As we've already mentioned in the introduction, the Sigma S 500 mm f/5.6 DG DN OS is one of the first lenses of this kind designed for mirrorless full frame cameras. That's why we have no choice and, out of necessity, feature some older construction in our comparison chart. We get here the elderly Zeiss, the optically simple Samyang; apart from them there are the Nikkor, and the Pentax, two more modern constructions. Still, both of them are a bit ill-fitted for such a comparison. Firstly, they are designed for reflex cameras. Secondly, the Pentax features a longer focal length so a noticeably bigger entrance pupil. The Nikkor, for a change, is a Fresnel construction. Still, it's an interesting thing that Sigma was able to use a classic technology and offer a lens that is at the same time shorter and lighter than the Nikkor.
In the photo below the Sigma S 500 mm f/5.6 DG DN OS is positioned between the reflex camera Sigma A 35 mm f/1.4 DG HSM and the Sony FE mount version of Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 2/50.
The tested lens starts with a metal mount that surrounds contacts and an inner tube which is very well matted and ribbed. Inside that tube you find an immobile rear element, positioned over 3.5 cm deep, with a diameter of about 25 mm. From this side everything looks very nice.
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The proper tube of the lens is made of metal; it starts with a smooth ring that quickly increases its diameter. The ring features a white dot, making an alignment with a camera easier, '024' numbers meaning the production year of the instrument. Looking from above, the enlarged part of the ring has an inscription 'MADE IN JAPAN', and the lens's minimum focusing distance: 3.2M/10.5FEET-∞.
A very solid tripod holder with a possibility of horizontal and vertical transition, is another part of the lens. Unfortunately it is permanently attached to the lens’s body and it’s a drawback – sometimes you have to walk with that type of lens quite a lot without carrying a tripod or a monopod with you. If you could take that holder off you would reduce the weight of the lens significantly, making it handier. It's true that the adapter itself can be removed but, in order to do so, you have to undo as many as four screws. I have to admit the rivals offer far more user-friendly solutions.
Further on, you find a part of the tube with an inscription stating the name of the company, parameters of the lens, the Sigma logo on the right, and its serial number. On the left you get a whole array of switches. The first of them, FOCUS, is used to control the focusing mechanism, with two possible positions: AF and MF. The next switch limits the autofocus range, with three possible options: FULL, from 10 meters to infinity, and from the minimum focusing distance to 10 meters. Then you get an OS switch, controlling the optical stabilization unit (with 1, 2, and OFF modes) and as the last one, a switch labelled CUSTOM, which allows you to choose between three positions: OFF, C1, and C2. It is used to operate specific focusing mechanism modes, saved by the user after calibrating the lens by the Sigma USB Dock.
Further on, you find a manual focus ring as wide as 33 mm. The ring, a focus-by-wire construction, is covered with ribs, allowing you a very comfortable operation, and its focus throw depends on the speed of your turning. If you move it quickly it might amount to about 180 degrees, with slower turning you can reach 270-280 degrees. Both these values allow you very precise settings.
The next part is an aperture ring, 14 mm wide, half of its surface covered by fine ribs. It has aperture markings from f/5.6 to f/32 and an 'A' position that allows the camera to control the aperture values automatically. The ring can be de-clicked with a special CLICK ON/OFF toggle, or it can move every 1/3 EV interval.
Further on you find an immobile part of the casing with an S mark, meaning the lens belongs to the 'Sport' series, a LOCK switch that allows you to block the aperture ring in one position, and the CLICK ON/OFF toggle we've mentioned earlier. Additionally, you see three round FOCUS LOCK buttons that are also programmable.
Then you see an enlargened part of the tube with the front element system. The front element itself doesn't move, is 85 mm in diameter, surrounded by a non-rotating filter thread, 95 mm in diameter, and an edge where you can attach a hood, added to the lens as a part of its accessory kit.
When it comes to optical construction, it is really impressive for a fixed-focal f/5.6 telephoto lens. Inside you get as many as 20 elements positioned in 14 groups. Among them you can find as many as five low dispersion elements: three made of FLD and two made of SLD glass. It's also worth mentioning that three of these low dispersion elements are positioned in the big front element system. Inside there's also a round aperture with 11 blades that can be closed down to a value of f/32 at the maximum.
According to the producer, the lens is supposed to have an increased resistance to harsh weather conditions and the best grade of weather sealing. There are seals securing its mount, the manual focus ring, toggles, and external connectors so dust and dirt don't invade the interior of the lens. What's more, the front element of he lens features a water and oil repellent coating to facilitate maintenance when water droplets or dust adhere to the lens.
Buyers get in the box with the lens: both caps, a hood, a tripod holder that is permanently attached but one part of it can be removed, and a hard, quite solid case.
Optical stabilization
The official press release of the producer features a piece of information that optical stabilization of this lens can be as efficient as even 5 EV .
In order to check the real efficiency of the Sigma's stabilization unit we took several dozen of photos at every exposure time ranging from 1/640 to 1/6 of a second with the stabilization switched on and off. The graph below shows the percentage of blurred photos depending on the exposure time expressed in EV, with 0 EV being an equivalent of 1/500 of a second.
The maximum distance between both curves reaches about 4 EV and such is, according to our measurements, the efficiency of stabilization unit of the new Sigma. The result is a bit lower than official numbers but still it remains very good indeed. If a lens reaches at least 4 EV in our tests, it certainly deserves to be praised.
