Sigma 150-500mm APO DG OS HSM Lens

Sigma 150-500mm APO DG OS HSM Lens

By contributor Tom Lacey.

I have always enjoyed the beauty of nature, so taking photos of birds and sea life is one of my favourite pastimes. I needed something to compliment my existing set-up and the answer came in the form of a Sigma zoom lens. Sigma’s APO 150-500mm telephoto lens boasts huge zoom at an affordable price. For what the lens lacks on paper in the way of aperture it more than compensates for with affordability and portability and all round ease of use.

Features and Design

This lens was designed for use on both APS-C and full frame type digital cameras. Sigma’s 150-500mm lens incorporates many features which help create that perfect photo. One such feature is Sigma’s HSM drive which delivers smooth and quick movements, especially when auto focusing. This is a similar technology to Canon’s UltraSonic.

The Sigma 150-500mm is made up of 21 lens elements in 15 groups. Sigma has incorporated a top notch optical stabiliser into this lens which is designed to give an increase in speed of approximately 4 f-stops. This stabiliser came in handy and you see a clear difference between stabilised and non-stabilised photography.

The lens is with Pentax, Nikon, Canon and Sony camera mounts. I coupled this camera up with the Nikon D90 and D70s to get thorough results. Overall the lens was a great match for the D90 but I felt the D70s was out-shined by the Sigma 150-500mm and did not pair up as nicely.

The build quality is exactly to the standard we have come to expect from Sigma. Its metal mounting plate and smart black finish ensure the lens feels solid but not heavy and clunky which can happen with large zoom lenses. The rubberised zoom and focus rings guarantee a sure grip for the user.

Using the lens.

As I enjoy taking photos of nature and sea life I took the lens for a run around Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. The lens was easy to get used to and performed well during day lit shots, even when hand held and at full zoom. At night I would recommend a tripod to ensure crystal clear photographs when the lens is extended fully. There is a tripod mount that comes with the lens which really does come in handy. Weighing in at just under 2kg, I can tell you that your shoulder will get sore if you hand hold this an extended period of time – as is expected with any large zoom lens.

Because of the use of coated elements inside the lens, blemishes such as flares and ghosting are kept to a minimum. Aberration was also well controlled and the edges were very sharp at full crop. Very impressive for a lens at this price point. Vignetting did show itself in a few frames and tended to be more prominent in photos of the sky at lower focal lengths.

The HSM helped with smooth and quick auto focusing. A very small amount of photographs showed a tendency to miss the mark as far as the auto-focus was concerned resulting with the subject of the image coming out-of-focus. This happened mostly when taking a photo of a finch amongst the reeds of a pond in poor light – not exactly an easy focusing situation.  In the end I switched the camera to manual mode and got the photo I was after straight up.

Who would it suit

The sports enthusiast would love this lens. Getting right in close to the subject is what this lens was made for. Whether you want it for sports action, nature or even portrait photos the lens will be a welcome addition to your existing kit. I have used this lens in a church for holy communion photos and it performed beautifully. It would really suit a wedding photographer who is not quite ready to spend the big dollars on an F2.8 lens.

People who are into wildlife photography or bird watching will also love this lens. Set it on a monopod or tripod and you have the perfect kit to take clear, colourful images of everything nature has to offer. The Newcastle beaches were the perfect opportunity for me to test the lens out to try and get the fast moving gulls diving for my hot chips. The lens performed well with all the challenges I threw at it and the results were great. For $1399 you really cant go wrong with the Sigma 150-500mm lens.

Tom is the Store Manager of the Eastmon Glen Innes store and a photography enthusiast.

Composing your photo – Odds or Evens?

Composing your photo – Odds or Evens?

I ran across this fascinating quick article from Jeff Wignall that got me thinking about the photos that make me stop and take a second look. There can be many factors that contribute to the success or failure of your image, however this little observation may make or break your photographs. Read more

Challenge your photography

Challenge your photography

I ran across this great article from Jeff Wignall that really challenged the way I take photographs. In the article ‘Need a challenge? Illustrate a concept‘ it struck a chord with me about the shoot anything method with a digital camera.

I know when I pull out my DSLR, regardless of whether I am shooting with Nikon, Canon or whatever I have tended to just shoot so much and eventually be Read more

Olympus E620 Digital SLR Review

By guest contributor Grace Cole

Grace is a casual team member of our Inverell store and a full time school student. Grace’s article demonstrates the ease with which a novice photographer can pick up a modern Digital SLR and take great photos. It is easy to forget that we all start somewhere and through this review by Grace you can see her hesitation at first turn into surprise and confidence to get great photos with ease. Happy reading, Warren Wilson – Editor!

I enjoy photography and I was asked if I would write a review for a Digital SLR camera.

To start with I was very nervous as I had never used a camera of this size or with these features before.  My first impressions of a Digital SLR was that they were not very modern and that it would be complicated, But the Olympus E620 I chose was lighter and easier than I had expected. Read more

Silhouette Photography made easy

Capturing that brilliant silhouette of a fisherman at sunrise, or a boat on the water against the backdrop of a setting sun, is all about timing — and a few basic rules. Read more

Olympus Pen EP-1 Pre Release

Olympus have just released the latest addition to their Digital SLR range. The new camera may take many by surprise as Olympus have chosen to ‘go back to the old to find something new’.

Why the look?

Once your surprise dies away your left looking at a camera that someone could well have pulled out of their dusty old drawer. In that respect you would be right because the look and design is based around the very popular Olympus Pen, 35mm half frame camera first launched in 1959. The Pen was designed to be a simple, high quality precision made camera to be taken with you everywhere, much the same as a writing pen in those days. Read more

Nikon D60 Digital SLR Review

There is something about holding a Nikon SLR camera in your hand that makes you feel that now you will be able to take great photos. After all many of the great photographs we see in the press were taken with a Nikon camera, if you think Nikon, you think professional. With that in mind I wondered would the Nikon D60 live up to my expectation of what makes a great camera. Read more

How to Shoot Photos on a Rainy Day

The wet, rainy weather wasn’t very good for our Australia day this year, ruining BBQ’s and street cricket everywhere but as far as photography is concerned you can’t let a little rain dampen your spirits. Just after it rains it seems that colours are brighter and stand out more and everything looks so fresh and clean. Read more

Pentax K200d Digital SLR Camera Review

I picked up the Pentax K200d with some reservation as I prepared for my trip away. At first it feels just a little too heavy, particularly when compared to the competition, however what comes with that is the feeling of a substantial camera and not some mickey mouse camera that feels like it’s all plastic.

First Impression

At first impression the camera feels quite good and well balanced in the hand with fingers and thumbs falling comfortably into the correct position. A quick look over the controls and you can see the heritage bought forward from the very successful Pentax MZ series of film SLR’s with the speed selection dial on the top left and the always present LCD screen on the left, which at a glance lets you know the current settings you have selected.

Read more