Sigma 150-500 OS initial impression

[Allen]

I finally decided on the above lens..given my goals (strictly amateur bird, wildlife photography for personal enjoyment) the price/performance of this lens couldn't be beat. That being said, I had heard that depending upon the specific lens obtained variation in manufacturing QC can affect a particular lens' performance; i.e., better make sure I have a good copy....therefore, I ran a series of tests using a flat highly textured surface as a test sample.

I took a series of shots using a tripod with OS off as well as remote with mirror up function. 5 shots at 30 feet and 5 additional at 15 feet. Camera set to manual: shutter speed of 1/500 for 15 foot and 1/1000 for 30 foot; f6.3 (wide open), f8, f11, f16, f22. ISO rose from 125 to 1000 for 30 foot shots and 100 to 640 for 15 foot shots. Nice bright day, sample in full sun.

Summarizing Impressions: at 30 feet, results (inspection at 1:1 on screen) were fairly consistent. Certainly sharp enough, but not like a lens costing considerably more. At 15 feet the results were not as consistent. Up to f11 the results were not usable in my opinion, blurry, loss of detail. That being said at f11 and above (stopped down) the results were stellar. Really sharp.

Bottom line: stop this baby down!

Hope this helps someone...FWIW

 

[crycocyon]

Cool stuff, wouldn't mind seeing pics of the lens and sample pics of its performance

 

[BackdoorArts]

Not one to shoot down personal findings, but I'll only say that "your mileage may vary". Here are a pair of shots taken handheld at about 12-15 feet, both at f8. Not what I'd call "unusable".

Below f8? Yeah, things start getting sketchy. Just curious, what camera were you using and what focal length? The DoF below f11 may be so small at 15 feet that what you're seeing is a focus issue? With my D7000 and this lens I needed to do some serious focus calibration. Also, the lens can get a tad soft at 500mm, so if you're at full extension that may be what you've got. Again, not disputing what you results showed you, only saying that I've found differently and do most of my shooting at f8-f11 and try to keep it at 450mm and below with this lens and am absolutely pleased.

 

[Allen]

Great shots; I too am using a D7000. What did you do to calibrate focus?

I tried to post a few pictures, but after jpg conversion they don't show the same differences....I should note that when I inspected them at 1:1 it was in raw ooc.

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[Allen]

Cool stuff, wouldn't mind seeing pics of the lens and sample pics of its performance

I seem to be having some difficulty posting pictures....see post below.
sorry about that.

 

[richnmib]

Not one to shoot down personal findings, but I'll only say that "your mileage may vary". Here are a pair of shots taken handheld at about 12-15 feet, both at f8. Not what I'd call "unusable".

Below f8? Yeah, things start getting sketchy. Just curious, what camera were you using and what focal length? The DoF below f11 may be so small at 15 feet that what you're seeing is a focus issue? With my D7000 and this lens I needed to do some serious focus calibration. Also, the lens can get a tad soft at 500mm, so if you're at full extension that may be what you've got. Again, not disputing what you results showed you, only saying that I've found differently and do most of my shooting at f8-f11 and try to keep it at 450mm and below with this lens and am absolutely pleased.

When I see pictures like this, it makes me want this lens even more.

 

[BackdoorArts]

Great shots; I too am using a D7000. What did you do to calibrate focus?

I tried to post a few pictures, but after jpg conversion they don't show the same differences....I should note that when I inspected them at 1:1 it was in raw ooc.

​

Realize that when you are looking at RAW, you're looking at basic information with no sharpening or other enhancements to the image that might normally be applied to a jpeg. Realize sharpening will not fix a blurry image, but it will make a properly focused image look all that much sharper.

There are threads on here for focus calibration (do a search on those words). Zooms really cannot be calibrated for the full length of the lens as the calibration may vary across the length. I did mine at about 450mm (at minimum aperture) since that's where I do most of my shooting. D7000's are notorious for having a small backfocus issue (sharp focus is immediately behind where the camera locked) and I found I needed to set most of my lenses to somewhere between +8 and +12 on that camera. Not a defect, per se, unless all your lenses are at +20 and still not sharp, in which case I'd send it back to Nikon. But I assume you'd have seen that by now.

 

[Allen]

Yes, I am aware of the characteristics of raw...which is why I noted it in my original post. I really wanted to compare apples and apples.

FWIW, below (I hope) is a shot heavily cropped that is about the best I have so far......



I do not know why it doesn't display larger.

 

[BackdoorArts]

It displays larger when clicked on. If you want it to display full size, when you upload the photo double-click on it before you finish your post and in the pop-up choose full size on the display size.

It's hard to tell with nothing else in the shot, but you could have a little back focus going on. Easiest way to check is to take a photo of something either at an angle, or with some depth to it. If the thing the focus point was on is not sharp but something behind it is, then you need to adjust the focus calibration. Here are a couple links to help with checking and calibrating the autofocus.

How to Quickly Test Your DSLR for Autofocus Issues

Lens Calibration Explained

 

[Allen]

Thanks, I'll try that...it worked!! : )

Regarding lens adjustment...I wonder since it is still returnable, would it be better/easier to just obtain a replacement?

FWIW below is an uncropped un-post processed shot....I honestly can't tell if it is back or front focusing - can you?

Just completed autofocus test....lens is right on...must be me..l