Full-Frame Sigma 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS Sports Image Thread

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Tim Mayo

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Sigma lent me their new 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS Sports lens for the week to try out. I'll write another post on my first impressions of this lens when I have a little more time, until then here are some images I've shot with it over the past few days. Other than cropping to my liking and adjusting the white balance no other post processing has been applied. Registered forum members can download the raw images here.

Update: I've since bought the lens for myself and now my 200-600 is collecting dust.

DSC05426-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC05483-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/6.3
  • 1/1600 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC05567-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 1250


DSC05762-8000x5333.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 1250


DSC05905-8640-5760.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1000 sec
  • ISO 1600


DSC06038-8000x5333.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 200


DSC06076-8640-5760.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/6.3
  • 1/1000 sec
  • ISO 250


DSC06137-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC06173-4000x2667.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/7.1
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC06314-6000x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1600 sec
  • ISO 640


DSC06352-6000x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1600 sec
  • ISO 640



DSC06267-6000x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 200


DSC06360-7000x4667.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1600 sec
  • ISO 125


DSC07897-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 1250


DSC07640-5000x3333.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC07361-3667-5000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC07360-5000-3333.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC07357-2667x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 400


DSC07483-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC07704-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC07710-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC07709-3000-2000.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC08051-6750x4500.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2000 sec
  • ISO 320
 
Last edited:
So tempted to suggest it had a yellow/brown cast after looking at the first few images :D

It does look good. The raptor shots are brilliant.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #6
So tempted to suggest it had a yellow/brown cast after looking at the first few images :D

It does look good. The raptor shots are brilliant.
They definitely do as I forgot my white balance was set to cloudy after shooting some motocross, normally for wildlife I’ll just leave it on auto. I might edit them at some point.
 
I haven't seen a price for it yet, but at a reasonable price, it could be rather compelling. Sure, no teleconverter support, but a good 500mm lens is appealing.

UPDATE: just saw the price in my country. It's a bit over half the price of the Sony 300mm GM. Not cheap. But if I couldn't afford the 300 GM, it could be tempting. If you have the A9 III, the 15fps limit would matter - for most other people, probably not.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #9
I haven't seen a price for it yet, but at a reasonable price, it could be rather compelling. Sure, no teleconverter support, but a good 500mm lens is appealing.

UPDATE: just saw the price in my country. It's a bit over half the price of the Sony 300mm GM. Not cheap. But if I couldn't afford the 300 GM, it could be tempting. If you have the A9 III, the 15fps limit would matter - for most other people, probably not.
I've been saving (slowly) for the 300 GM but after spending a week with this lens I've pretty much concluded that I'll be buying one, especially as my 200-600 is now out of action. I'll write more about it next week but its the size and weight savings compared to the 200-600 that I appreciated the most. I rarely use the teleconverters on my 200-600 so I wouldn't miss using them and I also rarely have any need or desire to shoot faster than 15 FPS so this limitation wouldn't be a concern.
 
Sports sample images?

Oh wait, parsing error: that's the name of the lens! :ROFLMAO:

Anyway, they are superb.
 
One of my Sigma pet peeves is their silly lens 'quality' rankings. It's kind of like classes. Art lens? Enjoy the promenade deck. Contemporary? Report to steerage! :ROFLMAO:

Agreed!

It used to be a bit clearer: Art was supposed to be good optically, Sports was supposed to be robust, and Contemporary was supposed to be a bit more affordable. They even brought out two versions of the 150-600 for DSLRs (about a decade ago) - the Contemporary version was a bit simpler, and less expensive; the Sport version was heavier, but stronger (more elements, too)..

Now I think the lines have been blurred, and the choice seems a bit more arbitrary.
 
I mostly shot the the kites with my A1 but I did try my A7RV for a few minutes. It was definitely not as fast as my A1 to lock focus and seemed to drop the tracking more often on the busier backgrounds but when locked on it didn't disappoint. Again these shots are SOOC jpegs just cropped to my liking. Registered forum members can download the raw images here.

DSC04539-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 320


DSC04576-6000x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC04599-2333x3500.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC04601-4000x2667.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC04604-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 400


DSC04665-3000x2000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 1000


DSC04778-5000x3333.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC04846-2333x3500.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 400


DSC04574-4000x6000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 800


DSC04602-2333x3500.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC04603-4000x2667.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 500


DSC04569-6000x4000.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/4000 sec
  • ISO 800
 
Last edited:
ENOUGH ALREADY! :ROFLMAO:

I have no desire to own this lens, but now I want one. yer killin' me!

Me too!

It’s light enough that I cannot rule it out that way. And it’s comparable to the 600mm f/5.6 I get from the 300 GM + 2x.

I may have to visit my local dealer and evaluate it :unsure:
 
These are great, sharp and lovely smooth bokeh.

This is a definite tester for me. I need to see how it handles and focusses.
 
Raw images from the A1 can now be downloaded here. That's a bit of a new setup so hopefully it works correctly!
 
These are great, sharp and lovely smooth bokeh.

This is a definite tester for me. I need to see how it handles and focusses.
It's a lovely lens Kev. I hope to get a little more written about it by tomorrow. Focus was pretty snappy on my A1 and it tracked really well, only a handful of shots were slightly soft. I only tried it briefly on my A7RV and it seemed to struggle a little more at times to lock-on to the kites, for perched birds it wasn't an issue. It also struggled a little more with tracking against busy backgrounds on the A7RV, but when locked on only a handful of images were slightly soft. The size and weight savings make this lens a joy to use over the 200-600. Sure it can't shoot over 15 FPS but that's a benefit if you ask me, less shots to process! No tele support but I rarely use them anyway in the UK. I hadn't actually planned to order one but after using it for a week I was sold and placed an order yesterday! :)
 
It's a lovely lens Kev. I hope to get a little more written about it by tomorrow. Focus was pretty snappy on my A1 and it tracked really well, only a handful of shots were slightly soft. I only tried it briefly on my A7RV and it seemed to struggle a little more at times to lock-on to the kites, for perched birds it wasn't an issue. It also struggled a little more with tracking against busy backgrounds on the A7RV, but when locked on only a handful of images were slightly soft. The size and weight savings make this lens a joy to use over the 200-600. Sure it can't shoot over 15 FPS but that's a benefit if you ask me, less shots to process! No tele support but I rarely use them anyway in the UK. I hadn't actually planned to order one but after using it for a week I was sold and placed an order yesterday! :)
Nice. Yeah 15fps and no TC isn't an issue for me, and I imagine some more practice and set up for the RV might be needed to get the best out of it. The price point is very good and very tempting
 
Nice. Yeah 15fps and no TC isn't an issue for me, and I imagine some more practice and set up for the RV might be needed to get the best out of it. The price point is very good and very tempting
I'm definitely a bit rusty when it comes to shooting BIF these days and don't use my A7RV as much as my A1, so others might have an easier time with that setup than me. The A1 spoils you! :)
 
Some of the images taken with sigma 500mm f5.6 some have been post processed to remove unwanted stuff ,the 2 owl images i replaced the perch with a natural looking one ,everything just sliders and cleaned up a little .
_DSC0030.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/640 sec
  • ISO 500
_DSC0195.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/320 sec
  • ISO 320
_DSC0260-Edit.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/500 sec
  • ISO 640
_DSC0366.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/400 sec
  • ISO 640
_DSC0484.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/3200 sec
  • ISO 400
_DSC0647.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/3200 sec
  • ISO 640
_DSC0706-Enhanced-NR.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1000 sec
  • ISO 4000
_DSC1027-Edit.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2500 sec
  • ISO 800
_DSC1033-Enhanced-NR-Edit.jpg
  • ILCE-7RM5
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/2500 sec
  • ISO 800
_DSC8919-Edit.jpg
_DSC9724.jpg
_DSC9754-Enhanced-NR-1-Edit.jpg
_DSC9853.jpg
 
I was hoping to spot the local curlews on my walk this morning. Sadly I didn't spot them but these sheep were more than happy to do a photoshoot when they spotted I was shooting with the new Sigma 500.

Sheep-DSC01120-2048px.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1250 sec
  • ISO 800


Sheep-DSC01140-2048px.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1000 sec
  • ISO 2500


Sheep-DSC01134-2048px.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/1000 sec
  • ISO 1000
 
Squirrels are so yesterday! Sheep are the new squirrels. And they don't cost walnuts!

Super pictures. Lovely. :)
 
some garden stuff with the king snide lens
DSC00617-Enhanced-NR.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/800 sec
  • ISO 6400
DSC00631-Enhanced-NR.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/800 sec
  • ISO 5000
DSC00725-Enhanced-NR.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/800 sec
  • ISO 2000
DSC00863.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/500 sec
  • ISO 640
DSC00873.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/500 sec
  • ISO 640
DSC00930.jpg
  • ILCE-1
  • 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports 024
  • 500.0 mm
  • ƒ/5.6
  • 1/500 sec
  • ISO 800
 

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