to anyone considering getting the Kenco.
I have a Kenco 1.4X converter which I used with the 80-400, and thought I would try it out on the Siggy. Today I found an obliging Spotted Flycatcher which enabled me to take comparison shots in a few moments with and without the converter.
Somewhat disappointing results as you can see - the lens focussed OK with the converter on, but the degradation was quite marked. However, I don't really feel the need for extra reach with the converter as the Siggy on it's own is giving me good enough results.
Hope this is of interest to anyone considering getting the Kenco.
Attachments
Hi Mark, I use this lens with D610 body, mounted on this Sirui monopod. My arms thank me. And far less cumbersome than the tripod.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024710-REG/sirui_bsrp424s_carbon_fiber_monopod.html
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
150-600 Sport with Canon 1.4x MkIII Converter.
About a year ago, after I bought my lens I posted on here that I couldn't get the lens in focus when mounted on my Canon 7DII with my Canon MkIII converter, even at maximum micro-adjustment on both the body and the lens. I even went so far as to buy the recommended Sigma 1.4 TC1401 converter, but I found on the first day that it was just as bad, but slower then he Canon, so back it went. The lens focused fine with live view.
When Sigma brought out a firmware update for the lens, supposedly to improve autofocus, I hoped that would cure my problem. In fact it did the opposite. The camera would no longer communicate with the lens when the 1.4x was mounted, not even in live view, when a screen popped up telling me to ensure that a lens was connected.
I gave it up as a bad job until recently. My camera dropped onto my foot from about knee height at Easter and although everything seemed OK at first I found that under certain conditions white objects appeared to bleed into adjacent black areas to the right of them. I sent the lens to Sigma in the third week of April and mentioned the focus problem with the 1.4x at the same time.
Sigma UK told me that they had detected a bit of rear-focusing on the lens and had corrected that and they replaced the mount (I assumed this would correct the focus problem), but they could find nothing wrong with the optics. It went to Japan for them to check it in the 2nd week of May and eventually it arrived back from them on 1st July with the message from Japan that the lens was fine and was within manufacturing limits. Quite why it took them 6 weeks to find this out I don't know. I had assumed the delay was down to getting parts. But OK, at least the lens wasn't damaged.
Anyway. I tested the lens and found straight away that the problem with the tele-converter was no different than before. I got back in touch with Sigma UK on Monday and today after a second email to them I received this reply;
I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I did know the answer to your problem and had to e-mail Japan. Normally in these cases I would let the customer Know what was happening but unfortunately on this occasion it slipped my mind.
I have heard back from Japan over the issue where the lens is not recognised by the camera when using the Canon tele-converter.
What you have experienced could unfortunately be down to the content of the latest firmware update of the lens which was designed to improve its AF performance. I must mention that Sigma do not guarantee the functionality of our lens when using other manufacturers converters. That withstanding if it was working on your camera with the Canon converter before you updated the lens firmware then if you send us the lens we can install the earlier version.
That was what I suspected all along. The firmware update screwed things up. I've since found from googling that other users experienced exactly the same problem.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1439030
What gets my goat about this is the fact that Sigma designs lenses to fit different manufacturers' equipment and bases its whole lens business on this, relying on us users to take advantage of it. They then appear to have designed a firmware update than actually excludes a piece of Canon equipment. Their bread and butter, and when it's brought to their attention they claim that it's nothing to do with them; 'I must mention that Sigma do not guarantee the functionality of our lens when using other manufacturers converters.'
That is bizarre!
I know they want us to buy the dedicated TC1401 (which only fits about three of their lenses), but that is surely taking the Mickey.
Incidentally. I mounted the lens and converter on my old 7D MkI as a test and lo and behold the camera picks up the lens and autofocuses in live view.
Black mark to Sigma.
I don't think I'll be taking up their offer of earlier firmware. It would be daft to lose any improvements in autofocus just so that once in a blue moon I could fit a TC
About a year ago, after I bought my lens I posted on here that I couldn't get the lens in focus when mounted on my Canon 7DII with my Canon MkIII converter, even at maximum micro-adjustment on both the body and the lens. I even went so far as to buy the recommended Sigma 1.4 TC1401 converter, but I found on the first day that it was just as bad, but slower then he Canon, so back it went. The lens focused fine with live view.
When Sigma brought out a firmware update for the lens, supposedly to improve autofocus, I hoped that would cure my problem. In fact it did the opposite. The camera would no longer communicate with the lens when the 1.4x was mounted, not even in live view, when a screen popped up telling me to ensure that a lens was connected.
I gave it up as a bad job until recently. My camera dropped onto my foot from about knee height at Easter and although everything seemed OK at first I found that under certain conditions white objects appeared to bleed into adjacent black areas to the right of them. I sent the lens to Sigma in the third week of April and mentioned the focus problem with the 1.4x at the same time.
Sigma UK told me that they had detected a bit of rear-focusing on the lens and had corrected that and they replaced the mount (I assumed this would correct the focus problem), but they could find nothing wrong with the optics. It went to Japan for them to check it in the 2nd week of May and eventually it arrived back from them on 1st July with the message from Japan that the lens was fine and was within manufacturing limits. Quite why it took them 6 weeks to find this out I don't know. I had assumed the delay was down to getting parts. But OK, at least the lens wasn't damaged.
Anyway. I tested the lens and found straight away that the problem with the tele-converter was no different than before. I got back in touch with Sigma UK on Monday and today after a second email to them I received this reply;
I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I did know the answer to your problem and had to e-mail Japan. Normally in these cases I would let the customer Know what was happening but unfortunately on this occasion it slipped my mind.
I have heard back from Japan over the issue where the lens is not recognised by the camera when using the Canon tele-converter.
What you have experienced could unfortunately be down to the content of the latest firmware update of the lens which was designed to improve its AF performance. I must mention that Sigma do not guarantee the functionality of our lens when using other manufacturers converters. That withstanding if it was working on your camera with the Canon converter before you updated the lens firmware then if you send us the lens we can install the earlier version.
That was what I suspected all along. The firmware update screwed things up. I've since found from googling that other users experienced exactly the same problem.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1439030
What gets my goat about this is the fact that Sigma designs lenses to fit different manufacturers' equipment and bases its whole lens business on this, relying on us users to take advantage of it. They then appear to have designed a firmware update than actually excludes a piece of Canon equipment. Their bread and butter, and when it's brought to their attention they claim that it's nothing to do with them; 'I must mention that Sigma do not guarantee the functionality of our lens when using other manufacturers converters.'
That is bizarre!
I know they want us to buy the dedicated TC1401 (which only fits about three of their lenses), but that is surely taking the Mickey.
Incidentally. I mounted the lens and converter on my old 7D MkI as a test and lo and behold the camera picks up the lens and autofocuses in live view.
Black mark to Sigma.
I don't think I'll be taking up their offer of earlier firmware. It would be daft to lose any improvements in autofocus just so that once in a blue moon I could fit a TC
wardy11
Well-known member
I know it's not really much help but the Canon mkii converter works perfectly with the Sigma 150-600 C & Sport lenses after the firmware update.
It is frustrating that the mkiii doesn't work but hopefully if enough pressure is applied by users, they may issue a further update to include the mkiii, maybe they value the owners enough to consider this option?
It is frustrating that the mkiii doesn't work but hopefully if enough pressure is applied by users, they may issue a further update to include the mkiii, maybe they value the owners enough to consider this option?
