Sigma 150-500 APO DG OS controlled test
June 2008
Our mini field test of the Sigma 150-500 APO DG OS proved to be quite popular, so we decided to perform a further, more "scientific", test under controlled conditions.
Lighting was provided by Elinchrom D-Lite 4 Studio lights and metered with a Sekonic L-308 Flashmate.
A Canon 350D was used for each photo with all seven autofocus points activated.
From the test it can clearly be seen that the best results are obtained if the lens is stopped down. Using f6.3 at 500mm produces soft images, but quite useable in most circumstances. At f11 and above excellent sharpness is obtained.
Our conclusion is that when the available light is low it would be preferable to up the ISO speed to ISO400 or even ISO800 in order to avoid using f6.3 and f7.1. This may result in some extra noise, which could be cleaned up during post processing using Noise Ninja or a similar noise reduction utility.
At the price this is an excellent lens and in bright light produces top quality results. The biggest drawback is the maximum aperture size means that this lens is not suitable in low light conditions.
Sample shots
- All the images below were taken at 500mm focal length.
- No post processing has been done to the 100% crops.
- The full images have been downsized and a little unsharp mask applied.
1) f16, ISO400, 1/250th, Studio Flash
2) f16, ISO100, 1/250th, Studio Flash
3) f8, ISO100, 1/250th, Studio Flash
4) f6.3, ISO100, 1/250th, Studio Flash
If you found this controlled test interesting, you may also enjoy our review, including a field test.