Opinion Please.... (1 Viewer)

I purchased a sigma 150-500 about six months ago and have been very pleased with it and had some sharp pictures with it...up till last weekend when the auto focus packed up .... So after doing some research I found that it should have been recalled but wasn't..
I have been to the shop where I purchased it from and they kindly replaced it with a new one.
Now I might be paranoid here but I cant make my mind up if the new lens is kind of soft compared to my old one being reasonably sharp
So below are some links to a photo taken with my old lens and then 3 shots taken with my new lens.

The red kite in flight was taken with my old lens


I will say that when I got home and tested the replacement lens the light was none too good but the following shots were all taken with the use of a tripod and the OS turned of...

The moss covered perch was at 1000 ISO f9.0 and 1/200s.. the first image is as it came out of the camera then converted to raw and nothing else done. ( apart from resize and unsharp mask )
the second is a crop of the above.


The following picture of the robin is a crop and was taken at ISO 1000 f 9.0 and 1/80 s..

the point of focus was on the eye of the robin and just on the left end of the middle mealworm on the mossy perch shots...

Thanks for looking & I would be greatfull for any opinions, it might just be me being paranoid, :eek!: but if I have to change it I have got to be quick.

Steve

It's difficult to compare your old lens pics with the new one.
There are lots of threads on the forums where people are unhappy with the 150-500 - most seem to relate to back focus issues. Others however are really happy with their 150-500. If you feel the image quality from your new lens is not up to the standard of your old one then you are probably right - it's a perception thing really with you the user as the best judge.
I have a 150-500 and I'm not convinced by it's quality. Sometimes it seem to produce really nice sharp images and at other times they seem soft with a lack of detail and critical sharpness.
Maybe you should ask the shop to exchange the new one - it's frustrating when you think somethings not as good as it should be or used to be. You do know that Sigma will repair your old 150-500 free of charge because it was one from a batch with faulty focus mevhanism

Rgds
Andrew

Thanks for the reply Andrew, I feel much happier about the replacement lens today...
This morning the light was much better, so I went out and took some shots and after putting them on my laptop they look sharp enough to me...

AndrewA said:

Steve

It's difficult to compare your old lens pics with the new one.
There are lots of threads on the forums where people are unhappy with the 150-500 - most seem to relate to back focus issues. Others however are really happy with their 150-500. If you feel the image quality from your new lens is not up to the standard of your old one then you are probably right - it's a perception thing really with you the user as the best judge.
I have a 150-500 and I'm not convinced by it's quality. Sometimes it seem to produce really nice sharp images and at other times they seem soft with a lack of detail and critical sharpness.
Maybe you should ask the shop to exchange the new one - it's frustrating when you think somethings not as good as it should be or used to be. You do know that Sigma will repair your old 150-500 free of charge because it was one from a batch with faulty focus mevhanism

Rgds
Andrew

Click to expand...

Glad it now seems OK Steve.