Am I expecting too much from a 150-500mm?
Discussion
Just bought a Sigma 150-500 5.6 DG S and been having a play in the garden.
Photo 1
and cropped at 100%
I did unsharp mask in ps and data is as follows:
ISO 200
1/100, f6.3
500mm
Stabilizer on position 1 (both horizontal and vertical)
Taken from about 6-7m distance from the subject.
I understand the light isn't quite bright enough to up the shutter speed but is that the problem.....is there a problem or an I expecting too much from the lens?
Would you expect better results?
Here's another taken with the same lens
1/100
f 9.0
403mm
ISO 400
Photo 1
and cropped at 100%
I did unsharp mask in ps and data is as follows:
ISO 200
1/100, f6.3
500mm
Stabilizer on position 1 (both horizontal and vertical)
Taken from about 6-7m distance from the subject.
I understand the light isn't quite bright enough to up the shutter speed but is that the problem.....is there a problem or an I expecting too much from the lens?
Would you expect better results?
Here's another taken with the same lens
1/100
f 9.0
403mm
ISO 400
Looking at the crop, the focus point appears to be slightly too far-roughly where the birds left foot is touching the wood. (that sounded wrong!) So probably a combination of SLIGHT back focus, being wide open and probable camera shake. I guessing you can expect 2 stops with Sigmas OS, so 1/100 sec is pushing it at 500mm. Personally I would have stopped down to F8, upped the shutter to 1/250 - though that would have meant an ISO bump to 800 (if you can get away with that on your body).
Though hindsight is a wonderful thing...
Though hindsight is a wonderful thing...
Well, aside from the fact that your shutter speed probably is too low even with OS, and you might get better results with more light, fact is that you are shooting at maximum aperture at the maximum zoom of your lens. You might get away with that better with pro zooms like Nikon's 200-400 or whatever Canon has to offer in similar price brackets, but imho any "prosumer" zoom like the sigmas, good as they are for the money, is gonna struggle enormously at the extremes.
I have a somewhat older sigma 80-400 OS, and whilst I like it a lot, in my experience it don't get much better than what you have here at 400 mm wide open, even with OS. Stopping down to f8 and lowering exposure will help a lot, but even then you're at the maximum reach and that is likely not the sweet spot of the lens. One last thing, these little birds move very fast indeed and I find at 1/100 very often some motion blur.
So in short, imo no problem with your lens. Better technique will lead to significant improvements but you can't expect miracles. Still would give you a perfectly acceptable picture at A4 or so, I thing, given a bit of tweaking of color etc.\
All in my opinion, of course.
Maarten
I have a somewhat older sigma 80-400 OS, and whilst I like it a lot, in my experience it don't get much better than what you have here at 400 mm wide open, even with OS. Stopping down to f8 and lowering exposure will help a lot, but even then you're at the maximum reach and that is likely not the sweet spot of the lens. One last thing, these little birds move very fast indeed and I find at 1/100 very often some motion blur.
So in short, imo no problem with your lens. Better technique will lead to significant improvements but you can't expect miracles. Still would give you a perfectly acceptable picture at A4 or so, I thing, given a bit of tweaking of color etc.\
All in my opinion, of course.
Maarten
Thanks for your replies guys.
I think the lens is OK and I know light is down at the moment with overcast snowie skies and I'll play around with the f stop/shutter and see what happens.
It's a bit like golf this photography lark.............no matter how hard you try, you can always learn and take a better shot
I think the lens is OK and I know light is down at the moment with overcast snowie skies and I'll play around with the f stop/shutter and see what happens.
It's a bit like golf this photography lark.............no matter how hard you try, you can always learn and take a better shot
t at it and still have fun.... 
bobs4c said:
IS lenses are great but even apparently stationary birds move. Although this one moved more than I expected 1/200th,400 ISO
A great example of why there's no substitute for fast glass - but it costs...If lighting is dim or subjects are moving, the first thing I do is select max aperture - well possibly f3.2/3.5 to allow for any minor inaccuracies in AF.
Simpo Two said:
bobs4c said:
IS lenses are great but even apparently stationary birds move. Although this one moved more than I expected 1/200th,400 ISO
A great example of why there's no substitute for fast glass - but it costs...If lighting is dim or subjects are moving, the first thing I do is select max aperture - well possibly f3.2/3.5 to allow for any minor inaccuracies in AF.
I'm sure the 150-500 will be fine in decent light (taking it to Le Mans in June...). My next door neighbour has a 300mm 2.8 which would be in a different league but that is just slightly out of my price range
Simpo Two said:
Bernie-the-bolt said:
My next door neighbour has a 300mm 2.8 which would be in a different league but that is just slightly out of my price range
And it's a major chunk heavier/longer too - one reason why I stayed with DX for weddings and not FX!
)Very lucky man, early 50's retired multi-wealthy and he spends his life taking photo's of tigers on holiday several times a year (and bloody good photo's they are too) so I guess he has time to do a bit of weight training!
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