Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sport

Bipolar Kittens · 29 Jun 2015 at 19:06

I'm looking for a meaty lens to use with my Nikon D5200 particularly for airshows. I'm quite the amateur and as such have never spent more than £300 on a lens before so this is a real step up for me. The reviews seem pretty good but i'm looking for some real world experience before I splash out.

So, does anyone have one and is it as good as it sounds?

Bipolar Kittens · 29 Jun 2015 at 21:00

I read the Contemporary was not so good at focusing on fast moving objects and the last Tamron I bought, albeit a cheapish one, is absolutely awful hence dismissing those. This is a lot of money to spend on a lens so I want to make sure I'm getting the right one, I also need it before the 19th, so i'd appreciate peoples experiences of any of the lens lenses mentioned thus far

Bipolar Kittens · 29 Jun 2015 at 23:29

I've been doing a lot more reading on the C and I am leaning towards it, it's a decent chunk lighter and almost half the price. I could be sold. How does a D5200 stand up these days, I bought it a few years ago, is it worth upgrading?

Bipolar Kittens · 30 Jun 2015 at 18:42

Canon isn't an option as I've accumulated a decent amount of Nikon gear so it would mean starting from scratch at great cost, which I'm not prepared to do right now.

Anyway, I've decided on the Contempory, I've found it for £700 online which is £500 less than I can find the Sport for.

Bipolar Kittens · 30 Jun 2015 at 20:59

I'm one step ahead of you, I've already called my local store to no avail.

However, it's a done deal now, I changed my mind at the last minute and ordered the Sport.

Bipolar Kittens · 2 Jul 2015 at 12:57

Thanks, that might have been an option had I bought the cheaper lens, but as I didn't the body will have to wait

Bipolar Kittens · 13 Jul 2015 at 19:38

I finally received the lens today. First impressions, **** me it's heavy! I literally can't hold it for more than a few minutes without getting an arm ache. I'm not very alpha, should have gone to the gym more than twice in my life.

I'm definitely seeing a tripod in my life before I go to RIAT on Sunday.

Bipolar Kittens · 13 Jul 2015 at 22:08

Phal said:
Took me a while to realise but this is where a strap can really help. I never bothered with one before because it just got in the way but with the strap mounted on the lens I only have it there when I need it.

I have my strap short enough that I can just prop my elbow up against my body and the strap does a lot of the work by locking everything together since your arm/elbow is kinda pushing against the strap a little.

It's not perfect and you'll start to struggle if you need to aim quite far up but for subjects no more than 30-40 degrees over the horizon or below the strap is awesome. Anything over that is a lot harder because the strap is doing nothing really and you basically end up balancing the camera and lens on your face and arms lol

I'll give that a test tomorrow, but it's first outing will be at an air show on Sunday so I'll need to hold it way higher than 40 degrees. 3kg's doesn't sound a lot, but it is when you're holding it in front of your face.

Bipolar Kittens · 14 Jul 2015 at 21:37

Picked up a tripod and ball head today, much happier with the lens now