What Digital Camera reviews the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens

Impressively quick and quiet automatic-focusing

Significant softness at wide aperture

The Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a stabilized super-telephoto zoom lens; indeed it's one of only two stabilized telephoto zoom lenses reaching 500mm focal length, the other being Sigma's own 50-500mm 4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM.

The Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM is the company's latest offering in the extreme telephoto zoom budget marketplace and it kicks in with a few eyebrow raising surprises! Replacing the 170-500mm model that is now quite long in the tooth the new lens has a good specification for its price.

Fast focusing; Good stabilisation system; Excellent value for money; Relatively compact

OS system slightly noisy; Tripod foot could be half inch longer to make more comfortable handle

The Sigma APO 150-50mm lens is a moderately fast, super-telephoto zoom designed to work with both APS-C and full-frame DSLR cameras. It offers quite useful close focusing (7.2 ft) and two modes of what they deem "optical stabilization" (OS.

Sigmaniacs and assorted bloggers have, over the years, dubbed Sigma's longer tele zooms with nicknames that seem to have stuck. The 50-500mm f/4-6.3, for example, is known as "the Bigma." The 300-800mm f/5.6 is the Sigmazilla.

My caution is that most people trying to shoot things at long distances underestimate the importance of getting closer.

I'd like to do a full review of the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens lens at some point. No promises.

A super-telephoto zoom lens with optical stabilisation ideally suited to wildlife photography. This super-telephoto zoom lens costs around £695 and sports a silent Hyper Sonic focusing motor and optical stabilisation.

Price; Optical Stabilisation; HSM Focusing; Build Quality; Resolution at shorter focal lengths

Falloff in resolution at 500mm; CA at 500mm; 86mm

Good range but slow low chromatic aberation excelent value for money

Heavy not as fast as the canon 100-400 F4L lens; The material marks easily

Impresive up to 400mm gets a little weak after this OS works well; If you stop down at 500mm just stop down one stop helps with the sharpness; If thats a problem with a Digital SLR just increase the ISO used on 50D body

Covering 150-500mm is a great zoom range, especially when you factor in a digital crop like 1.6x found on our test camera, the Canon EOS 50D, as this takes the focal length range up to 240-800mm!