On August 4th, we launched the all new SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports. A powerful ultra-telephoto zoom and the first ever Sports line lens for mirrorless systems. This portable and practical optic revolutionizes the way mirrorless users capture wildlife, motorsport and other fast-action subjects.

The 150–600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports is SIGMA Sports line’s first ultra-telephoto zoom lens, designed from the ground up specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It offers outstanding levels of performance, functionality, and build quality required for ultra-telephoto shooting in the most demanding situations. Image quality is exceptional, with ultra-high-performance glass capable of delivering ultra-sharp results even on the highest resolution cameras. The lens displays beautiful bokeh throughout its zoom range, and optical aberrations are kept well under control. It can be used with SIGMA’s 1.4× and 2× L-Mount teleconverters, with AF effective up to 1200mm.

It is time to take a first look at this powerful lens, for some first impressions from the real world!

First Impression by photographer Magnus Winbjörk

Swedish wildlife and nature photographer Magnus Winbjörk, living in Swedish Lapland, takes the most beautiful photos of northern lights, wildlife and the nature up north. Having tried some of SIGMA's primes and the 60-600mm Sports previously, Magnus got to try and review the 150-600mm Sports for Sony E-mount, and his expectations was very high. 

"- As I am passionate about landscape and wildlife and this is a telephoto zoom that reaches up to 600mm, the choice to photograph animals became quite easy. Immediately after picking up the lens at the post office, I was on my way out to a place where I know there is a good chance to see moose, and hopefully some newborn calves as well. Once settled down, I waited for some moose to appear, finally having some time to carefully go through the lens and all the details. One of the first things I noticed was the weight, the lens is about 800gr lighter than before and already at the first moment felt much more well-balanced than previous versions. A new feature that was a big positive detail for me was a new feature called “dual action zoom” which means that you can easily and quickly zoom by sliding the front part of the lens forward or backward, something I think is very useful. A switch has also been added where you can choose to have the zoom locked or movable with two different torque options.", Magnus writes about the lens. 

Photographer: Magnus Winbjörk

"- As I spend an incredible amount of time out in nature, I hold my gear to very high demands on my equipment. My main setup for shooting wildlife is the Sony A1 and Sony A7r IV together with the Sony 400/2.8 GM is the workhorse, I then supplement it with several different tele zooms depending on the purpose. Coming from a 400mm prime lens with a 2.8 aperture and comparing it to a telephoto zoom can never be fair, and it’s very easy to think “but given the price, and given that it’s a zoom, the result is still quite ok ” Here I have to admit with my hand on my heart that this was the first time I did not automatically think that way. Sigma’s new 150-600 telephoto zoom delivers a completely outstanding image quality and it has surprised me positively on so many occasions.", Magnus summarizes.

See more of Magnus' work at his website, Facebook and Instagram.

First Impression by photographer Niklas Virsen

Niklas Virsen /N, Swedish nature photographer, is a member of Naturfotograferna, a society for the best nature photographers in Sweden. Niklas took the 150-600mm Sports to the beautiful Swedish island Öland, to photograph some wildlife. And during his test he wanted to answer three important questions; 1. Is the lens sharp at 600mm?, 2. Is it sharp even at apertures 5, 5.6 and 6.3?, and 3. How good is the autofocus?

"- The first things I think about is that the lens is very robustly built. Completely weather sealed, which is extremely important for me as a nature photographer, being out in many environments that can hurt the lens, like rainforests and arctic environments. Obviously, you want your lens to be as sharp as possible, and how sharp it is at 600mm. I can positively say that it is sharp from 150mm, up to 500mm. But how does it do from 500mm to 600mm? According to my tests, I haven't noticed any bigger differences between 400mm, 500mm and 600mm, so that is positive!", Niklas says in his YouTube video. 

Photographer: Niklas Virsen

"- Is it sharp even on aperture 5-5.6? Yes, I have to say that it is sharp, which is very fun to see. According to my tests during these days, there isn´t a big difference between F5 and F8. And when it comes to the autofocus, together with the camera that I use, the SOny A7RIV, I can say that the autofocus is really good. It focuses very fast between different types of objects, for example from one bird in the foreground to another bird in the back, and when photographing birds in the air.

This is a really good lens for birds, mammals and close-up photography for the majority of amateur photographers. I like the zoom range, I like the sharpness and I like the autofocus.", Niklas summarizes in his video.  

Photographer: Niklas Virsen

Niklas also made a video reviewing the lens at 150mm primarily for some close-up photography of bumble bees and butterflies with some amazing results, as you can see below. Make sure you go and watch that video as well! 

See more of Niklas' work at his Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

First Impression by photographer Tomas Lundquist

Bird and Wildlife photographer Tomas Lundquist /N, a member of Naturfotograferna, a society for the best nature photographers in Sweden, tested the 150-600mm Sports for a few weeks, together with his Sony A1. He mainly tested the lens for some insect, plant and bird photography, and he also got some amazing results! What Tomas liked most with the lens was the good price point, the sharpness up close, a good closest focus distance and the lower weight. 

"- This is a lens that is very good for insect and plant photography. After a few weeks of testing, I have managed to generate photos that I am very happy with!", Tomas says. 

See even more of Tomas' work over at his Facebook and Instagram. 

Photographer: Tomas Lundquist