Sigma 50-500 mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
11. Summary
- solid and robust workmanship,
- good or very good image quality in the frame centre practically at all focal lengths,
- good image quality at the frame edge for the 50-300 mm range,
- chromatic aberration not very burdensome,
- slight distortion,
- negligible astigmatism,
- low coma,
- slight vignetting on the APS-C/DX sensor,
- silent and efficient autofocus,
- small minimum focusing distance,
- rich standard accessory kit,
- two years of guarantee with a possibility to extend it to three years.
Cons:
- f/6.3 fastness already near 220 mm focal length,
- image quality at the maximum aperture for 400-500 mm focal lengths range could have been better,
- weak image quality at the frame edge in the range of 400-500 mm focal lengths,
- work against bright light leaves something to be desired.
The Sigma 50–500 mm f/4.5–6.3 APO DG OS HSM model supplemented the offer of that Japanese producer very nicely. Firstly, it substitutes for its predecessor, which didn’t boast any stabilization system, so useful in this range. Secondly, it fits neatly in the line-up of other models, starting with the 120-400 mm OS and progressing to the 150-500 mm OS. Depending on your needs and the amount of money in your wallet, you can get interested in the 120-400 mm OS model, the cheapest in this group, which nowadays cost 900 $, or pay extra 100 $ to buy the Sigma 150-500 mm OS or even spend 1600 $ and have the 50-500 mm OS model, optically the best of all. If you decide to purchase a Bigma without stabilization you’ll save 600 $.
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Everything would be practically perfect if it weren’t for the old good Canon 100-400L. This lens is a little bit cheaper than the Sigma tested here, and visibly better at maximum focal lengths. The Sigma can compete with a bit more efficient stabilization and a significantly wider focal lengths range with virtually fully useful 500 mm. There are several uses, spotting for instance, where the range of 50-500 mm will be a serious leg-up. If you attach such a Sigma to a full frame camera with 21–24 MPix sensors it will allow you to get over 45 degrees angles of view and, additionally, the comfort of cropping and editing even at 500 mm. It is a serious advantage but is it enough for ditching the 100-400 L? We can’t answer this question as only the individual photographer, after thinking carefully the whole matter over, can determine what’s best for him or her.
At the end we can consider one more solution. Currently, we have a choice between a significantly cheaper and optically worse 150-500 mm OS model and a more expensive and better 50-500 mm OS. Wouldn’t it be better if Sigma offered us a 150-500 mm OS model costing about 1400-1700 $ and an optically worse 50-500 mm OS with the price tag of about 1000 $? The big zoom would be a cheaper compromise and a 150-500 mm OS would reach the levels difficult to attain by a lens of a greater range and would beat without any problems the Canon L when it comes to the image quality.
Sample shots:
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 500 mm, f/9.0, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 1.9 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 500 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.89 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 500 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/2500 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 3.86 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 500 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/800 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.02 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 413 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/2500 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.01 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 413 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/1600 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.08 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 287 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/2500 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.33 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 287 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/1250 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.56 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 203 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1600 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.61 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 203 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/1000 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.73 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/1600 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.54 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 50 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1000 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.77 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 138 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.11 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.16 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/80 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.9 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 75 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/50 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.99 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.41 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 138 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 3.84 MB |
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Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 500 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 3.83 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D Parameters: 332 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 4.32 MB |
Camera: Canon 50D + TC 2.0x Parameters: 1000 mm, f/16.0, exp. 1/80 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 4752×3168 pix, 2.1 MB |
