First test
Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports PRICE: £1999 SIGMA-GLOBAL.COM
With high-quality materials and plenty of features, Sigma’s latest is out to impress
can either twist the barrel to zoom or – as I favoured – simply push and pull it, trombone style. There are a number of controls on the lens. Just behind the zoom ring is a zoom lock and three AF-L buttons, so there’s always one to hand – regardless of camera orientation. Further back towards the body are focus mode, focus limiter, optical stabilisation and custom switches. The focus limit switch has three positions – close focus to 6m, 6m to infinity and the full focusing range. Impressively, the 60-600mm can focus down to just 45cm at the wide end, while set at 200mm it provides an almost half-lifesize macro image, so there’s close-up potential here. Optical image stabilisation, meanwhile, can be switched off or used in general or panning mode, where the lens anticipates movement and corrects accordingly. Up to seven stops of compensation are claimed at the 60mm end and six stops at 600mm. I had no problem making images at 1/4sec with the lens at the 400mm setting. That’s impressive. Considering its size, the lens is impressively sprightly – not to mention quiet – when focusing. It features a newly developed High- response Linear Actuator (HLA) motor, which, coupled with an optimised AF algorithm, zips into focus both quickly and accurately. The only focusing issue I did come across was that it would rack through the range, but that’s easily remedied with studious use of the focus limiter. Designed primarily for sports and wildlife, I found it just as much fun to use for landscapes, fine-tuning composition as I went. I didn’t shoot a test chart to check optical quality – the 600mm setting makes this impractical – but pixel peeping images in Lightroom showed impressive sharpness across the frame and focal range. At the longest setting, I’d avoid using the maximum aperture as sharpness does suffer, but stopping down to f/8 or f/11 sorts that out. That does demand pushing ISO to keep shutter speeds high and freeze subject movement. PN
TESTED BY ROGER PAYNE
SIGMA IS NO stranger to a 10x super telephoto zoom. It’s already produced a 50-500mm and, in fact, a 60-600mm, although both were solely for DSLRs. What we have here is the company’s – and the world’s – first 10x super telephoto for mirrorless. Available in L and Sony E mounts; I tried it with the latter, attached to the Sony A7R V tested in the last issue. What’s immediately apparent when you lift the lens out of its padded case is that it’s very nicely put together. Part of Sigma’s Sports line-up, the body of the lens is made from Thermally Stable Composite (TSC), the tripod collar and foot is fashioned from magnesium alloy and the deep lens hood from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The robust design is dust and moisture resistant, while the front element is coated to repel oil and water. This was all put to the test when I headed to a very blustery beach in the middle of a hailstorm (in my defence, the light was great), and both the lens and I returned unscathed. In truth, the lens hood is so deep that the front element wasn’t in risk of getting wet. However, as my beach trip did highlight, at just under 2.5kg this is not a lens you’ll be able to handhold for extended periods of time. After 30 minutes of being buffeted by strong winds, my arms were ready for a rest. Or perhaps I just need to go to the gym more. That’s not to say the lens is unbalanced – far from it. The zoom control is large and well-placed, but while the torque on it is 30% lighter than the DSLR version, I found the Dual Action Zoom a godsend. You
“DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR SPORTS AND WILDLIFE, I FOUND IT JUST AS MUCH FUN TO USE FOR LANDSCAPES” SPECS Specifications are for Sony E-mount version (L-Mount in brackets where applicable) › Type Full-frame › Lens mounts Sony E-mount, L-Mount › Focal length 60-600mm › Aperture range F/4.5-32 › Lens construction 27 elements in 19 groups, including two FLD and three SLD elements › Lens coatings Super Multi-Layer Coating, water and oil repellent (front element only) › Angle of view 39.6-4.1° › Focusing Autofocus, manual › Internal focusing Yes › Focus limit switch Yes – minimum focus to 6m, 6m to infinity, full › Minimum focus 45-260cm › Image stabilisation Yes, up to seven stops › Diaphragm Nine-blade, rounded › Filter size 105mm › Supplied accessories Case, hood, cover lens cap, shoulder strap, tripod foot › Dimensions (dxl) 119.4x281.2mm (119.4x279.2mm) › Weight 2485g (2495g) › Contact sigma-global.com
OUT IN THE ELEMENTS This Sigma super telephoto will keep performing without a problem, no matter what the weather says
Verdict This Sigma 60-600mm is well-made, focuses quickly and delivers impressive results at a good price. For its intended use - wildlife and sport - when camera-to-subject distance frequently changes, I can see the full focal range being employed. Should your framing requirements be the same, this is a worthwhile investment. If your photography is less likely to take you up and down the range, a shorter telezoom or fixed telephoto may be more suitable. PROS Well-made, versatile, fast and accurate AF, plenty of features, delivers strong results CONS Focal range won’t suit every application, heavy for handholding, sharpness suffers at maximum aperture on longest focal lengths
FULL CONTROL Function switches are located near the lens mount for easy access when attached to a camera
Issue 106 | Photography News 29
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