The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport and the Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM is the longer of the two lenses at 521mm. The Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport with a length of 380mm is 141mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM also has a larger diameter of 157mm compared to Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport's 145mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport weighs 3310g, which means it is 1590g (32%) lighter than the Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM which has a weight of 4900g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Telephoto Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport and Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport is also available in Sigma SA and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM is also available in Nikon F (FX) and Sigma SA mounts.
Focal Range
Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 800mm.
Sigma 800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 800mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 1280mm.