Sigma has two 150-600mm zoom lenses in their lineup. One is in their Contemporary series: the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C. That lens is smaller, lighter, and cheaper. It’s designed to be a bit more portable, although it’s still not what you’d call pocket-sized by any means.
The one I’m focusing on here is in their Sports series: the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | S. The series name aside, it’s particularly aimed at shooting not only sports but also wildlife, action, and other fast-moving subjects. It’s basically a higher-performance version.
It’s significantly heavier than the Contemporary version and has much improved optical performance. And you pay for that better optical performance–it’s over double the price of the Contemporary. It’s also less convenient to carry around. But plant it on a monopod in a good vantage point, and it’ll bring the action much closer and give excellent results.
- Maximum Aperture Range: f/3.5-6.3
- One SLD and Four FLD Elements
I have a more detailed review of this lens here. But here’s a collection of images I’ve taken with this lens.
Despite the Sports in its name, this lens is also a good option for more varied subjects. Although, being bigger and heavier than the Contemporary version, it’s slightly less convenient to carry around. I aim to add some more images here before long. But hopefully, it gives at least some sense of how the lens performs under real-world shooting conditions.
I use the Nikon F mount version on Nikon full-frame DSLRs. There are also versions for Canon EF and Sigma SA bodies, and they’re releasing new versions with Sony E and Leica L mounts as well.
These were all shot in RAW and processed in Lightroom.
Price & Availability of the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM S Telephoto Zoom Lens
Sigma has set the MSRP of this lens at $1,999. It’s available in versions with Canon, Sigma, and Nikon mounts (I have the Nikon mount version). There’s also the Contemporary 150-600mm as well as a related Sony E-mount version.
Check the current price and availability at:
- Maximum Aperture Range: f/3.5-6.3
- One SLD and Four FLD Elements
Accessories
The Sigma 150-600mm ƒ/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S lens takes 105mm screw-on filters.
If you’re shooting with the lens hood, it will make it extremely difficult to use a circular polarizer because the lens hood is so deep.
The lens hood is model LH1164-01. As usual, the manufacturer’s lens hood is absurdly overpriced for what it is (it always seems to be especially true with long telephoto lenses). So it’s best to try your best not to break it or lose the tightening screw.
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Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-06-03 at 03:03. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
How can you shoot at f8, f11 and f29 when the lens can only be stopped down to f6.3?
The ƒ/5-6.3 part of the lens’s name refers to the maximum aperture. So this lens has a maximum aperture of ƒ/5 to ƒ/6.3 depending on the zoom. When zoomed out, the maximum aperture is ƒ/5. When zoomed in, the maximum aperture is ƒ/6.3. But you can shoot at smaller apertures than that, and ƒ/8, ƒ/11, etc, are all smaller apertures.