p.12 #1 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
nicephore wrote:
@nandadevieast@ : I am not sure that many forum readers would have both lenses and could compare these directly.
Dustin Abbott and Gordon Laing have done comparisons and, in terms of sharpness, these 2 lenses are very close.
I think the main differences are : 1/ AF performance (GM is superior, although, according to Dustin Abbott, FE version of Sigma is now much snappier than the DSLR version)
2/ Teleconverter (support or lack of)
3/ Minimum focus distance (GM has an edge here)
Whether these 3 topics do matter for your photography type is what's important but IMHO I don't see sharpness being a big differentiator in this case.
FWIW, I've tested the Sigma 100-400 at small distance and it's very close to the Voigtlander 110 (I've found that the Sigma had more vivid colors).
I've not done yet shots at infinity so cannot comment on this (but Gordon and Dustin did).
The GM has also a slight better build quality (not a top criteria for me as this Sigma - while not labelled "Art" - is well-enough built)....Show more →
Your forgetting one of the most important differences Sony is 4.5-5.6
p.12 #2 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
nhsonyshooter wrote:
Your forgetting one of the most important differences Sony is 4.5-5.6
Thanks for bringing this. YMMV, should the Sigma be soft wide opened and with a body not handing well high ISO that could be a problem but I've not met these 2 conditions. @ekimvenes : I fully agree that in favor of the Sigma the price is really excellent (and price difference is worth trading the GM advantages - for my practice).
p.12 #3 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
nicephore wrote:
Thanks for bringing this. YMMV, should the Sigma be soft wide opened and with a body not handing well high ISO that could be a problem but I've not met these 2 conditions. @ekimvenes@ : I fully agree that in favor of the Sigma the price is really excellent (and price difference is worth trading the GM advantages - for my practice).
Looks like a great lens for the price. This is what's great about the Sony system. Options! For me the 100-400GM is a do all work horse well worth every penny. It is my only GM lens I have left and it ain't going anywhere I shoot alot of low light stuff so the AF just has to work and even small amounts of more light gathering ability is welcome. The combination of the lens and camera is great for IBIS. It is a great portrait lens, landscape, wildlife, pseudo macro, and even street lens. Like the ability to add converters if needed as well along with the built in tripod mount. If I didn't have it though I would sure give the Sigma a try. Have fun with it.
p.12 #4 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
I think two factors that made me go with the gm is teleconverters and the bigger aperture. Plus the reports of some issues made me a bit worried as well. At the end of the day this lens will appeal to many still and it's nice to have options for sure 😀
p.12 #6 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
Just got mine from B&H. First impressions: Build quality seems solid, AF snappy, and OS seems to make a pretty big impact. I hear the same low hum when OS is enabled as others have reported. Plan on doing some more structured testing in the days to come.
p.12 #9 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
For still, or slow moving objects I can't tell the difference between the Sony GM and the Sigma.
But for fast/erratic moving objects I've had very mixed results with this lens compared to the GM. I'd say with the dog, my tack sharp hit rate seems to be around 30-40% at best with the Sigma, and around 60% with the GM.
p.12 #13 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
nandadevieast wrote:
Is this Sigma as sharp as GM at 4?
There are conflicting opinions on that one, Dustin Abbott review states Sigma is as good as GM (on A9 and A7RIII) if not better, while Marc Alhadeff says on high res sensor (A7RIV) the GM is visibly sharper...
In my use on A7III, I think on the long end at infinity the lens seems a hair less sharp than on the short end, but that might be more caused by the shooting conditions (you tend to shoot things far away at 400mm, so hot air, handholding, shutter speed, correct focus, etc become more important ...).When I tried 100mm vs 400mm for close subjects and both shots were focussed correctly I have not noticed any difference I'd say but I do seem to need more effort/tries to nail the focus @400mm ...
p.12 #15 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
A pair of questions and thanks in advance... Is the af suitable for sports? Are fast enought the motors used or neither an updated algorithm will make it a fast af lens? Sorry for hijack this thread... maybe for sports the tamron is more adecuate? Thanks again for the answers and for the photos posted!!
p.12 #17 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
Personally, I would say my experiences with the Sigma 100-400mm DG DN has been mixed compared to the Sony 100-400mm and Sony 200-600mm that I've had in the past.
Image quality seems to be as good as the the other two lenses on the Sony A7R III for any practical usage.
Size and weight is superior to both - it's meaningful vs. the Sony 100-400mm as well.
Reach is definitely lacking vs. the 200-600mm - I knew that but 400mm vs 600mm is meaningful.
AF seems slower than the 100-400mm but comparable to the 200-600mm on a Sony A9
I wish they included the tripod collar - hard to find and expensive for what it is
I wish Sony would just license Sigma to let them sell their TCs
Black lenses are definitely less noticeable than a big white lens - even a 100-400mm.
Overall, it's a keeper as its a great lens for handheld shooting and hiking but has its drawbacks. It's gotten much more use due to size where I live than when I had the Sony 200-600mm but not a replacement for that lens. Will probably buy back the 200-600mm eventually with a 1.4x TC when my calendar frees up a bit for a meaningful wildlife trip.
p.12 #18 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
tzhang4284 wrote:
Personally, I would say my experiences with the Sigma 100-400mm DG DN has been mixed compared to the Sony 100-400mm and Sony 200-600mm that I've had in the past.
Image quality seems to be as good as the the other two lenses on the Sony A7R III for any practical usage.
Size and weight is superior to both - it's meaningful vs. the Sony 100-400mm as well.
Reach is definitely lacking vs. the 200-600mm - I knew that but 400mm vs 600mm is meaningful.
AF seems slower than the 100-400mm but comparable to the 200-600mm on a Sony A9
I wish they included the tripod collar - hard to find and expensive for what it is
I wish Sony would just license Sigma to let them sell their TCs
Black lenses are definitely less noticeable than a big white lens - even a 100-400mm.
Overall, it's a keeper as its a great lens for handheld shooting and hiking but has its drawbacks. It's gotten much more use due to size where I live than when I had the Sony 200-600mm but not a replacement for that lens. Will probably buy back the 200-600mm eventually with a 1.4x TC when my calendar frees up a bit for a meaningful wildlife trip.
p.12 #19 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
baltmin wrote:
What about AF accuracy compared to the GM? If it is slower, I would expect some more missed shots when shooting action. Can you confirm that?
I last had the Sony 100-400mm over a year ago so not comparing side by side. I would say for big sea birds like seagulls moving sideways, the af keeps up well. For certain motions like the bird moving towards you relatively close, it’s similar in performance to the 200-600mm which is slower than the 100400mm. I noticed this when I switched from the 100-400mm to the 200-600mm and similarly true here.
For smaller birds handheld, it struggles a bit and again don’t think it’s better or worse than the 200600 overall.
p.12 #20 · Pre-order: Sigma 100-400/5-6.3 DG DN OS FE ($949!)
I am going through a ton of hummingbird pics I took with this lens, but surprisingly most are keepers. It actually performed much better than I thought it was when I was using it. I wish for the close focusing capacity of the Sony, but this lens at this price is impressive.
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some photos now:
