Updated / New pictures on 2008-07-08

Sigma 150-500mm - Canon 40D (the first lens was deffective... AF went out after 30 shots! this is the second one)
Condition: Grey sky, handheld, OS ON mode1, 40D mode P. Image resize to 33% on the left and 100% crop from original file on the right, Untouch - NO Photo Shop or Photo Paint, all image are compress at 10% for the web. Most picture are at 500mm unless stated. I took those around my shop so i don't have nice subject :-)

Comments: AF is fast, not rocket fast but pretty fast, very silent. 150 to 500 is less then 1/4 of a turn. Zoom ring is nice, not to stiff but just enough. AF ring is perfect. OS speed is... well, from very very fast to 2 second! Mostly fast in general.

Those are the best pictures, but, 85% where like that. All are from fine JPG 3888 x 2592

Shot of the lens itself (center), on top is the 120-300mm + 1.4 TC, the other one is the 80-400mm
(even if the 120-300mm doesn't look  much bigger on some pictures... it is!!! and it's way more heavy.)
Shot with the 80-400mm at 400mm handheld, sunny day. 1/1000 f/11 Shot with the 120-300mm + 1.4 TC handheld(420mm), cloudy day. 1/1000 f/8
 

The 150-500mm

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I added (Juin 9 2008) a few new pictures, all at 500mm except for the Olympic Stadium (150), resize at 40%, compress at 10%. A bit of PS on some. All handheld, the black bird is without OS.
Note: The OS can be slow sometime, you never know if it's gonnna be fast or slow, an easy 2 to 3 second sometime. Average is ,  Mine doesn't hunt and when it kick in, it's very solid. AF is fast and silent but slower than a Canon 70-200. I have added a few more picture on this page. I took over 200 yesterday ( the AF is holding...).
In general i'm still happy. The lens is not as sharp as my 80-400.  Look at the chimney picture of the 150-500 (botom) and compare it to the 80-400 one. (top of page)
At 400 on the 150-500 it about the same IQ. I have tried over 15 picture of that chimney and never i could get an image as sharp as the 80-400. But wait!!! my friend came with his Canon 100-400 and it was worse at 400. So what to think???

For 1K$ you get a decent 150-450mm lens with OS/IS. A pretty fast AF and an OK OS.
My same friend as also as a Bigma, after trying the 150-500 he said simply to me: The OS is a big + even is it's not that fast., Never but never i can handheld the Bigma at 500mm and get a sharp image like the 150-500.

So NO, the 150-500 is not the perfect lens we hope for. But not so far from it.
It's a good 150-450 lens, a strange and sometime a bit slow but effective OS, somewhat and sometime softer at 500mm.

Hey, it's a 1K$ lens, so don't expect Canon 500 f/4 result at 500mm.

I will still keep mine. I like the range, the weight and the image quality in general. It as good strength and some little flaws.

500mm
No OS here, not to bad at all.
This one is pretty sharp

150mm, cloudy. The Montreal Olympic Stadium.
500mm for the rest of the pictures...

This is one of the sharpest image. Not tweak at all, just resize and compress a 10%. 500mm handheld. Shit, this len is not to bad after all.... :-)
Well, ok, i had the sun in my face, still, look at the detail, pretty sharp, always handheld. You know what, this lens like it handheld, i'm not impress whenon tripod!!!

Tracking is nice, AF was fast enough, no problem here. Image is pretty sharp. No tweeking here, just resize.
 		  
A few more new pictures
I did more shot last weekend, it was rainy, cloudy and those birds where fast like hell (good parctice), i have tried many lens on those birds (there where having fun with me for more than 2 hours, that was nice of them to stay so close). I had with me my Canon 300 f/2.8, the Sig 120-300 f/2.8 and the new 150-500. The best shot... believe it or not where achieved with the 150-500mm. Of course the 300 is superior but it gave me hell that day. Even the 120-300mm was not up to the task. I'm sure i'm the problem and not those great lens. Anyway, i took the 150-500 and give it a try on the tripod with Gimbal head, OS still on. I had to tweak those pictures, it was simply to dark out there... still. So those are resize at 33% and compress to 10%. Color tweak but no sharpness added.
Here is a shot at 700mm (1.4 Sig TC)


So that it... if the AF hold on... i'm will be more than happy with that lens... hey, for 1K$, what do you expect.

 [email protected] (Ben)