LOCALadk Magazine

63 Fall 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Sigma 150-600 mm F5-6.3 Upon receiving the Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Sport lens earlier this winter, I was anxious to see if the lens could perform as well as many of the favorable reviews it has received stated. With New York's Adirondack Park as my backyard, I am fairly demanding of my photography equipment, as it is exposed to some pretty harsh conditions year round. Sigma manufactures its lenses with both Canon and Nikon mounts. The 150-600mm F5-6.3 comes in two versions the Sports (Retail $1,999) and the Contemporary (Retail $1,089). The main differences in these two versions are as follows: For my first outing with the Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Sport lens, I decided to test the lenses sharpness while photographing birds from a blind. With the lens Mounted on a Nikon D4 and firmly secured on a Gitzo tripod, with a Wimberley head, I spent about two hours photographing in single digit temperatures. If you look at the attached image of the male American Gold Finch the level of detail on the birds is quite impressive, especially at this ISO level. 20 Elements in 14 Groups 4.1X10.2in 4.3lbs Rear Element Plas c Rotate 24 Elements in 16 Groups 4.8X11.4 in 6.3lbs Front & Rear Element Metal Rotate/Push-Pull Glass Dimension Weight Water/Oil Repellent Coating Lens Hood Zoom Operation Sport Contemporary Note: Both versions feature optical stabilization, dust & splash proof mounts, a zoom lock; allowing you to lock the zoom ring at any focal length for stable shooting. They are also compatible with Sigma's 1.4X and 2.0X tele converters and focus can be fine-tuned across all focal lengths using Sigma's USB Dock. The Sport version has a more rugged build and the glass is slightly better, the Contemporary is a little softer at the frame edges compared with the Sport version. While I have only used the Contemporary version once, I have spoken to two professional bird pho- tographers who use it and they have been extremely satisfied with its performance. Additionally, these lenses have both received positive reviews by major photography publications and individual users of all photography levels. A Review by John Digiacomo

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