Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 Contemporary on the M system

I've had a few days to try out the Sigma 150-600mm f5 - 6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens in EF mount on the M6ii and M200. I got it from B&H Photo when they ran a one-day pre-Christmas special for $699.

The EF-M 55-200 IS STM and EF-S 55-250 IS STM (plus my 'Rexley' Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter) are great for telephoto for the M system... but also I want to shoot birds and wildlife, and astrophotography, and 375mm isn't long enough for those things.

The Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter (with its chip removed) worked as well on this lens as it does on the EF-S 55-250 IS STM, causing only a slight loss of image quality that can be mostly corrected with extra CA and sharpness in DxO Photolab. That being said, the lens was sharpest when used alone with no teleconverter, as expected.

All images below except for the last 7 images were taken with the Sigma 150-600mm plus the Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC -- and most were shot at 600mm. Also, most images were cropped to 50% - 80% of the original image size. Note that the M6ii when cropping to 4k resolution (50% crop) gives a full-frame equivalent of over 2500mm with a 600mm lens and a 1.5x teleconverter! Many of the birds I shot were very far away from me.

All shots were hand-held, no tripod or support was used. Optical image stabilization was used for some shots and worked very well on this lens.

Images shot with Sigma 150-600mm C lens with Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC:

Waxing Gibbous Moon - 600mm + Kenko SHQ 1.5x TC, cropped to pixel resolution, DxO PL6

Images shot with Sigma 150-600 C lens with no teleconverter:

Sandpiper with a tiny worm. This is a tiny bird only a couple of inches long!

Another sandpiper with a tiny worm. Also only a couple of inches long!

Sunset over Gulf of Mexico from Tarpon Springs FL

The 'Green Flash' phenomenon which is visible at sunset's last moment in very clear skies

The Orion Nebula (right), Flame Nebula (left) and Horsehead nebula faintly visible to the right of the flame nebula. Full-spectrum-converted Canon M200 with Tiffen Hotmirror filter, 250mm at f6.3, 56 separate 10-second exposures stacked in DeepSkyStacker with 10 dark frames and 10 bias frames, post-processed with DxO PL6

The Orion Nebula. Full-spectrum-converted Canon M200 with Tiffen Hotmirror filter. 600mm at f6.3, 58 separate 10-second exposures stacked in DeepSkyStacker with 10 dark frames and 10 bias frames, post-processed with DxO PL6

The lens exceeded all my expectations.

Please share your own experiences with this lens, if you have used it.

Larry Rexley wrote:

I've had a few days to try out the Sigma 150-600mm f5 - 6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens in EF mount on the M6ii and M200. I got it from B&H Photo when they ran a one-day pre-Christmas special for $699.

The EF-M 55-200 IS STM and EF-S 55-250 IS STM (plus my 'Rexley' Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter) are great for telephoto for the M system... but also I want to shoot birds and wildlife, and astrophotography, and 375mm isn't long enough for those things.

The Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter (with its chip removed) worked as well on this lens as it does on the EF-S 55-250 IS STM, causing only a slight loss of image quality that can be mostly corrected with extra CA and sharpness in DxO Photolab. That being said, the lens was sharpest when used alone with no teleconverter, as expected.

All images below except for the last 7 images were taken with the Sigma 150-600mm plus the Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC -- and most were shot at 600mm. Also, most images were cropped to 50% - 80% of the original image size. Note that the M6ii when cropping to 4k resolution (50% crop) gives a full-frame equivalent of over 2500mm with a 600mm lens and a 1.5x teleconverter! Many of the birds I shot were very far away from me.

All shots were hand-held, no tripod or support was used. Optical image stabilization was used for some shots and worked very well on this lens.

Images shot with Sigma 150-600mm C lens with Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC:

The lens exceeded all my expectations.

Please share your own experiences with this lens, if you have used it.

Larry, why on earth are you shooting trains when you've got all of these magnificent birds at your doorstep???    Egad, I need to pay you a visit!!!

Thanks for posting these.  I debated long and hard when deciding on a telezoom for birding (the Canon EF 100-400ii +/- 1.4x iii eventually won out).  IQ, AF, and Weight were the biggest factors, but the Canon sure cost a LOT more!

The Sigma C (and certainly the S) can deliver darn good results.  I think you'll do OK with it on the M6ii.

However at first blush, I would lose the TC.  I think it's hurting your sharpness, and you're losing light (translated into shutter speed).  IQ is taking a pretty big hit (and even down-sampled to 2160 the softness (and sharpening halos are evident).  The Tricolor Heron above has the best IQ of the bunch (well done!).

With a long telephoto on the (high MP, crop sensor) M6ii, all things have to come together just right in order to consistently produce the highest quality images (this is from my own hard-won experience  ).  In direct sunlight you have some more wiggle room here with your shutter speeds, and I would definitely raise the SS to 1/3200 sec for BIFs whenever you can.

Try this on your next outing and I think you'll benefit!    Happy shooting!

R2

R2D2 wrote:

Larry, why on earth are you shooting trains when you've got all of these magnificent birds at your doorstep??? Egad, I need to pay you a visit!!!

We got a whole bird shooters forum full of bird pictures ? R forum ? So few train photos though !

My friend Tom who lived here his whole life said the birds are fewer every year.

Nice shots ! 

R2D2 wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

I've had a few days to try out the Sigma 150-600mm f5 - 6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens in EF mount on the M6ii and M200. I got it from B&H Photo when they ran a one-day pre-Christmas special for $699.

The EF-M 55-200 IS STM and EF-S 55-250 IS STM (plus my 'Rexley' Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter) are great for telephoto for the M system... but also I want to shoot birds and wildlife, and astrophotography, and 375mm isn't long enough for those things.

The Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter (with its chip removed) worked as well on this lens as it does on the EF-S 55-250 IS STM, causing only a slight loss of image quality that can be mostly corrected with extra CA and sharpness in DxO Photolab. That being said, the lens was sharpest when used alone with no teleconverter, as expected.

All images below except for the last 7 images were taken with the Sigma 150-600mm plus the Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC -- and most were shot at 600mm. Also, most images were cropped to 50% - 80% of the original image size. Note that the M6ii when cropping to 4k resolution (50% crop) gives a full-frame equivalent of over 2500mm with a 600mm lens and a 1.5x teleconverter! Many of the birds I shot were very far away from me.

All shots were hand-held, no tripod or support was used. Optical image stabilization was used for some shots and worked very well on this lens.

Images shot with Sigma 150-600mm C lens with Kenko 1.5x SHQ TC:

The lens exceeded all my expectations.

Please share your own experiences with this lens, if you have used it.

Larry, why on earth are you shooting trains when you've got all of these magnificent birds at your doorstep??? Egad, I need to pay you a visit!!!

Thanks for posting these. I debated long and hard when deciding on a telezoom for birding (the Canon EF 100-400ii +/- 1.4x iii eventually won out). IQ, AF, and Weight were the biggest factors, but the Canon sure cost a LOT more!

The Sigma C (and certainly the S) can deliver darn good results. I think you'll do OK with it on the M6ii.

However at first blush, I would lose the TC. I think it's hurting your sharpness, and you're losing light (translated into shutter speed). IQ is taking a pretty big hit (and even down-sampled to 2160 the softness (and sharpening halos are evident). The Tricolor Heron above has the best IQ of the bunch (well done!).

With a long telephoto on the (high MP, crop sensor) M6ii, all things have to come together just right in order to consistently produce the highest quality images (this is from my own hard-won experience ). In direct sunlight you have some more wiggle room here with your shutter speeds, and I would definitely raise the SS to 1/3200 sec for BIFs whenever you can.

Try this on your next outing and I think you'll benefit! Happy shooting!

R2

Thanks for the feedback.  Normally there aren't that many birds to shoot at once --- yesterday was a very unusual day --- I think a lot of migration activity combined with a low tide during the morning golden hour. Usually I am lucky to find 5 or 6 birds to shoot and they are usually the same species.

I did a lot of testing with and without the TC.  In so many of the shots from yesterday, the birds were really quite far away --- without the TC the images on the sensor would have been so small I don't think they would have been usable.  There were quite a few I did not use because even with the TC the birds were too far away. Even with the 600 the best solution is still to be close enough in order to get the sharpest images. Cropping too much or using a TC is always going to be a compromise.

Right about the shutter speed --- I can see that 1/1600 wasn't quite fast enough for BIF and even for the tiny sandpipers who move their heads around so fast just while walking!

Some nice (and varied) pics in there Larry. Its funny how whatever lens or bird we try and capture its always too far away

I'm gradually encouraging the garden birds closer and closer to the house but now they're in shade and its constantly raining... one of these days though

Jim

Very nice, Larry!  Love the birds.

By an interesting coincidence, I got this same lens on sale a few weeks ago!  Seems really capable.  But since I been out of town a lot lately, and live in frozen boreal forest land, I have only taken a few shots with it just to try it out.  Not many birds here in this season.

Lots of similarities in the gear that you and I have, but unfortunately not in the results (that I have to show for it).  I am hoping to do better in the new year.

Amazing shots Larry.
I remember that deal and was really tempted, at that price it is a bargain but the weight and size was a factor, so it came down to the Sigma 100-400 vs RF 100-400 for me.
Congratulations and well deserved.

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants!  With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

Larry Rexley wrote:

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants! With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

These are indeed much better.  Very well done by all parties involved!  Lots of ins and outs in bird photography.

I still want to spend the winter on your beaches!!  Been nothing but freezing rain up here.

Enjoy!

R2

R2D2 wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants! With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

These are indeed much better. Very well done by all parties involved! Lots of ins and outs in bird photography.

I still want to spend the winter on your beaches!! Been nothing but freezing rain up here.

Enjoy!

R2

You and a lot of people. It is becoming not such a nice place to be.

People I  know that have lived here their whole life are leaving.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/price-of-paradise/zillow-names-tampa-hottest-housing-market-in-2022

Larry Rexley wrote:

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants! With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

Nice compo and shot!

Thanks for sharing!

Great tool, at a great price in very good and capable hands, enjoy!

MAC wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants! With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

Nice compo and shot!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. I give a lot of credit to Duane Paton's excellent wildlife photography videos which i found a month ago. Watching them took me to the next level.

Using his tips I shot just before sunset from the bird's eye level, in great lighting using good equipment and following his advice on camera settings. Sure enough like magic many more of my images look really good!

I have never heard him mention Canon M, but he shoots with Canon R, the 90D, and even a 40D at times. He has several specifically targeted to the Siggy 150-600 C lens.

This is one of my favorite videos of his, but so many of his are great.

https://youtu.be/prj-oUyuOm0

m100 wrote:

R2D2 wrote:

Larry, why on earth are you shooting trains when you've got all of these magnificent birds at your doorstep??? Egad, I need to pay you a visit!!!

We got a whole bird shooters forum full of bird pictures ? R forum ? So few train photos though !

I'll admit to trying out the 150-600 C on trains first!

I knew where to reliably find some I wouldn't have to chase. Tampa's CSX Yeoman Yard from the Orient St overpass. Cropped but not downsized. Not as sharp as the birds due to heat shimmering shooting at a distance.

After examining these results, I came to the conclusion that 300mm and greater are overkill for shooting at a distance in the daytime with crop sensor, once the Sun starts to warm things up a couple of hours hours after sunrise.   This means that the much smaller and lighter EF-S 55-250 is all I need to carry on the bike when shooting this kind of stuff, to my relief!

My friend Tom who lived here his whole life said the birds are fewer every year.

Larry Rexley wrote:

m100 wrote:

R2D2 wrote:

Larry, why on earth are you shooting trains when you've got all of these magnificent birds at your doorstep??? Egad, I need to pay you a visit!!!

We got a whole bird shooters forum full of bird pictures ? R forum ? So few train photos though !

I'll admit to trying out the 150-600 C on trains first!

I knew where to reliably find some I wouldn't have to chase. Tampa's CSX Yeoman Yard from the Orient St overpass. Cropped but not downsized. Not as sharp as the birds due to heat shimmering shooting at a distance.

After examining these results, I came to the conclusion that 300mm and greater are overkill for shooting at a distance in the daytime with crop sensor, once the Sun starts to warm things up a couple of hours hours after sunrise. This means that the much smaller and lighter EF-S 55-250 is all I need to carry on the bike when shooting this kind of stuff, to my relief!

My friend Tom who lived here his whole life said the birds are fewer every year.

Love the train pictures ! Be careful out there doing that stuff !

Riding a bicycle in Tampa is sometime else too ! I know !

Sure do not know what it is like to ride a bicycle in Tampa with a camera and a long zoom at night though !

Larry Rexley wrote:

MAC wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Here are more images from the evening of my shoots in the first post, where I wasn't using the teleconverter, just the bare lens on the M6ii.

They are cropped, however not downsized ---- this is what pixel resolution looks like with the M6ii. For many of the ISO 320 and 400 shots I did not use DeepPrime, rather the default setting for High Quality de-noise --- which gave lovely results with nice texture and detail.

Pixel peeping at the full res images on my large 4k monitor, I see how incredibly shallow the depth of field is with this lens at close distances. Many more shots were slightly mis-focused, on a part of the bird's body but not quite the eye --- and they were not usable, just didn't have that sharpness that helps make the image pop.

The sandpipers in the first 5 images are tiny birds, just a few inches across, but I was close to them, within 20 feet or so. The lens makes them look like giants! With this lens I found that using the M6ii's 1-point AF (the larger single point) worked very well --- it would snap right to focus as long as I pointed it in the right place on the bird before shooting. The ability to use your thumb to move the focus point while using the EVF is such a useful feature!

Nice compo and shot!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. I give a lot of credit to Duane Paton's excellent wildlife photography videos which i found a month ago. Watching them took me to the next level.

He’s good.

Using his tips I shot just before sunset from the bird's eye level, in great lighting using good equipment and following his advice on camera settings. Sure enough like magic many more of my images look really good!

Excellent techniques!  I shows in your compositions!

I have never heard him mention Canon M, but he shoots with Canon R, the 90D, and even a 40D at times. He has several specifically targeted to the Siggy 150-600 C lens.

This is one of my favorite videos of his, but so many of his are great.

https://youtu.be/prj-oUyuOm0

He briefly mentions the M50(ii) in his “Best Budget Gear for 2023” video.  His favorite budget (wildlife) lens is the Siggy 150-600C.  

R2