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 Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport is the longer of the two lenses at 380mm. The Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR with a length of 123mm, is 257mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport also has a larger diameter of 145mm compared to the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR's 77mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR weighs 530g, 83% (2780g) lighter than the Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport's weight of 3310g.
Filter Threads
The Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR:
Lens Mounts
The Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport is also available in the Sigma SA and Canon EF 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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
750mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR has a focal range of 55-300mm and 5.5X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 82.5-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
