Pros & Cons
-
- Very sharp.
- Minimal distortion.
- Built like a tank.
- Weather-sealed design.
- Includes tripod collar and lens hood.
- Quick focus.
- Image stabilization system.
- Zoom locking mechanism.
- Available for multiple camera systems.
-
- Expensive.
- Very heavy.
- Relatively narrow aperture.
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Specs
| 35mm Equivalent (Telephoto) | 600 mm |
| 35mm Equivalent (Wide) | 150 |
| Dimensions | 11.4 by 4.8 inches |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF |
| Lens Mount | Nikon F |
| Lens Mount | Sigma SA |
| Lens Mount | Sony A |
| Optical Zoom | 4 x |
| Stabilization | Optical |
| Type | Lens |
| Weight | 6.3 |
On paper, Sigma's decision to release two 150-600mm zoom lenses at the same time is an odd one. Both cover a zoom range that appeals to wildlife and sports shooters, but when you use the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports ($1,999) and the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary, the differences are clear. The Sports version of the lens is larger, heavier, and features a tougher build—it's also more expensive. If you need a rugged camera lens that can shoot in any type of weather, the Sports is likely the lens you want. But for most shooters the Contemporary is the better, more affordable option, and it remains our Editors' Choice.
Design
The 150-600mm Sports is a huge, heavy lens. It measures 11.4 by 4.8 inches (HD)—without the hood attached—and weighs 6.3 pounds. The 105mm front element does accept filters, but Sigma doesn't include a lens cap; instead, a protective nylon cover is included. It slips over the front of the lens to protect the exposed glass when the hood is reversed. When the hood is in its normal orientation there's no need for a cap or cover—it's deep enough to protect the glass from damage—although dust is likely to accumulate when the lens is left uncovered.
Sigma's Contemporary version of this lens is a lot lighter at 4.3 pounds, but just a little bit smaller at 10.2 by 4.1 inches (HD). The Sports lens gains it heft thanks to a slightly more complex optical formula, a heavy metal barrel, and extensive sealing. It's resistant to both dust and splashes, so you can feel comfortable shooting in inclement weather when paired with a similarly sealed camera body. The lens is currently available for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma SLR systems, and covers a full-frame image sensor. Of course, it can also be used with APS-C models like the Canon 7D Mark II ($1,199.00 at Amazon) or the Nikon D7200, where it will enjoy a bit extra effective reach due to the smaller image sensor—a plus for wildlife shooters who often can't get to close to their subjects.
The tripod collar is integral to the lens design—it can't be removed, but it can be rotated freely and locked into position by tightening a thumbscrew. The attached foot has three standard tripod threads, so it's possible to attach both a standard tripod quick release plate and an attachment screw for a BlackRapid cross-body camera strap at the same time. The lens also has attachment points for an included shoulder strap on its barrel, and Sigma includes a large soft carrying case to protect it during transport.
The tripod mount is placed right at the base of the lens, with a number of toggle switches in front of it. The topmost switches change the focus mode, and below that sits a focus limiter (with settings for the full range, 10 meters to infinity, or 2.6 to 10 meters), the optical stabilization system toggle switch, and the custom settings toggle. If you want to customize operation you'll need the USB Dock ($42.00 at Amazon) , which is used to make adjustments to the autofocus calibration, as well as to prioritize focus speed versus accuracy, set custom focus limits, and adjust the behavior of the image stabilization system.
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Both the focus and zoom rings are rubberized and feature a ridged texture. The manual focus ring sits toward the base of the lens, and is accompanied by a distance scale in feet and meters to show you at what distance the lens is currently set. The zoom ring sits further up the barrel, and is accompanied by a lock switch. The lens can be locked at the 150mm, 180mm, 200mm, 250mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm, and 600mm—these positions are marked on the barrel. When unlocked, you have the option of turning the ring to adjust focus, or operating the lens with a push-pull action.
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Optics
The Sports lens has a slightly more complex design than its Contemporary counterpart. An extra lens element and a larger front element give it a closer minimum focus distance—2.6 meters instead of 2.8 meters. Distortion is also better controlled—the lens shows about 1 percent pincushion distortion at 150mm, which gives straight lines a slight inward curve, but the distortion lessens as you zoom in. It's minimal to the point where it's a nonissue through most of the range.
The image stabilization system is solid. I had no trouble getting consistently crisp handheld shots at 1/50-second with the lens set to 600mm. And when taking care to brace myself and hold the lens steady, I was able to get acceptable results at speeds as low as 1/15-second, although without consistency. At speeds slower than that my shots were noticeably blurry.
I used Imatest to check the sharpness that the lens can muster when paired with a full-frame Canon EOS 6D. At 150mm f/5 it scores 2,440 lines per picture height on a center-weighted sharpness test, with fairly even performance from edge to edge. There's a very slight improvement as you stop down, with peak resolution (2,510 lines) at f/8. Those numbers are better than the 1,800 lines we like to see in an image. The Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD actually keeps up with the Sigma Sports in terms of sharpness at 150mm when looking at the average score, but the smaller, lighter Tamron zoom isn't as good as you move away from the center of the frame.
Zooming to 200mm narrows the maximum aperture to f/5.6. The lens scores 2,376 lines here, and stopping down to f/8 improves the resolution to 2,476 lines. At 300mm f/5.6 the lens shows 2,334 lines, and improves to 2,447 lines at f/8. In both cases, image quality is very consistent from edge to edge.
Due to space constraints in our New York City testing lab, our SFRPlus test chart isn't an effective tool for benchmarking lenses longer than 300mm. I use a smaller testing chart when moving beyond that that allows for visual analysis, but not the automated testing score provided by Imatest.
At 400mm the maximum aperture has narrowed to f/6.3, which the lens maintains through the rest of its range. Even wide open the lens shows excellent sharpness from center to edge here. At 500mm f/6.3 there's a slight blur at the edges of the frame, but at f/8 I see nothing to complain about. The story is exactly the same at 600mm—a very slight edge blur at f/6.3, but excellent performance from corner to corner at f/8. Chromatic aberration, which adds unwanted purple and green color fringing to images, wasn't an issue in lab or field tests. I did see some with the Contemporary version of the lens, so if you don't want to remove the effect using Lightroom ($9.99/Month at Adobe) you should keep that in mind.
Conclusions
The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports is an impressive telephoto lens. Its reach is incredible—especially when paired with an APS-C camera like the 7D Mark II—which makes it a great choice for birders and sports shooters. And it's rugged build and all-weather design allow you to use it practically anywhere without worry. But it's heavy. Like, really heavy. And that's a downer if you're looking for a lens to take on a hike or use handheld for any length of time—a good monopod is pretty much a necessity with this one. Most photographers are going to be very happy with the lighter weight (and lower cost) provided by the Contemporary edition of the Sigma 150-600mm, even though it shows a little more distortion and some chromatic aberration, so it remains our Editors' Choice for long telezooms. But if you've got more serious shooting needs, and are willing to spend the money and carry the heavier lens, the 150-600mm Sports certainly won't disappoint in any regard, and is an excellent optic in its own right.
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