Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports
- Thread starter alfie
- Start date
wow alfie, bought so many lenses...
You know you could have gone for a 504 or 428 with the amount you already spent...
You know you could have gone for a 504 or 428 with the amount you already spent...
I also couldn't believe myself... lolx
All TC1401 pictures are using MF on gimbal
More poison...
First one abit dark but all looks so good yet bad thing is the sigma don't have my mount sad
Yes.. lol. I had planned to use the D810 which still gives better colors/quality especially in lower light shooting.
Yes, I think I might have overdone it the past month. I had thought the 300/4PF will come in a lot later (limited stocks) and went ahead with the sigma156s first.
The Sigma 150-600sports is my limit when it comes to the weight of lens (I can still use it quite effectively with a monopod). I much prefer a mobile setup (I don't drive, at most i cycle), and still not ready to make the jump to a larger setup. As it is, with the 300/4PF in, I'm debating if I want to keep the sigma156s. Time will tell
The IQ of Sigma 1401 seems quite promising. Is it worth getting it if you already have the Canon 1.4x III?
Yes.. lol. I had planned to use the D810 which still gives better colors/quality especially in lower light shooting.
Yes, I think I might have overdone it the past month. I had thought the 300/4PF will come in a lot later (limited stocks) and went ahead with the sigma156s first.
The Sigma 150-600sports is my limit when it comes to the weight of lens (I can still use it quite effectively with a monopod). I much prefer a mobile setup (I don't drive, at most i cycle), and still not ready to make the jump to a larger setup. As it is, with the 300/4PF in, I'm debating if I want to keep the sigma156s. Time will tell
Once you start birding regularly, you will understand how smaller aperture will limit you a lot, especially when you want to capture and freeze flight shots of smaller birds on cloudier days or in the shade. Bright sunny days do wonders for shutter speed but produces harsh lighting. In birding one stop matters a lot. It can be the difference between freezing the wings or having blur wings. Even with D4 and D4s, I have seen folks hoping that had that one extra stop for faster shutter speed.
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I totally agree. Every aperture counts in birding lolx. Most of the time, I try not to go beyond ISO 1600 on my 7DM2 becos anything higher is very noisy.
In not so good light condition, usually I am left to work with aperture and shutter speed. Lower shutter spd is the one which I will go for still birds.
BIF still possible occasionally in good light condition to freeze motion
Below shots coupled with TC1401
Of cos most of us wants to get a hand on the Supertele like 500 or 600mm f4 but the price and weight is beyond most of us.
Compare to Sigma 156 on the hand is very much cheaper and provide ample reach for a budget lens. Lolx
In not so good light condition, usually I am left to work with aperture and shutter speed. Lower shutter spd is the one which I will go for still birds.
BIF still possible occasionally in good light condition to freeze motion
Below shots coupled with TC1401
Of cos most of us wants to get a hand on the Supertele like 500 or 600mm f4 but the price and weight is beyond most of us.
Compare to Sigma 156 on the hand is very much cheaper and provide ample reach for a budget lens. Lolx
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Bro cactibin - were you there at barat yesterday? I thought I saw someone using a sigma156 but dont know whether sport or contemporary. Lol
I totally agree. Every aperture counts in birding lolx. Most of the time, I try not to go beyond ISO 1600 on my 7DM2 becos anything higher is very noisy.
In not so good light condition, usually I am left to work with aperture and shutter speed. Lower shutter spd is the one which I will go for still birds.
BIF still possible occasionally in good light condition to freeze motion
Below shots coupled with TC1401
Of cos most of us wants to get a hand on the Supertele like 500 or 600mm f4 but the price and weight is beyond most of us.
Compare to Sigma 156 on the hand is very much cheaper and provide ample reach for a budget lens. Lolx
In good light a lot of things are possible.
But in birding, we are usually restricted by weather or when the birds are in shade. You will always yearn for faster shutter speed...
Tamron 156 wide open F6.3 at 600mm. cropped. Blue Throated Bee Eater in flight in good light. Even with good morning light I am still at ISO800 to maintain 1/3000s shutter speed to freeze movement. Even then, you can still see some shift at the tips of the wings. This is a very fast bird if you have ever seen it fly. To really freeze its wings I would actually need 1/4000s at least, which I did not set because we were working with clouds that are moving in and out... I was working between 1/2500 and 1/3000s shutter speed, and ISO2500 to ISO800 just that morning.
This is shot on a cloudy day. ISO 3200 on F2.8 shutter speed at 1/2000s IIRC... multiple shots merged into a single shot. Imagine if I was using my tamron to shoot this wide open at F6.3, I would need ISO 8000.
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No la. But i do see 1 or 2 S156 users at the field at times. Hehe
The S156 is easily spotted from the look of the lens hood. Lolx
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One more thing to remember, some of the good tele lenses are not as expensive as you think. I got my Nikon AF-S 300/2.8 for around 3.3k. Even though it is a first generation non-VR, a 15 year old lens, it it still sharp as hell. Even when fitted with a 2x TC, it is sharper than any zoom.
This is the result with the lens fitted with a 2x TC. Shot on the 3rd day I got the lens from a friend. My 3rd day trying birding... I can see every hair on the birds body in full size.
300/2.8 + TC20e-III shot wide open at F5.6
So just remember that there are actually lots of options out there. BTW I just sold my 300/2.8 to a friend a couple months back. now he is enjoying it.
This is the result with the lens fitted with a 2x TC. Shot on the 3rd day I got the lens from a friend. My 3rd day trying birding... I can see every hair on the birds body in full size.
300/2.8 + TC20e-III shot wide open at F5.6
So just remember that there are actually lots of options out there. BTW I just sold my 300/2.8 to a friend a couple months back. now he is enjoying it.
Yes.. lol. I had planned to use the D810 which still gives better colors/quality especially in lower light shooting.
Yes, I think I might have overdone it the past month. I had thought the 300/4PF will come in a lot later (limited stocks) and went ahead with the sigma156s first.
The Sigma 150-600sports is my limit when it comes to the weight of lens (I can still use it quite effectively with a monopod). I much prefer a mobile setup (I don't drive, at most i cycle), and still not ready to make the jump to a larger setup. As it is, with the 300/4PF in, I'm debating if I want to keep the sigma156s. Time will tell
The Nikon 300/2.8 VR2 is lighter than your SS156 by 400g...
;pYeah. I was looking for this 300 non vr when I was using d810 previously but can't find a good price and copy.
My first birding lens few years back was the 300 2.8 VR.
It's very sharp lens and I'm usually used it with 2x TC on FF.
Sold it away becos I stopped birding for a while. 300mm good for birds that are nesting. Usually it lack of reach. Even 600mm is short for birding Lolx.
Nevertheless, it's still an amazing and a legend lens that I have used so far
My first birding lens few years back was the 300 2.8 VR.
It's very sharp lens and I'm usually used it with 2x TC on FF.
Sold it away becos I stopped birding for a while. 300mm good for birds that are nesting. Usually it lack of reach. Even 600mm is short for birding Lolx.
Nevertheless, it's still an amazing and a legend lens that I have used so far
The Nikon 300/2.8 VR2 is lighter than your SS156 by 400g...
Slippery slope... Next be a 400/2.8, 500/4, 600/4.. lol..
Cactibin: Nice shots at Punggol Barat ! Been wanting to go down since i live so close (15min cycle over) but i never wake up in time.. lol..
Yeah. I was looking for this 300 non vr when I was using d810 previously but can't find a good price and copy.
My first birding lens few years back was the 300 2.8 VR.
It's very sharp lens and I'm usually used it with 2x TC on FF.
Sold it away becos I stopped birding for a while. 300mm good for birds that are nesting. Usually it lack of reach. Even 600mm is short for birding Lolx.
Nevertheless, it's still an amazing and a legend lens that I have used so far
Yes, the AFS 328 non-VR (both ver I and II) is a much sought after lens. When my friend sold it to me, there were like 3 to 4 people waiting and wanting to get it from him. He is sort of like my sifu in birding and he sold it to me. Even before I sold it, a couple of friends already told me they want it if I ever thought of selling it. In the end sold it to my friend whom I introed birding. Passing it on from generation to generation.
I birded 1.5 years with the 328 with TCs. It is actually good enough for 80% of birding needs. 604 is more than enough. Key is to mix and match with TC and APSC and FF cams.
Reach is one thing... distance to subject is always an issue too, because your lens must be good enough to resolve. The further out your subject the more you make it tougher. Which is why I think TC on zoom lenses usually does not yield very good results especially when your subject is small and far away.
So the other parts of birding comes in, not just gear. To know the birds well, their behaviors, to be able to get closer and yet not disturb them. When you can get closer, then you will be able to take much better pictures too (must blurrer/cleaner background). Birding is not just about reach and focal length.
I may raise some controversy here by saying this... this is what my sifu taught me. Want to shoot good bird photos, must use good tripod, must use good head. If you handhold or use a monopod even, you might get lucky with some shots, but when push comes to shove, in less than ideal conditions, your images will suffer from shake, micro vibrations etc...
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If anyone is interested in getting a the sports version in nikon mount and can't find it in the shops can check out this deal ~ http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1516186 P
P
If anyone is interested in getting a the sports version in nikon mount and can't find it in the shops can check out this deal ~ http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1516186
Will you sell your 300/4PF too? ;p Let me know if you are...
