It’s a SIGMA Sports lens. Period. I know SIGMA’s reputation for quality, innovation and attention to detail. And for me, if it’s a Sports line lens, it is not only was built for rugged use, but also incorporates all the latest tech and quality-of-life features, like dust and splash resistance, a manual aperture ring, focus hold buttons, detachable tripod socket, superb lens stabilization, and a linear focus motor for fast autofocus. It is so small and light I can easily carry it around for hikes, air shows, and just plain traveling around. A 500mm prime lens this small and easy to carry is something that is going to supercharge my creativity. It’s going to give me new options and perspectives as to how I capture the world around me, and how I share my ideas and vision with others.
One reason this lens weighs in at only 48 ounces (approx. 1370g) is because SIGMA is taking advantage of TSC, or thermally stable composite, as well as magnesium, to reduce weight and size while improving overall durability. A redesign of optical elements specifically for mirrorless cameras produces stunningly sharp images with little need for aberration correction, as well as producing edge-to-edge sharpness. Super fast autofocus to capture action because of a linear motor known as HLA (High-response Linear Actuator). The entire lens exterior from mount to filter thread is splash and dust resistant. It’s something I’ve come to expect from SIGMA, especially when photographing, say, an air show in dusty conditions. Lenses and coatings are designed specifically to reduce flare in backlit situations. The latest OS2 algorithm provides 5 stops of stabilization in the lens for steady, handheld photography.
If you’re into aviation photography as I am, you are going to love what this lens offers. The small size and weight will make it easy to carry around during hours spent at an air show. For example, I was able to easily pack the lens into my carry-on backpack for a recent trip to Los Angeles where I joined others for plane spotting photography around LAX airport (on an unfortunately hazy day). Once in position and the airliners were on approach to land, the lens locked on and easily tracked them to the runway.
The 500mm focal length has enough reach to work great for either large or small aircraft. The images were so sharp I could read some of the small labels on the fuselage. And for me, the compression of a telephoto lens looks great on the subject.
If you love photographing birds and animals, this lens is for you. I kept my camera next to the living room window so I was always ready when the neighborhood birds and squirrels visited the backyard feeder. The SIGMA 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens was always so quick to focus on the birds as they flitted around the feeder. And F5.6 on a telephoto lens gives a beautiful depth of field falloff.
Having the longer 500mm focal length also came in handy during a visit to a raptor rehabilitation center. I didn’t want to get too close to the owls, but wanted tight compositions. And when shooting inside the center with a shutter speed down to 1/25th of a second (see owl photo above), the impressive OS2 algorithm held the lens steady for some very sharp and detailed owl portraits.
A 500mm lens is not a focal length a street photographer would use, but if you break free of what you should use, you can capture a very unique look and feel of a big city. The reach and compression gives crowded streets a cinematic look. You can compress architectural shapes into new compositions. Remember I mentioned before how this lens can supercharge your creativity? It really did on the streets of Chicago.
Now, Sony and L-Mount camera users have a super telephoto prime lens to shoot professional-level images on their mirrorless body. There is a lot of technology to unpack here, so lets jump in and see what makes this lens such a unique piece of glass.
This first thing you will notice when you pull the lens out of the box and attach it to your camera is how small and light it is. It’s not just a bit lighter… it is vastly more svelte than its DSLR predecessor. The brand new 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports is a full 4.3 pounds lighter than the 500mm F4 DG OS HSM | Sports, a massive difference thanks to a slightly smaller maximum aperture and ground-up redesign for mirrorless cameras.
In addition to substantial weight savings, the SIGMA 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens is going to fit in your pack much easier, as its overall footprint is also much reduced. The length of the new lens is almost 6 inches shorter compared to the aforementioned 500mm F4 lens, and it has a reasonably-sized 95mm front filter diameter
How did SIGMA do it? Simple! Okay, it’s not simple at all… in fact, it’s quite a complex engineering feat. I’m not the most technical of photographers, but essentially the designers utilized a blend of Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) and magnesium parts to give the lens lightness and rigidity, and low-dispersion convex elements at the front of the lens to make the lens as compact as possible. And for that gift we should all give thanks to SIGMA’s engineers and production staff in Aizu, Japan!
How do the size and weight reductions affect image quality? Beautifully! This lens delivers some of the most detail-rich images that I have ever seen. On a high megapixel camera like the Sony a1, a7R V, Leica SL-2 or Panasonic S1R you will simply be blown away. There are a few main factors that help achieve such high quality. Lets take a look at a few…
First is the ultra fast and super accurate autofocus that is acquired using SIGMA’s new HLA autofocus motor. This AF actuator is now found in a few SIGMA lenses, including the 60-600mm DG DN OS | Sports and 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lenses, and does a phenomenal job driving AF in the 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens as well. This is very important for photographers shooting fast-moving subjects like birds, planes, race cars or even surfers.
Another important component to the professional image quality is that the SIGMA 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens also uses SIGMA’s new optical stabilizing system known as OS2. This gives the lens about 5 stops of image stabilization. This means that with proper technique you should be able to handhold and get sharp images well below 1/500s, which is the general rule of thumb for this focal range.
Finally, for shooters like me that love to shoot into the sun, SIGMA has used refractive elements in its optical recipe. This will greatly reduce flare and ghosting and help give you your sharpest photos ever. So if you are looking forward to getting an amazing shot of a rim-lit grizzly bear or moose, this is the lens to make it happen with.
The 500mm DG DN OS | Sports lens has loads of other useful physical features as well. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Being designated a Sports lens means that this lens is well-sealed to the elements and has coatings on the front element keeping dust, oil and water at bay. Very important when you are shooting in the elements.
As with most of SIGMA’s larger lenses, it also comes with an Arca-Swiss style tripod foot (that clicks into position at 90 degree intervals) so you never have to worry about losing your tripod mount.
The lens also features an aperture ring with lock, a focus limiting switch, and three AFL buttons that can be assigned a range of functions.
And for L-Mount shooters, one more thing you will love is that the lens is compatible with both 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, turning your 500mm into 700mm and 1000mm focal lengths.
Ok so that’s quite a bit of information coming at you pretty fast. The big takeaway here is the the brand new SIGMA 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens is amazingly light, small, fast and sharp especially for a fixed aperture super-telephoto lens. You really have to see it, and hold it, to believe it.
This lens should find a home in the packs of all sorts of outdoor shooters including wildlife, sports, and aviation photographers. Pick one up today to see for yourself how groundbreaking this lens is, and how it will make your photography better than ever!