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TESTED: SIGMA 300-600MM F/4 DG OS SPORTS
Sigma Sports superzoom is a beast
£5899 sigmauk.com A unique telephoto zoom that fills a gap in the full-frame market with standout performance across its focal length range Sigma’s latest 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports lens is a heavyweight performer that makes a serious dint in your finances. But for your £5899, you get a unique super-tele that wildlife and sports shooters will love. There’s nothing else like it at any price for full- frame mirrorless Sony and L-Mount. The only thing that gives this reach and speed is Sony’s own 600mm f/4 GM OSS, which is roughly the same size but a tad lighter, costing more than double. And of course, it’s only for Sony users. Sony also offers the £1559 FE 200-600mm, but this has a variable aperture of f/5.6-6.3, so is much slower. The Sigma offers more flexibility as an all-in-one telephoto zoom with a constant f/4 aperture, rugged build and Sigma’s signature optical quality. At all focal lengths, the lens maintains a consistent sharpness that can rival primes, with stunning colour fidelity and pleasing bokeh. Weighing in at 3.97kg, it’s heavy, but has a lot of premium glass inside. It’s constructed from a combination of magnesium alloy and carbon-fibre- reinforced polycarbonate, with weather sealing in key areas. Physically, the lens is long – especially with its hood on – and makes any mirrorless camera very front-heavy, although Sigma has engineered as many of the heavy components to sit as close to the mount as possible to bring the centre of gravity back. But balance is critical, and you really need to mount it to a tripod – ideally with a gimbal head. The lens comes with a detachable Arca-Swiss foot and in a decent backpack. The 300-600mm is compatible with Sony’s fast hybrid AF system, and Sigma’s dual HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) motors are fast, quiet and accurate. When using continuous AF, tracking moving subjects becomes a confident experience. Whether it’s filming a bird in flight or a racing car at full speed, the AF sticks well and delivers smooth transitions.
For manual focus users, there’s a traditional focus ring and full support for focus-assist tools on compatible Sony cameras, including peaking and magnification. But as it’s not parfocal, it’s not ideal for zooming while filming. The optical stabilisation is good. With two modes – one for general use and the other optimised for panning – it takes the wobbles out nicely. This enables capture of handheld wildlife sequences at 600mm without
the constant jitter and vibration that typically plagues long lenses. However, being an independent-brand lens, you’re limited to 15 or 20fps for stills, rather than going up to the insane 120fps you’d get on a Sony A9 III. If you want some extra reach, the 600mm setting gives the equivalent of a 900mm lens when used on an APS-C crop camera. The L-Mount version is also compatible with 1.4x and 2.0x converters, but the Sony version isn’t. Sigma uses 28 elements in 21 groups with six FLD aspherical and one SLD element to combat chromatic aberration. The results are impressive, with minimal colour fringing, excellent contrast and detail retention, even in high-contrast scenes such as backlit wildlife or sports at golden hour. We tested the lens shooting birds at the local river, tracking dirt bikes at speed and framing up landscape shots to make use of the extreme compression you can get at 600mm. In terms of features, the tripod socket’s rotating mechanism uses bearings for smooth rotation with an optional click/de-click mechanism for each 90° angle. There’s a drop-in filter holder for standard 40.5mm filters. Sigma has also developed a new drop- in circular polarising filter and variable ND, but these aren’t available yet. The lens has a large function ring that offers two different modes, which can be selected via its setting switch. The first is Focus Preset mode, where turning the function ring to the left or right can instantly shift the focus to a preset position, which is a great feature. The other option is Power Focus, which alters focusing at a constant speed that can be set in two settings. The lens also features AFL buttons in
THE LONG LOOK Great for sports and wildlife, the mega Sigma is also useful for extreme compression in landscape work
Specifications
Focal length 300-600mm Mount Leica L, Sony E Image coverage Full-frame Aperture f/4-22 Aperture blades 13 rounded
Construction 28 elements in 21 groups with six FLD aspherical and one SLD element Image stabilisation Yes Minimum focusing 2.8m at wide end Converter ready Only in L-Mount Filter size 40.5mm drop-in Dimensions (wxl) 167x469.9mm Weight 3.97kg (3.99kg L-Mount) four different locations, a focus mode switch, focus limiter switch, two- position stabilisation mode switch and a custom mode switch. Sigma’s mission to build top- quality lenses that offer something very different to other manufacturers continues with this monster of a telephoto zoom, at a surprisingly low price considering its speed and technology. It could be the only long lens you ever need.
For manual focus users, there’s a traditional focus ring and full support for focus- assist tools on compatible Sony cameras, including peaking and magnification
Verdict
Overall rating 9/10 Another unique and fast, good-value zoom from Sigma Pros Image quality, range Cons Big and heavy
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