so, we understand that is it very hard to get the "real information" about anything these days. Should we have own channel? and allow people we know and trust their opinion, people with a good track record, to make a review of a lens, a camera and so on? Fred? What do you think? Let's make a Channel "For people by the people you can trust"...
tester_V wrote:
so, we understand that is it very hard to get the "real information" about anything these days. Should we have own channel? and allow people we know and trust their opinion, people with a good track record, to make a review of a lens, a camera and so on? Fred? What do you think? Let's make a Channel "For people by the people you can trust"...
My approach:
Never buy a product at release. See test and real-life results with own eyes from high quality tests and high quality image galleries in Flickr and here
In terms of reviews, over time one develops a feeling for who are only going to talk about positives in an overly exuberant tone and who will also openly talk about weaker points of a product. I do not have a list of preferred reviewers per se but if I feel a reviewer is more of an ambassador/influencer than reviewer I can quickly tune out.
umut_h_toprak wrote: tester_V wroteso, we understand that is it very hard to get the "real information" about anything these days. Should we have own channel? and allow people we know and trust their opinion, people with a good track record, to make a review of a lens, a camera and so on? Fred? What do you think? Let's make a Channel "For people by the people you can trust"...My approach:
Never buy a product at release. See test and real-life results with own eyes from high quality tests and high quality image galleries in Flickr and here
In terms of reviews, over time one develops a feeling for who are only going to talk about positives in an overly exuberant tone and who will also openly talk about weaker points of a product. I do not have a list of preferred reviewers per se but if I feel a reviewer is more of an ambassador/influencer than reviewer I can quickly tune out.
Sensible approach.
IMHO, for this lens, unneccessary. It's Sigma.
The last Sigma long, fast zoom was the 300-800 f5.6, released 2003.
Reasonable to say the legendary 300-800.
They have not made a premium (for Sigma) priced lens that has not been great since then.
Choderboy wrote: umut_h_toprak wrotetester_V wroteso, we understand that is it very hard to get the "real information" about anything these days. Should we have own channel? and allow people we know and trust their opinion, people with a good track record, to make a review of a lens, a camera and so on? Fred? What do you think? Let's make a Channel "For people by the people you can trust"...My approach:
Never buy a product at release. See test and real-life results with own eyes from high quality tests and high quality image galleries in Flickr and here
In terms of reviews, over time one develops a feeling for who are only going to talk about positives in an overly exuberant tone and who will also openly talk about weaker points of a product. I do not have a list of preferred reviewers per se but if I feel a reviewer is more of an ambassador/influencer than reviewer I can quickly tune out.Sensible approach.
IMHO, for this lens, unneccessary. It's Sigma.
The last Sigma long, fast zoom was the 300-800 f5.6, released 2003.
Reasonable to say the legendary 300-800.
They have not made a premium (for Sigma) priced lens that has not been great since then.
My comment was more of a general approach. I don't like the contemporary influencer culture.
In general I like Sigma very much. I hope they can make a deal with Sony at some point for full compatibility.
However for this lens I'd still want to see some tests/examples for fast songbirds in flight to see if it can deliver excellent AF.
I contacted Sigma US today 3 Apr 2025. They said new items will be arriving later this month and the 300-600 has been pushed to mid-May. They said they are scrambling to figure out what they will do in regards to the tariffs. I will be cancelling my pre-order.
winkopp wrote:
I contacted Sigma US today 3 Apr 2025. They said new items will be arriving later this month and the 300-600 has been pushed to mid-May. They said they are scrambling to figure out what they will do in regards to the tariffs. I will be cancelling my pre-order.
Can’t say I blame you. The tariff on a $6000 lens can be potentially deal breaking. What’s even worse is the uncertainty. Because this administration is just as likely to remove the tariff a week later. And then you cancelled your preorder for nothing
"Some of our readers have called BHphoto and other US stores and asked if pre-orders are affected by possible future price increases. BH said that these prices are ‘locked in’. So if you want to reorder some of the new gear that is due to ship in a few weeks, I would recommend ordering it today:"
Just chatted with Adorama, 3 Apr 2025 3:15 PM. They are saying my pre-order placed in Feb. is not affected by the tariffs.
(07:06:49) Vince T.
I understand that you want to know if the tariff will affect the price of your order. Please allow me a moment to pull up your order details and check the information.
(07:07:03) John W.
Thanks
(07:09:55) Vince T.
Thank you for patiently waiting. Upon checking, the price in your order will not be affected as you already placed it on 02/24
robert614 wrote: winkopp wroteI contacted Sigma US today 3 Apr 2025. They said new items will be arriving later this month and the 300-600 has been pushed to mid-May. They said they are scrambling to figure out what they will do in regards to the tariffs. I will be cancelling my pre-order.Can’t say I blame you. The tariff on a $6000 lens can be potentially deal breaking. What’s even worse is the uncertainty. Because this administration is just as likely to remove the tariff a week later. And then you cancelled your preorder for nothing
Best of luck to you
Mine just shipped today from B&H. Still having a hard time trying to decide whether I want it or not. Don't really want to open it and return it. Gonna have to make a decision soon unless I can find someone that's willing to buy it from me (probably because of tariff pricing coming soon and can't get hold of one).
I placed my order for the lens on the announcement date (Feb. 24) and received a shipping notification last night—it should arrive by tomorrow. I’m primarily a Nikon/Canon shooter, but I’m genuinely excited about this lens. I’ll be using it with the ETZ21 Pro adapter.
While I love my 600mm TC, this lens serves a completely different purpose, and I’m eager to see what it can do.
If anyone received a lens they are having second thoughts about, I'd love to snag it from you at full price. Please let me know as I need it for a trip later this week!
I’ve been a Fred Miranda member since 2004. While I’ve regularly read the forums, I don’t believe I’ve ever posted before. That said, I’d like to share some of my findings on the new Sigma 300–600mm f/4 lens, in case they’re helpful to others who might be considering this impressive piece of glass.
I’m not usually someone who buys gear immediately after a lens is announced, but this one genuinely excited me. As someone who spends a lot of time in a photo blind, I can already tell this lens will be a tremendous asset to my work. I ordered the Sigma lens from B&H on Feb. 24th, and received it today—it’s a beautiful piece of equipment. The weight doesn’t bother me at all, and I can definitely see this lens being a valuable asset for a wildlife photographer. As a Nikon/Canon shooter, I’m currently using it on my Nikon Z9.
Here are some of my initial observations from an afternoon of testing:
1. Image Quality: To my eye, the lens is impressively sharp with excellent detail.
2. Frame Rate: On my Nikon Z9, I’m able to shoot at 20 fps in RAW, and even higher with JPEG.
3. Autofocus Performance: AF works well on static and slow-moving subjects. I tested it on my dog and some deer, and the eye detection locks on nicely. However, I did notice that the autofocus occasionally freezes after a distinct “clunk” sound. To restore functionality, I need to power the camera off and back on. I’m not yet sure if this is a lens issue or an adapter-related problem, but I plan to keep testing. I updated the Magadap adapter ETZ21 Pro firmware tonight and will see if that improves the issue.
4. Zoom & Focus: Contrary to some reports, the lens allows continuous focus while zooming, which is excellent for tracking action.
5. Image Stabilization: Unfortunately, image stabilization doesn’t seem to work—neither the Nikon in-body stabilization nor the lens’s own system appears to engage. I confirmed this by comparing it side-by-side with my other Nikon lenses, including the 600mm f/4 TC.
6. Custom Functions: Most of the lens’s custom functions don’t work on Nikon, except for the four front focus lock buttons (which default to Nikon’s L-Fn1). This is disappointing, given how many useful features the lens offers.
7. Teleconverter Compatibility: The lens works very well with the Sony 1.4x TC, producing surprisingly sharp images. However, it fails to record correct metadata, such as focal length and aperture, when used with the TC.
8. Manual Focus: Unlike Nikon lenses, you can’t override autofocus by simply turning the focus ring. To use manual focus, you must switch the lens to MF mode. This is a bit of a drawback, as I often like to fine-tune focus manually while remaining in AF mode.
Tomorrow, I plan to take the lens to a local wetland to test it on birds and other wildlife. I expect it to perform well in most situations, though it may struggle with fast-moving subjects. In a preliminary test, I photographed my dog running straight toward me at full speed and found that only about half of the shots were keepers. This may be due to the lens being used with an adapter, which could affect autofocus performance.
I’m also planning to borrow a friend’s Sony A1 II to see how the lens performs natively on a Sony body. I’m confident it will shine there—though of course, limited to 15 fps and lacking compatibility with the 1.4x TC on that body.
Let me know what you think of the lens when you get a chance to use it. Since I’m using it as an adapted lens on my Nikon system, I haven’t been able to access all the features it offers.
Also, I’m curious what came in your box. Mine arrived in a plain black box with no Sigma logo, and it didn’t include any of the usual documents—no manual, warranty card, or paperwork of any kind. According to B&H, Sigma is moving away from including printed materials, but I still found it a bit surprising.
NopP wrote:
4. Zoom & Focus: Contrary to some reports, the lens allows continuous focus while zooming, which is excellent for tracking action.
This is very interesting, several reviewers mentioned the inability to zoom and focus at the same time, if possible can you do the same test on the Sony body ?
If it does not work on the Sony then this may be another example of Sony handicapping 3rd party lenses, and does open the question of whether other aspects of focusing are being limited.
LiveShots wrote: NopP wrote4. Zoom & Focus: Contrary to some reports, the lens allows continuous focus while zooming, which is excellent for tracking action.This is very interesting, several reviewers mentioned the inability to zoom and focus at the same time, if possible can you do the same test on the Sony body ?
If it does not work on the Sony then this may be another example of Sony handicapping 3rd party lenses, and does open the question of whether other aspects of focusing are being limited.
I think Sony is going to have to re-evaluate those limits at some point. I guess most people won't know, but if people hear that an E mount lens works better on Nikon with an adapter, that might be a bit embarrassing.