My New Sigma 150-500mm zoom for my Canon 40D
Posted 02-07-09 at 06:20 PM by Patrick
About a week ago Dave posted a picture which he liked but was lacking in sharpness which he contributed to the lens http://dpnow.com/forum2/showthread.p...2222#post42222 Well I was at the time contemplating the purchase of the same lens. I am a great fan of Sigma lenses and the only none sigma lens I own was a Canon L 300mm f4 Stabilized, but this did not have enough reach for what I wanted. I had been reading reviews and blog's about the Sigma which varied from rubbish to excellent, no help there then. A friend introduced me to a Sigma regional manager who to cut a long story short gave his personal guarantee it would give top results, if it didn't he would sort it out for me. I ordered the lens from Mifsuds Wednesday and my lovely new lens arrived today.
Here are a couple of controlled test shots at the maximum 500mm both with a wide open aperture. The first shot is with a stabilizer on and a mono pod for support (it is I find a heavy lens) you will see the whole image shot and the actual pixel crop.
The same goes for the second shot but this time the stabilizer is switched off and a tripod used.
The exposure was 1st image f6.3 @ 1/160 sec, 400ISO.
The second image f6.3 @ 1/400, 400ISO
The sun was coming and going.
Both shots were in RAW
A little un-sharp mask was applied the same amount to both images, amount 50%, radius 1 pixel, and threshold 0
I will not comment on the image, I invite you to reply and say what you think. Not the photographic comment, the subject is rubbish it was chosen for practical reasons. But how you think the lens has performed.
Patrick
Here are a couple of controlled test shots at the maximum 500mm both with a wide open aperture. The first shot is with a stabilizer on and a mono pod for support (it is I find a heavy lens) you will see the whole image shot and the actual pixel crop.
The same goes for the second shot but this time the stabilizer is switched off and a tripod used.
The exposure was 1st image f6.3 @ 1/160 sec, 400ISO.
The second image f6.3 @ 1/400, 400ISO
The sun was coming and going.
Both shots were in RAW
A little un-sharp mask was applied the same amount to both images, amount 50%, radius 1 pixel, and threshold 0
I will not comment on the image, I invite you to reply and say what you think. Not the photographic comment, the subject is rubbish it was chosen for practical reasons. But how you think the lens has performed.
Patrick
Total Comments 8
Comments
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The first image (and the second crop) have the edge from where I'm sitting - though the second = crop is also very acceptable. Y'know my history, that I'm no great expert, but I reckon you have every reason to be very happy with your purchase.
I've used one of the Sigma 150-500 lenses for about 5-6 years now so mine's an older version, no image stabiliser in the lens though I do have in-camera stabiliser in the Pentax K10D and the Pentax K 20D. I've always been well pleased with the results from the lens off ALL my cameras, including the original Pentax *istD (from 2003).
A year or two ago I uploaded a crop from a handheld shot into my gallery. It was a grab shot I'd taken on impulse. I'd just got the K10D and wondered how that camera's inbuilt image stabiliser might help with handheld shots at 500mm. This is the resulting image (of the Carrion Crow high in an Oak tree tearing bark for its nest).
It's better on a tripod of course - but nevertheless still possible to get a decent handheld shot if the conditions are right and especially you're able to lean against something to steady yourself.
The focusing ring on mine's a tad slack now but still fine to use. Mine doesn't have a zoom lock either but maybe the newer ones do?
PolPosted 02-07-09 at 07:18 PM by Pol 
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Patrick, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I'm sensing something like camera movement in both sets. There seems to be a vertical softness, but not lateral. Technically, it's astigmatism. It's not severe, but I'm detecting it.
Posted 02-07-09 at 08:26 PM by Ian
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You're right.Quote:Originally Posted by Ian
Patrick, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I'm sensing something like camera movement in both sets. There seems to be a vertical softness, but not lateral. Technically, it's astigmatism. It's not severe, but I'm detecting it.
I should've mentioned that I usually aim to use a cable release with long lenses as there's often some slight 'bouce' when pressing the shutter - especially at 500mm.
I tend to use my 150-500mm with a Manfrotto 393 Gimbal-style head these days too.
PolPosted 02-07-09 at 08:45 PM by Pol
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Patrick, my first thought was that I was struggling to see any significant difference between the two shots, and they both seem perfectly adequate. However I too did 'sense', without being 100% sure that they suffered from VERY minor degrees of camera shake, only apparent on the crop. I'm not however rally seeing the vertical softness Ian mentions though on close inspection the first crop does seem sharper.Quote:Originally Posted by Ian
Patrick, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I'm sensing something like camera movement in both sets. There seems to be a vertical softness, but not lateral. Technically, it's astigmatism. It's not severe, but I'm detecting it.
Sharpening is a personal thing, though its effect often can be seen more clearly on a 100% crop and I wonder if you gave them too much in this instance maybe 30% at 0.7 may have been better. You would need to play with that idea to check.
I notice you say you used a monopod for the first shot. I have to say that I am unsure if a monopod can be used with the IS switched on. I've never had a definitive answer to the issue so I never use one with my 100-400IS lens. With the second shot you switch off the IS and use a speed of 1/400s Pol mentioned she uses a cable release, did you? Personally I would have thought at that speed and on a tripod you would have been ok, but hey I suppose it may have helped with a cable releasePosted 03-07-09 at 09:53 AM by Stephen
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Patrick's lens is a much newer, better version than mine so I don't know exactly how long it is at full stretch compared to mine.Quote:Originally Posted by Stephen
... Pol mentioned she uses a cable release, did you? Personally I would have thought at that speed and on a tripod you would have been ok, but hey I suppose it may have helped with a cable release
It largely depends on what I'm doing and which tripod head I'm using with it but I have noticed some vibration coming through the lens, most especially when I use the 222 joystick head. The 322 is better as is the 3-way p/t ... but whatever I use I've got into the habit of making sure I'm away from the tripod legs as there can still be some vibration settling down after I've focused the lens.
I have the 055PROB tripod so it's sturdy - but I've found there can still be some slight vibration with the long lens at full stretch.
PolPosted 03-07-09 at 10:57 AM by Pol
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Thank you all for feed back.
The first thing is something that surprised me, and you have all picked it up, the shot with stabilization & Mono pod is marginal sharper than the tripod mounted shot.
I sensed a touch of camera movement also, slightly more on the tripod shot, now I have a very solid tripod and head, I thought I used a cable it was certainly attached to the camera but perhaps out of habit I used the button, I can't remember. That's old age for you
Stephen I do find the OS works happily with a mono pod once locked on to the subject, after all there is still some movement for it to work with.
I will be doing more tests at different apertures when we have descent light again (its raining bucket here)
PatrickPosted 03-07-09 at 10:58 AM by Patrick
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Sigma's optical image stabilisation system uses two modes, mode one for correcting vertical and lateral shake, plus mode 2 for correcting just lateral shake. Mode 2 is recommended for use when panning. There is always danger when the camera is pretty much as still as you can make it that IS will over correct very small movements, which is why IS is not recommended for tripod use. IS in mode 2 is recommened for monopod use, but if, as Patrick has probably done, the camera is relatively still, I think there could be a danger that the IS would be doing more harm than good. The question is - was the IS on mode 1 or 2 when the test shot on the monopod was made? I can't explain the tripod shot with the IS switched off, but I'm seeing a similar result. Astigmatism could be caused by misalignment of one of the lens elements. As in-lens IS requires a lens element or group to be manipulated by actuators, I guess there is more chance (if very slim) that a misalignment could occur.
Posted 03-07-09 at 12:50 PM by Ian
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The mono pod shots were done using mode 1 so I will try mode 2. I do in fact have difficulty holding a camera very steady, which is why I often use a mono pod. I can see the logic of over compensation particularly as the system is claimed to correct 4 stops.
I shall look again at re-doing these tests along with a few more.
It all helps to get to know the product if or not there is a problem.
PatrickPosted 03-07-09 at 05:48 PM by Patrick
