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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fowl Mouth" data-source="post: 1440363" data-attributes="member: 30266">Both the 50-500 EX and 150-500 OS are great lenses, especially when you end up with a good copy. A couple of things, though. I believe that Sigma hasn't ommitted the EX designation on the 150-500 OS because of quality, but rather because they have said that only primes and constant aperture zooms will carry over the EX designation from this point on. I've seen plenty of high quality images from the 150-500, as well as poor quality images from the 50-500. True, they are not the same lens, utilizing slightly different element designs in the optical path. But they are close enough that, IMO, the biggest factors between photographs taken with either lens ends up being:1) What aperture/shutter/ISO settings are being used, 2) Did you consume mass quantities of caffeine prior to operation, and3) How close are you getting to your subject (are you cropping?)FWIW, I've hit some bird shots that I consider keepers with the 150-500 that have been taken wide open (ƒ6.3) and handheld in cloudy conditions. Even better, at ƒ8 this lens is very good. But I've also discovered that, above any kit settings, getting close enough to avoid cropping will maximize IQ from any equipment. I realize that sometimes you can't avoid cropping, but improving field technique will always make a bigger difference than "hair-splitting" from one lens to the next.If you are thinking about this lens, the fact that it is 500mm, OS, and less than $1k USD is all you need to know. These shots are taken handheld with the 150-500 OS mounted on my aging and abused 350D -- RAW:#1 Northern Cardinal ƒ6.3 1/60 ISO-800, minimal cropping to clean up the edges, RAW processing w/FastStone, NR & levels done in PS CS2, no sharpening#2 White-throated Sparrow ƒ8 1/800 ISO-400, no cropping, RAW processing  w/Rawshooter, levels done in PS CS2, no sharpening</blockquote>

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