Sigma 100-500 vs Nikon 80-400 D

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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Hey everyone, I'm looking at buying a telephoto lens and have the option of a Nikon 80-400mm VR D version or a Sigma 150-500 APO OS.
I would like to shoot wildlife/birds and maybe even a little sports photography. I know that the Nikon has a slower focussing motor compared to the newer HSM lenses, but has anyone tried either of these with any sports? Would one be better at focussing? Overall IQ?
Thanks!
Ryan
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
ryanwphoto said:
...I'm talking about the older D version.

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I have not tried neither one of them but I'm wondering why you would rather get an older optics compared to the sharper and tested newest version of the 80-400mm? Nikon recently offered a $300 discount on that lens.
 
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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
It sure would be nice! but it's because I can't afford the new lenses even with the Nikon discount. I found these two ones used, the Nikon is $700 and the sigma is $650.

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aroy

Senior Member
For fast action, a fast and a sharp lense matters the most. A slower lense is just not worth it, you would miss the shot.

Do you really need a zoom? Normally if you are shooting at 300mm to 600mm, you are shooting objects that are far away. Most of the time you will be at the extreme telephoto end, trying to get a bit more. In such case a prime is a better option. If a prime is sharp, even a smaller image at say 300mm will have more details that a soft zoom at 500mm or more. I have taken bee shots with 35mm F1.8, with my D3300, and they come out much sharper when viewed at 100% compared to the kit zoom, which is soft at 55mm end. This holds for telephoto end of most zooms. Unless you have a F2.8 telephoto zoom, the primes will be faster, which means faster focusing and better low light performance.

Try to get the AFS 300mm F4 and use it for your long shots, you will be surprised by the clarity of images compared to the zoom at 400mm/500mm.
 
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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Good points, I had an option to buy a used 300 f4 last year but missed out :-(
I have to agree with you about the shots taken with the 35mm. I've taken shots with my 50 1.8 and they are very sharp indeed. Turns out one of the guys from my photography club has the Sigma and he's going to let me borrow it and see if I like it. I also have the option to buy the Nikkor 80-200 2.8 but I'm not sure if it would be long enough for birds and wildlife.
I would buy a prime in a heartbeat! But can't find one in my price range.

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Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I have been using my old 80-400 VR and I still like it. But I am hanging out on wanting more reach so am waiting for my 150-600 to arrive :) here are some recent shots with and with out a 1.4TC. You will get frustrated at times with the slow focusing and will need great bright light.

80517d1396162879-scotts-random-pics-shm_2997.jpg

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80218d1396054579-scotts-random-pics-shm_2285.jpg
 
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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Scott Murray said:
I have been using my old 80-400 VR and I still like it. But I am hanging out on wanting more reach so am waiting for my 150-600 to arrive :) here are some recent shots with and with out a 1.4TC. You will get frustrated at times with the slow focusing and will need great bright light.

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Nice shots! Thanks for the reply. Does it Auto Focus with the TC in? I was told that it didn't...

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Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
ryanwphoto said:
Nice shots! Thanks for the reply. Does it Auto Focus with the TC in? I was told that it didn't...

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Yes auto focus still works but it does hunt more. But I have had to crank up the shutter speed and ISO for sharp images. Advisable to use a tripod as this increased the sharpness in my images, just hard to track jumping/fighting birds.
 
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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Thanks for your replies everyone, I just picked up the Sigma 150-500 from my friend at the photo club and used it in the house for about an hour and grabbed some test shots. (too dark to be outside) So far the focus seems pretty quick on my D7K. And the OS works well too. I'll have to plug in the RAW files to Lightroom and see what the overall IQ is like at high ISOs.

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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Well, I've been testing this Sigma for a few days now and I love it sometimes and hate it other times!
Here are a few test shots..
The one of our dog isn't sharp, I took about 25 shots and this was the sharpest at 500mm. Yet the one of my truck is at 500mm and tack sharp! I'm using back button focus. Does anyone have any tips for grabbing tack sharp shots of my dog/wildlife while they are on the move? I did try 3D focus track but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.
All shots are handheld.uploadfromtaptalk1396724221955.jpg
The dog shot was taken at ISO 200, 1/1250sec. f/10, 500mm OS on active
uploadfromtaptalk1396724250345.jpg My truck shot was taken at ISO 100 1/640sec. f/8 500mm OS on Normal mode

uploadfromtaptalk1396724269528.jpg Moon shot was taken at ISO 100 1/250sec. f/8 500mm OS active mode
uploadfromtaptalk1396724290087.jpg
Window shot was taken at ISO 800 1/160sec. f/8 300mm OS Active.
(I've never shot at this long focal length before with a DSLR)

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Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
With this one try OS off. Actually any shots above 1/500 I would be turning it off to see how it copes.

The dog shot was taken at ISO 200, 1/1250sec. f/10, 500mm OS on active
 
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ryanwphoto

Senior Member
Scott Murray said:
With this one try OS off. Actually any shots above 1/500 I would be turning it off to see how it copes.

The dog shot was taken at ISO 200, 1/1250sec. f/10, 500mm OS on active
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Thank you I will try that, I was nervous because I have a shaky hands with long lenses... Practice makes perfect I guess eh? (yeah I'm from Canada)

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