Isaac Grant wrote:
I think that is probably the biggest problem I see with most photographers. When you stalk the birds your best shots fly away. I don't do that. These 2 shots are perfect examples of what I think is the right way to take bird photos. For the yellow rump I saw them fly catching from this tree. They kept leaving and coming back. So when the bird left I went and leaned on a gravestone and waited. After a while the bird came back and I got the shot. If I had walked up to the tree when the bird was there I would have flushed the bird for sure. Did the same with the sparrow. Watched it fly a few times to 3 perches to sing. I picked the lowest one of the three and sat down while it was on another perch. Waited quietly and still. Bird came back and I got the shot.
A good close subject that is not scared of you makes all the difference when trying to get nice sharp shots.
Other thing I should add is that I think that proper field technique more than makes up for a bit of sharpness in a lens. Meaning a shot with the Tamron with proper technique and good field craft will always be sharper than a shot with the Sigma that is taken from farther away. The key is to use the sharper lens the right way.
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Different descriptions but same technique. Sometimes I hang around for many minutes at a time for the bird to come back and land on some part of a tree/bush that I select. Too many of my photographer friends do not seem to have the patience for this kind of stuff. They expect great shots within one or two minutes of shooting, regardless of the situation.
Isaac those are some really nice shots. I just received my copy of the C-lens this evening, although the docking station has yet to arrive. Would you mind summarizing the settings you would recommend tweaking with the docking station? Thanks!
i just got my contemporary version yesterday. I took it out today for a test run and quickly realized that I have a lot to learn about capturing bif shots. This is my first time using a super telephoto. Does anyone have any tips on tracking fast moving birds and other critters. I'm using a 6D which i know is not ideal for bif and wildlife but before buying this lens i mainly shot landscapes and people. There are so many awesome bif shots on FM so i thought I'd ask what the techniques are that you guys use 😆
Thanks for the response Issac. I've been drooling over your bif shots and your results with the siggy contemporary. I will try out your advice tomorrow hopefully. I'll post my attempts haha... if i can get something decent lol 😉
p.7 #13 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
Love the new lens so far! I haven't been able to get out much yet due to weather and work but I did make it to the park to grab some shots of pigeons lol. The lens seems fast to focus and the images are quite sharp with nice detail. This is my first super tele so my technique is going to take some time. I can't wait to get out and use it.
p.7 #14 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
My wife has the Tamron 150-600 and she has been waiting to try out the new Sigma Contemporary but now she's in two-minds. The Canon mount is available but the Nikon will be out only at the end of May and I guess curiosity will get the better of her!
Crazeenick, re your question about comparing the Tamron to the Sigma Sports - yes we have done a comparison and the Sigma has some nice features such as tele-converter compatibility, soft zoom-lock at different focal lengths, two zoom actions and a metal hood while the Tamron is lighter and cheaper. Regarding IQ, there is not much difference - the Tamron is a bit soft on the edges on a full-frame body but this issue pretty much disappears if mounted on a crop sensor body. You can see some images here: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/tamron-vs-sigma-150-600.html
p.7 #15 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
Hi Fazekma, Yes I had already read your review. Very interesting and some really nice shots!
However, I shoot Canon rather than Nikon and I wonder what the differences would be when shooting with Canon cameras. I will mainly be shooting with a Canon 7D2 (crop-frame).
Also, I mainly shoot birds rather than large animals so I will nearly always be shooting at 600mm. So most interesting setup for me would be to compare these zoom lenses on a Canon 7D2 at 600mm.
I have read (devoured!) all the reviews and comparisons I can find online to date on the two Sigmas and the Tamron. It seems that some people find sharpness (including at 600mm) best on the Sigma Sports, though I have the impression that the margin is small. It may be that this difference is only apparent in laboratory conditions on test charts, whereas in real world use there is no apparent difference! It seems that IQ on the Sigma-C is very similar to the Tamron, although there are some who maintain the Sigma-C is the sharper. Also the two Sigmas can be tweaked with the USB dock - some say this makes a big difference to performance.
I am tempted to go for the Sigma Sports due to the potential greater sharpness. I am prepared to pay the extra money. BUT, I am not quite so sure about the extra weight compared to the Sigma-C and the Tamron. If I was pretty certain the Sports is no sharper at 600mm I would just get the lighter Sigma-C!
p.7 #16 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
fazekma, most of this tread deals with application of these 3 lenses to birding but another app is shooting large animals at long distance in a harsh environment, e.g. safari. Since that is you expertise a few questions. I'm planning an October safari to Tanzania.
The metal Sigma-S is the most rugged but too heavy and out of my price range. The other 2 are plastic and not tightly sealed. Any build quality difference and survival of a drop between them? Since zooming moves a lot of volume in the lens any experience with dust entering the lens and camera body? Is there a need for a UV filter? Any other specific issues using these on safari?
p.7 #17 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
Hiker247 - the Sigma-S is rugged - we bought the Tamron and Sigma-S at the same time and have used both under the same conditions and the Sigma has no dust inside the barrel while the Tamron has some. We are looking here at 40 days on safari in dusty environments like Etosha, Pilanesberg and Madikwe. The Nikon 80-400 AFS had so much dust we could no longer use it so the Tamron is doing much better but not as good as the Sigma-S.
The Sigma-S fell off the game-viewing vehicle seat when it was jacked up to repair a tire and it fell onto the metal hood - not even a scratch! I think a plastic hood may have cracked with the impact.
My wife shoots a lot of birds and the Tamron is easy to hand-hold and track BIF while the Sigma-S is a challenge due to the weight.
We don't use UV filters - only a polarizer when needed. We keep our gear on the seat next to us when on safari - either on self-drive or guided drive - and just keep a jacket or towel over the items to keep dust off. As you said, when zooming some dust is bound to be sucked in if there is no weather seal. October is the end of the dry season in Tazania so it most probably will be dusty but it is the best time to find mammals as the grass is at its shortest.
p.7 #18 · Sigma Contemporary versus Tamron 150-600
Hi Crazeenick - I think the 7D2 would perform very similar to the D7100. The differences are very slight - the D7100 has a few more MP while the Canon 7D2 has 10fps and higher ISO capability.
We can see no noticeable sharpness difference between the Tamron and Sigma-S, when the Tamron is on the D7100 - the crop factor ensures that the edges are not soft. I agree with your comment that the sharpness margin is manifest under lab conditions and under real-world conditions it's negligible if at all.
I have not yet made use of the USB dock - it's nice to have in case we need it while out on safari. We are hoping to get a Sigma-C either this or next month to compare with the Tamron and Sigma-S but my gut feel tells me there will be no major difference in IQ - but you never know...!
