Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a Variable aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Zoom lens with Optical Image stabilization and 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
A Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
| Photography Type |
Suitability |
| Bird/Wildlife | Very Good |
| Sports | Very Good |
| Portrait | Fair |
| Travel | Poor |
| Street | Poor |
| Wedding | Fair |
| Walk Around | Fair |
| Vlogging | Poor |
| Landscape | Fair |
| Macro | Average |
Reasons to Buy Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Optical Image Stabilization |
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Tripod Collar |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Zoom Lock |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| Versatile Lens with a Zoom Ratio of 10x |
| 9 Diaphragm Blades |
| 500mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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| Lens Extents while zooming |
| Slow Aperture at Wide end |
| Slow Aperture at Tele end |
| Variable Aperture |
| Heavy |
| Pricey |
Lens Mount
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is compatible with cameras that have a Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is also available in Canon EF , Pentax KAF3, Sigma SA and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a maximum diameter of 104mm and total length of 219mm when not extended. It weighs 1970g / 69.5 oz.
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a filter thread of 95mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM:
Focal Range
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a focal range of 50-500mm and 10.0X zoom ratio. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 75 - 750mm.
Optical Image Stabilization
The Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM features an optical image stabilization system which helps to reduce the blur that occurs due to shaking during hand-held shooting.
Tripod Collar
With a total length of 219mm and a weight of 1970g, the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a large lens. Fortunately, it comes with a tripod collar which you can use to attach the lens directly to a tripod or monopod instead of attaching the camera. This connection helps to better balance the lens/kit combination.
Zoom Method
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Zoom Lock
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a Zoom lock feature which eliminates Zoom creep where focal length of the lens changes with gravity when it's held downwards or upwards.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.32x and has a minimum focusing distance of 1.8m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.32x is considered a high magnification and will come handy for close-up shots.
Aperture
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f4.5 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 50mm, and a max aperture of f6.3 and minimum aperture of f32 at 500mm .
| Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
|
50mm
|
F4.5 |
F22 |
|
500mm
|
F6.3 |
F32 |
Optical Formula
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM's optical formula consists of 22 elements in 16 groups . Special elements used in this design is 4 SLD glass elements.
Lens Hood
Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Popular Comparisons of Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens
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