Sigma 100400mm F563 Dg Os Hsm C Review

The Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary ($799) is a unique lens. Most lite, narrow discontinuity telezoom lenses employ 70-300mm designs, but Sigma eschews some wide coverage to extend telephoto attain here. The upshot is an affordable lens that matches pricier options similar the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.five-5.6L IS Ii USM in field of view. Sure, Sigma'southward lens doesn't capture as much light or offer the aforementioned impeccable optics every bit Canon's, only when yous consider the price difference it'due south an acceptable compromise.

Pattern

The 100-400mm looks like other recent lenses in Sigma's Global Vision series. Its barrel is black polycarbonate with white lettering, a rubberized zoom ring, and a textured, just bare, manual focus ring. It measures vii.2 by 3.4 inches (Hd), weighs 2.half-dozen pounds, and supports 67mm front end filters. Compare that with the Canon 100-400mm, which is seven.half dozen by 3.7 inches and three.6 pounds, with a larger front element that requires 77mm filters. Sigma includes front and rear caps, as well as a reversible lens hood. You can purchase the 100-400mm in a Canon, Nikon, or Sigma mount. Information technology'south designed for full-frame cameras, only tin can also be used with APS-C sensor models.

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The lens does extend when zooming, jutting out to almost 9.8 inches. If you want to foreclose it from creeping out while hanging at your side yous tin engage the lock switch. It only locks at the 100mm position, so y'all can't gear up information technology in place at a longer focal length, as yous tin with some other locking zooms.

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Despite its relatively lite weight, I did detect the size of the lens to be a bit precarious. I mounted it on a tripod to perform resolution tests and used it with a BlackRapid strap, which plugs into a tripod socket, when out and nearly. I really wish the lens itself had a tripod collar, as plugging into the camera seems a bit awkward in both apply cases. The lens is long enough to make your organization a bit front end-heavy when you're using your camera'south tripod socket as a mount bespeak.

There are numerous on-lens controls. The aforementioned zoom ring (with marked 100, 135, 200, 300, and 400mm focal lengths) sits toward the forepart of the barrel, with the lock switch backside information technology, and the manual focus ring behind that.

Control switches are on the left side, behind the focus band. There's a focus select, with AF (autofocus), MO (manual override), and MF (manual focus) options, along with a limiter switch that restricts autofocus to close range (ane.6 to 6 meters), long range (six meters to infinity), or allows the focus system to lock at any betoken. You also go an Os switch to adjust stabilization—you lot tin disable it for tripod utilise; fix information technology to Fashion 1, which is used when belongings the camera steady; or Manner 2, the setting you'll want to choose if you're panning to follow a moving discipline.

The terminal switch, Custom, works in conjunction with the Sigma USB Dock accessory. It allows you to optimize boosted options and store them in a custom setting. If you wanted to prioritize focus speed over accuracy and limit the lens to shoot at distance, yous tin save that every bit a custom setting, for instance. The Dock can too be used to update lens firmware. Two custom settings can be saved in the internal retentiveness of the lens.

The 100-400mm has a minimum focus distance of v.25 feet (1.half-dozen meters). That's a pretty long when shooting at 100mm, simply delivers decent 1:3.8 magnification at 400mm, so you can use it for shut-upwardly shots. It's not quite macro —one:3 is typically the minimum magnification required for a zoom to be considered for macro work. The pricier Canon EF 100-400mm is better here, locking on at 3.2 anxiety and magnifying subjects at 1:3 at the minimum focus distance and 400mm focal length.

Image Quality

I ran Imatest evaluations with the lens paired with the 50MP Catechism EOS 5DS R, and used information technology with the 6D Mark II in the field.

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At 100mm f/5 the lens puts up a very good center-weighted resolution score, 3,171 lines per picture pinnacle. Epitome quality is that potent through about of the frame, simply the outer third shows a significant drop to but ane,600 lines, which is very soft when dealing with a 50MP sensor. There's a pocket-sized overall improvement in the eye area at f/v.6, which raises the boilerplate score to 3,286 lines, only no comeback at the edges of the frame.

The periphery is crisper at f/8 (1,906 lines), the setting at which the lens nets its highest average score (iii,383 lines). Stopping down to f/eleven is a amend selection if you lot accept a shot that demands well-baked edges; they jump to 2,311 lines, which is better than the 2,220 lines we await for at a minimum with a high-resolution sensor, and the boilerplate score is a potent 3,303 lines. Image quality takes a pocket-size hitting at f/sixteen (2,968 lines) and a more pregnant one at f/22 (2,293 lines).

Quality at the periphery of the frame is much, much improve at 200mm. At f/5.6 you get an boilerplate of 3,703 lines across the frame, an excellent result, with edges that are a well-baked 3,400 lines. The score jumps to 3,925 lines at f/eight, with edges that touch on three,850 lines, and prototype quality is still potent at f/11 (3,767 lines). We encounter the same expected drib in clarity at f/16 (3,308 lines) and f/22 (two,525 lines).

Results are similar at 300mm. The maximum aperture has dropped to f/half dozen.three at this signal, only the lens still shows a strong 3,565-line score when shot wide open up. Edges lag backside, only however prove about three,000 lines. Results are better at f/8 (iii,704 lines) and remain fantabulous at f/11 (three,615 lines). At f/xi the resolution dips to 3,227 lines, and even farther to two,513 at f/22.

Strong operation at the longest focal length is a big deal for a long zoom lens. The 100-400mm does lose a piddling bit of power at 400mm f/6.iii, where the average score drops to about 3,426 lines, but performance is strong across the frame, with edges that testify three,038 lines. Image quality is just almost the same at f/8 (iii,427 lines), and we start seeing a drop in clarity at narrower apertures. The score drops at f/11 (3,043 lines), f/16 (two,884 lines), and f/22 (2,181 lines).

Resolution isn't the only quality of a lens that Imatest evaluates. It also looks at baloney and uniformity of illumination. Distortion isn't a problem at 100mm, where the lens shows less than 1 percent, but you lot do get some pincushion furnishings at longer focal lengths—about one.5 pct at 200mm, i.9 percent at 300mm, and 1.6 percent at 400mm. Pincushion distortion curves direct lines inward, which tin can be distracting for sure types of shots, especially those that take architectural elements. The 100-400mm is a tertiary-party lens, then you lot tin't only prepare your Canon or Nikon SLR to remove the effect automatically when shooting JPGs. If you shoot Raw and process images using Lightroom CC y'all tin can remove the effect with a single click every bit the software has a custom correction profile for this lens.

Illumination is too an issue with the 100-400mm. At 100mm f/5 its corners are much dimmer than the eye, by a cistron of -2.6EV. The darkened corners give photos a distinct vignette expect. There'due south modest improvement at f/v.6 (-ane.9EV), and at f/8 the deficit has been cut to just -0.9EV, which is negligible in most images. At 200mm and 300mm, shooting at the maximum aperture gets you lot a -i.5EV and -1.3EV arrears respectively, which is all the same noticeable in many photos, merely stopping down to f/8 remedies the situation. At 400mm illumination is acceptably compatible, even at f/6.3. Like baloney, y'all can utilize Lightroom's lens profile to right the effect, just JPG shooters won't enjoy the do good of in-camera corrections hither either.

Conclusions

Photographers seeking an affordable, long zooming, relatively calorie-free and compact lens should take a close look at the Sigma 100-400mm F5-half-dozen.3 DG Os HSM Contemporary. For simply $800 you lot get longer reach than the more typical seventy-300mm design in a sturdily built lens with strong resolution. Sure, there are some drawbacks—the aperture isn't the brightest, in that location's some distortion, and y'all'll bargain with dimmed corners. But for the toll and size, those aren't huge deficiencies. The 100-400mm receives a potent recommendation, assuming that 400mm is enough reach, you're on a budget, and you don't want to lug around a big, heavy zoom. Our favorite telezoom in this cost range is another Sigma lens, the 150-600mm f/v-half-dozen.three DG OS HSM Contemporary, which typically sells for around $one,100. Information technology's heavier at 4.3 pounds, but has a significantly longer telephoto reach.

Sigma 100-400mm F5-half dozen.3 DG OS HSM Gimmicky

The Bottom Line

The Sigma 100-400mm F5-vi.iii DG OS HSM Gimmicky is a solid option for anyone in the market for an affordable, lightweight telephoto lens.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/sigma-100-400mm-f5-63-dg-os-hsm-contemporary

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