SIGMA 150-600MM F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C

It’s a much more lightweight affair than Sigma’s Sport lens, in price as well as overall construction

This is the only lens on test that weighs in at under two kilos; in fact, it’s nearly a whole kilogram lighter than Sigma’s Sport lens. It still comes complete with a detachable tripod mounting collar, but it’s easier than most to use for prolonged periods of handheld shooting.

Despite costing considerably less than competing lenses, Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ offering packs plenty of up-market features. It beats the Nikon by offering both auto- and manual-priority AF modes, and the ability to lock out the long and the short end of the autofocus range. There’s a dual-mode stabiliser for static and panning shots, which gave an effectiveness of just under four stops in our tests.

Further trickery includes two ‘custom’ modes which can be selected via a switch on the barrel, enabling you to alter autofocus and stabilisation parameters. You’ll need Sigma’s optional USB Dock to set up custom modes, and it can also be used for applying firmware updates.

The optical path includes three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements and one top-grade FLD (Fluorite LD) element. The front and rear elements have a fluorine coating to repel water and grease and to make cleaning easier, and the brass mounting plate has a weather-seal ring.

Sharpness and contrast are a close match to those of the bigger and pricier Sigma Sport lens, at least throughout most of the zoom range. However, sharpness isn’t retained so well at the long end of the zoom range, between 500mm and 600mm. At these focal lengths, it’s good rather than great.

left SMALL IN SIZE, BIG ON FEATURES A neat trick shared with Sigma’s Sport lens is that you can lock the zoom ring at any of the eight positions that have a marked focal length Far left 150mm Sharpness is good at 150mm and remains impressive all the...