Sigma150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM Lens for Canon

Amazing lens for the price. I feel like it's a true value for all that it does.I would highly recommend it for long range shots at a decent price

The lens covers a focal range from 150mm to 600mm, which is incredibly versatile. On my Canon 7D, the 1.6x crop factor effectively makes it 240mm to 960mm, giving exceptional reach. For example, at 600mm, you can clearly see details on faraway objects.Key features include a Zoom Lock, which locks the zoom at specific marked positions, and a Focus Range Limiter, allowing you to restrict the focus distance for faster performance. Autofocus is fast and reliable, and the Manual Override mode lets you fine-tune focus when needed.Image Stabilization (OS) offers two modes: Mode 1 for handheld shots and Mode 2 for panning or tracking fast-moving subjects. It’s lightweight for a lens in this range, thanks to its aluminum and composite build. The rotating tripod collar adds convenience for tripod use.The aperture ranges from f/5 at 150mm to f/6.3 at 600mm. While it’s not as bright as an f/2.8 lens, the tradeoff is the incredible focal range and excellent stabilization at a price that’s hard to beat.Conclusion: This lens delivers excellent image quality, versatility, and advanced features. While it’s not a bright f/2.8 or part of Canon’s L-series, it’s perfect for wildlife and sports photography at a fraction of the price. I’d rate it 5 out of 5 stars—a fantastic value for the money!

I needed a long lens for wildlife in Yellowstone and this turned out to be perfect. It’s sharp and not too heavy. I’m glad I didn’t opt for the more expensive version. A great investment for my needs.

First off, I'll say I'm an advanced enthusiast not into pixel peeping. But this lens is great! I got it primarily for some random nature walks and the 2 airshows I attend each year. Optically, it's very sharp in the middle all focal lengths but definitely visibly falls off in the corners as I'm using it on a full-frame Canon 6D. Not deal breaking but the outer edges are noticeably less sharp without pixel peeping. Color rendition is very good, similar to my Canon L lenses, but probably just a bit less saturated/dull. Focus speed is very good, I haven't missed any shots because of it yet. If you use the focus distance limiting switches, it's even faster because it limits the focus hunting. I haven't done any high speed tracking/panning with it yet, but that's not a super strength of the Canon 6D to begin with. Build quality is excellent for the price. Zoom and focus rings have good tension, no rough spots throughout the range. All the parts fit together nicely, no play or wiggle while zooming. The first part of the body (last 2" near the mount) is metal, the rest is thermally stable plastic as is pretty much the norm these days for non-professional grade lenses. The tripod foot is also removeable and the lens includes a nice silicone ring to protect the foot mounts when removed. It's also worth noting the lens comes with a nice padded, Sigma labeled bag with a strap to store/transport the lens. This is a nice touch and saved me a few bucks since any third party lens case big enough to hold this size lens is at least $40. Weight could definitely be an issue for some. At 4.25lbs its my heaviest lens by far. I use a Black Rapid RS-5 sling strap and it makes it relatively easy to carry, but a standard neck strap wouldn't work for anything more than a short stint. For days at the airshow, I plan on using my monopod. As a matter of habit and good practice I always put a B+W UV MRC filter on all my lenses. So just a warning that at 95mm, that size filter cost more than 10% of the lens' cost! I waffled between this lens and the twice as expensive Sport model. From the few online reviews available, the only real "cons" to this lens verses the sport is slightly lower optical clarity (but I'm not a pixel peeper as previously noted), slightly slower focus (could be an issue, but I'm no pro to begin with), and lack of the tank-like build quality and weather sealing. So given these 3 cons, the only one that would really affect my personal use is build quality and I couldn't justify another thousand dollars for that. The other obvious comparison for this lens is the similarly priced Tamron 150-600. So the following is what swayed me to the Sigma: I'll say that I generally prefer Sigma to Tamron for third party lenses (though I do own Tamron's excellent new SP 15-30mm F2.8), I really like the look of Sigma's new Global Vision lens line (personal preference), the Sigma included a nice padded case, and the final one up over the Tamron is Sigma's USB dock. And lastly, to cover the USB dock. This lens has two "Custom" mode positions, and I made C1 a setting to prioritize speed in it's focus and OS and C2 a setting to prioritize accuracy in its focus and OS.Update 11-16-2015: I still stand by this lens, it really is great. Added some pics from the Great New England Airshow. It was a cloudy, hazy, summer day and the lens still captured some pretty good color saturation. Pics taken with my Canon 6D, all handheld, really shows off the len's OS. Most pics were keepers (or at least good enough) given the fairly high-speed tracking.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:The product works great, good quality, better than expected. I’m giving it four stars because when I tried to register it with the manufacturer, the registration was denied because this is coming from the grey market. This is not mentioned anywhere in the product description.