Sigma 150-600 Contemporary on Nikon D7200

I don't see an obvious 3rd-party-lens area, so I'll try here since it's on a D7200...

I have a few-month-old D7200, and a few-years-old Sigma 50-500. The O/S doesn't work on the D7200, and it's going in for the firmware upgrade...

BUT, I have a 4-HOUR-old sigma 150-600 Contemporary, and as near as I can tell, the O/S doesn't work AT ALL.

SO, does anyone in here have a D7200 with a Sigma 150-600 C on which the O/S DEFINITELY WORKS? If so, can you tell when it engages? Visibly? Audibly?

I'm used to Nikon lenses, which when the VR engages it's very obvious. You can usually hear them, and the stabilization is quite visibly apparent. My 50-500 ON THE D810 BODY, works fine. You can visibly tell when the O/S engages.

I've tried the 150-600 on both the D7200 AND the D810, and I don't get the impression that there's any stabilization on either body... Anyone else had this experience?

BTW: I just looked at Sigma, and although they show a new firmware update, it doesn't indicate anything to do with the O/S...

Yes, it definitely works on the d7200. Especially noticeable on a tripod. You will want to turn it off because it 'creeps' if there is no motion to fix. You'll know right away on a tripod.
It is quiet and I don't really hear it. It is hard to notice the effect handheld at 600mm. More wow at lower focal lengths when you engage.

It is fairly normal to think its not working on that lens,its the way its made,if you have the dock change it to the other setting i think its "active" then it should be more like your used to seeing.

I have the Sport version of that lens and I was definitely underwhelmed at first by the OS compared to other Sigma lenses I have. But with the USB dock I was able to set one of my custom settings to a more aggressive OS and it's much better. I also applied all the firmware upgrades.

If you don't have the dock it's worth the get since you have the lens, both for being able to customize OS and AF settings, and particularly for the 16 point AF fine tuning. And you'll never need to send it in for a firmware upgrade.

This thread may be of interest:

http://nikonites.com/photography-q-and-a/35691-150-600mm-telephoto-lens-sigma-vs-tamron.html

I ended up getting the Sigma Sport lens and have been pleased with the results that I've seen thus far (though I haven't been able to give it much of a workout yet for a variety of reasons). Jake's recommendation of the USB dock has me looking to spend some additional money, apparently.

MaxBlake said:

This thread may be of interest:

http://nikonites.com/photography-q-and-a/35691-150-600mm-telephoto-lens-sigma-vs-tamron.html

I ended up getting the Sigma Sport lens and have been pleased with the results that I've seen thus far (though I haven't been able to give it much of a workout yet for a variety of reasons). Jake's recommendation of the USB dock has me looking to spend some additional money, apparently.

Click to expand...

I thought you bought yours during the same B&H sale I got mine? I got the USB dock and a $250 UV fliter as part of the deal - plus $200 off the lens. Or am I now just rubbing it in?

Nope ... you may well be rubbing it in, as it were. I did get a discount on the lens, all right, but I didn't get a USB dock ... or at least I don't think that I did. I'll have to go back and take another look at the goodies inside.

Geez ... I must be losing it again.

I thought I put a reply in the other night, but apparently I was wrong.........

Thanks for the replies... When the lens seemed so quiet and the O/S so minimal I got concerned after finding out my Sigma 50-500 doesn't use the O/S on my D7200...

Fortunately, the USB dock arrived the day AFTER the lens (they shipped separately for some reason), and yesterday I had a chance to use it to alter the autofocus and the O/S. In C1 I put the most aggressive autofocus setting and the most aggressive O/S and NOW IT FEELS LIKE A "NORMAL" lens to me. I can see and hear the O/S engage and the autofocus really snaps..... Big sigh of relief.......

In C2 I put the fastest autofocus and the "other" O/S setting - the one that wasn't the most aggressive or the "standard" one... It works, but I doubt that I'd ever use it... In my world chasing the birds and stuff I'm chasing I either want things to snap into place or I"m on a tripod and they're off...

Which leads me to a question of "WHY?" What would possess Sigma to slow down the autofocus or make the stabilization NOT lock in aggressively?

Also - I have a Nikon TC14e III teleconverter that I routinely use on my Nikon 500/f4. Rather than buying the Sigma 1.4X I thought I'd give it a try... NUH UH..... Apparently Nikon have done something so it'll only work on SOME lenses, and the Sigma AIN'T part of that "some"... I read there's a tab or some such on the mount. I've also read that "the Nikon teleconverters do NOT get along with SOME Sigma lenses." So, I'm curious - is it a reasonable thing to find and remove the offending tab from the Nikon TC or will performance be significantly better with the Sigma 1.4X on the Sigma lens? OR, is it a total waste of time 'cause even the D810 IS NOT going to autofocus worth a darn with the Sigma 150-600 and ANY 1.4X? It WILL autofocus on the close-in center focus points with the 500/f4 and a 2X (which I very rarely use 'cause the image degradation is somewhat visible)... Anyone have thoughts on this?

GracieAllen said:

Which leads me to a question of "WHY?" What would possess Sigma to slow down the autofocus

Click to expand...

Less errors because it is taking longer to verify focus?

GracieAllen said:

make the stabilization NOT lock in aggressively?

Click to expand...

It may be more stable and or less jerky.

I haven't got the USB Dock, But I find the default OS to be working very well.

The Sigma 1.4 TC apparently reports the lens as a F5.6 so that the camera will at least try to focus.

Hm... Could be - I'm probably so used to the initial jerk when the Nikon VR engages, if I DON'T get it I think the lens isn't working! Using the dock, and setting it to the most aggressive setting, the O/S feels "normal" to me now!

I was hoping to save a few bucks and not have to buy another 1.4X TC, but it sounds like the Sigma does things the Nikon one doesn't so the camera will TRY to autofocus... I reckon I'll order one......

I haven't worked with my lens nearly as often as I'd like as of yet (busy with other pressing deadlines), but the little I've shot it indicates that the factory settings seem to be working just fine. I may change my mind in time, but I'm with ryan20: So far, things are pretty darn good.