According provided by Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO lens (AF, Aspherical, SLD, for Nikon cameras) huge thanks to the reader of Radozhiva - Alexander Danis.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
The Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO is an old super telephoto auto focus zoom lens that has been produced for various systems. This review shows the very first version designed for Nikon cameras.
The family of such Sigma lenses consists of five models:
- Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO, shown in this review.
- Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3 APO DG, an updated version of the previous lens, the main difference of which is optimization for work with digital cameras.
- Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO HSM OS, This model is completely redesigned. The main difference is the increased zoom ratio, built-in focus motor and image stabilizer.
- Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C, a model in the new 'Sigma C' lens range, the main difference is the larger focal length range.
- Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, the model in the new 'Sigma S' range of lenses, aimed at photographing sports, is dust and water resistant.
On the side are two more similar lenses: Sigma 50-500mm 1: 4-6.3 HSM EX APO, Sigma 50-500mm 1: 4-6.3 HSM DG EX APO and Sigma DG 50-500mm 1: 4.5-6.3 APO HSM OS.
The Sigma company autofocus zoom lens, which was able to shoot at 500 mm focal length, appeared 20 years earlier than Nikon. Only in 2015, Nikon introduced its Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm 1: 5.6E ED VR.
Main technical characteristics of Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO:
| Review Instance Name | Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO 1038179, version with Nikon F mount |
| Basic properties |
|
| Front Filter Diameter | 86 mm |
| Focal length | 170-500 mm EGF for Nikon DX cameras is 255-750 mm |
| Zoom ratio | 2.91 X (usually rounded to 3 X) |
| Designed by | for Nikon film cameras (at the same time, this model was also available for Sigma, Canon, Pentax, Konica Minolta / Sony cameras) |
| Number of aperture blades | 9 rounded petals |
| Tags | focusing distance in meters and feet, focal length values for 170, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500 mm, marks for aperture values F / 5, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32. DOF scale for F / 22 and F / 11 for 170mm focal length (denoted by 'w' - 'wide' - 'wide angle'). There are also 3 marks for quickly setting the tripod foot in a vertical or horizontal position. On the side of the mount there is a red dot for quick installation of the lens into the mount of the camera. |
| Diaphragm | 170 mm from F / 5 to F / 32. At 300 mm from F / 6.3 to F / 45, the lens has an aperture control ring (Non-G - lens type) |
| MDF (minimum focusing distance) | 3 m per 170 mm focal length and 3.2 m per 500 mm focal length, maximum magnification ratio is 1: 6.6 |
| The weight | 1320 g |
| Optical design | 13 elements in 11 groups. The circuit includes 3 low dispersion element SIGMA SLD (shown in blue on the optical diagram), as well as 1 aspherical element SIGMA ASP (shown in pink on the optical diagram). Most likely the optical design is the same as that of Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3 APO DG. |
| Lens hood | Bayonet Type (most likely LH925-01) |
| Manufacturer country | LENS MADE IN JAPAN (Japan) |
| Period | From about 1996 to 2005, it was later replaced by a version Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3 APO DG |
Most likely Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO lenses and Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3 APO DG have the same optical schemes, the only difference is in the type of their antireflection. The newer model is optimized for digital cameras, while the old one is optimized for film cameras.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
Assembly
The lens came to my review in a shabby condition, and even without a tripod foot and hood, nevertheless, the assembly of the Sigma 170-500 / 5-6.3D is not bad. The lens barrel is made of metal and durable plastic. Due to its age, the review sample has small backlashes between the retractable parts of the case frame.
Depending on the orientation of the lens, the zoom ring rotates quite tightly and jerkily. The zoom and focus rings are rubberized. Of course, the lens has a metal mount.
Important: the lens uses filters with a diameter of 86 mm, which is a rather rare value, but because filters with such a large diameter can be very expensive.
Important: the lens is suffering spontaneous extension of the frame... Under its own weight, the 'trunk' of the lens protrudes or folds. Due to the fact that there are large and heavy optical elements at the front of the lens (in the 'trunk'), the 'trunk' falls out with great acceleration and an unpleasant knock at the end. When you sharply tilt the camera down, the 'trunk' accelerates very strongly, when it reaches 500 mm, it pulls the rest of the lens by inertia and it seems that it can rip out the camera mount. When shooting handheld, I was very annoyed by this behavior of the lens.
Due to the fact that the front of the lens is very heavy, it was easier for me to support the lens with my left hand for this part and change the focal length by pulling the trunk, and not by rotating the zoom ring.
When changing the focal length, the rear lens moves in the middle of the lens body like a pump - it draws in and pushes out air. This behavior of the rear lens is called 'vacuum cleaner effect', which can increase the amount of dust that accumulates in the camera.
Visually, the lens looks very large, but its weight does not cause severe discomfort. For comparison, native Nikon ED AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1: 2.8D MKIII weighs the same.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
Focusing
Sigma 170-500 / 5-6.3D focuses slow. On camera Nikon D700 the lens rarely refocuses, but focuses are not always accurate.
Lens uses internal focus, or rather 'RF' -type focusing, during which only the rear lens group moves. Focus ring rotates 90 degrees. The focus ring rotates during autofocus and must not be touched. The front lens does not rotate during focal length changes. The closest focusing distance is 3 meters, but for such a huge focal length this is not a problem.
The lens has a focusing distance scale in meters and feet, as well as a depth of field scale for a 170mm focal length (denoted by the letter 'w') for F / 11 and F / 22.
Important: In the instructions for most Nikon cameras, the threshold of the maximum aperture of the lens is indicated, from which the correct auto focus will be available. Most Nikon cameras are designed for lenses only. no darker than f / 5.6. For example, my camera Nikon D700 theoretically should not work with this lens. But still, as my practice has shown, in conditions with good lighting there are no special problems with automatic focusing even on cameras that are not designed to work with lenses with F / 6.3. You can find a list of Nikon cameras whose focus sensors can easily focus with lenses with a maximum aperture of F / 5.6-8.0 here.
It's important: auto focus with this lens is available only when using him on cameras with built-in motor focusing.
Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras with a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will focus automatically:
- D1, D1h, D1x, D2x, D2xs, D2h, D2hs
- D3, D3x, D3s, D4, D4s, D5, D6
- Df
- D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90
- D7000, D7100, D7200,D7500
- D100, D200, D300, D300s,D500
- D600, D610, D750, D780
- D700, D800,D800E, D810, D810a, D850
- Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro, S2 Pro, S3 ProS3 Pro UVIR, S5 ProIS Pro
- Kodak DCS PRO 14n, DCS Pro SLR/n
Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras without a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will not focus automatically:
Only auto focus and sound confirmation of focus will not work with these cameras, all other important functions, such as automatic exposure metering and automatic iris control, will work well.
You will find a lot of useful information on the types of cameras and lenses Nikon here.
During auto focus, the lens and camera make a lot of noise.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
Diaphragm
Diaphragm lens consists of 9 rounded petalswhich form a fairly even hole. With the lens, it is easy to receive 18-ray stars from bright light sources.
Aperture range is available from F / 5-6.3 to F / 32-F / 40.
There are marks with a focal length on the zoom ring, the following is a list with the minimum numbers F available for these marks:
- 170 mm - F / 5.0
- 200 mm - F / 5.3
- 250 mm - F / 5.6
- 300 mm - F / 6.0
- 400 mm - F / 6.3
- 500 mm - F / 6.3
The lens has a manual aperture ring. To be able to control the value aperture from camera or for automatic installation aperture on modern central control valves, you need to turn the control ring to the F / 32 value and fix it with a special lock, which is located to the right of the marks aperture. If this is not done, then on a number of cameras, the display will display an error - 'fEE' (ring is not installed aperture) Some cameras having diaphragm rheostatallow you to control the aperture using the ring aperturebut only in metering modes exposure 'M' and 'A'. You can read more about this issue in the section on Non-G Lenses. Ring aperture rotates with clicks, the values F / 5, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32 are plotted on it; it is not possible to set an intermediate value between pairs of numbers using the aperture ring. Intermediate values can only be set using the camera menu.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
Sample Photos
In the range of 170-300 mm, the sharpness is weak at fully open apertures. In the range of 300-500 mm, the sharpness noticeably sags and becomes very weak. If you cover the aperture at least to F / 8.0, then in the range of 300-500 mm in sharpness, a more or less acceptable picture is obtained. The lens showed the best result in the range of 170-300 mm on covered diaphragms. In addition, the lens noticeably suffers from chromatic aberration.
In general, image quality is below average. On modern cameras, with a large number of megapixels, by type Canon EOS 5DSto achieve good detail at 500 mm will not work.
You can download RAW source files at this link (35 files in '.NEF' format, 440 MB). All photos were taken on Nikon D700 using protective filter Kenko L37 Professional 86mm Japan. A few more photos processed with this lens can be viewed in one of my photo reports.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
My experience
Sigma 170-500 / 5-6.3D - large, heavy, uncomfortable. It attracts to itself only by the ability to shoot in the range of 300-500 mm focal length and a small price. I took off on it little love story, I have no particular complaints about his work, but also no enthusiasm for the lens either.
This is the first autofocus lens with which I have shot at 500mm focal length. This focal length conveys perspective unusually and can sometimes create a 'WOW' effect on the footage. It is also very unusual that the widest angle of the lens is at 170mm focal length, which can be very inconvenient in some cases.
I used excerpts no longer than 1/400 second (due to the lack of a stabilizer), while at F / 8.0 the ISO value rose no higher than 640 units.
Due to the fact that the lens is quite large, it attracts or may attract extra attention. On the other hand, 500 mm can be removed stealthily.
Sigma 170-500mm F / 5-6.3 D APO
Catalog of modern Sigma lenses can look at this link.
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Results
The Sigma 170-500mm 1: 5-6.3D APO is a highly specialized lens that may not be suitable for every photographer. In the range of 300-500 mm it is weak at open apertures, otherwise it shows average image quality. It's hard to find a cheaper autofocus lens that can shoot at 500mm focal length.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.
Thanks Arkady, we are starting to get bored without new articles.
Televisions are always interesting, if only the new Tamron 150-600 could be seen.
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Thank you from me for your reviews too, thanks to which I chose an excellent glass and didn’t regret buying it (I mean Nikon 70-210 4-5,6)).
I would really like to read your review about this Sigma AF 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM lens since it is now quite interesting in price compared to analogs with a fixed hole and have an idea what kind of animal it is.
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I saw nothing special in this lens. I agree with Yarkiy - I would like to review the Tamron SP 150-600mm f / 5-6.3 Di VC USD. Thanks!
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But why? Minolta AF 500/8 500 $ for just a used option
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This is almost 2 times cheaper
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We are waiting for a review lens from Aleksand, thanks!
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Too painstaking review for such trash, but easier to write)
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In fact, if you notice, reviews of lenses that fall into the hands of the author are published here. There are both top models and budget ones. Send non-junk to Arkady and he will write a review with pleasure. But bile spray is much easier, right?
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Apparently you know better!
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Super televik, cool!) I tried to shoot like this on Canon 7d - the feeling of fragility and low quality did not leave me (maybe because I was wearing such an ultra-reliable monster). It was very sad to work at 500mm without a stub. The lens was not mine, so I didn't have to suffer for long. But in general, this is one of the rarest options for a super-telephoto autofocus for very modest money. It happens sometimes for 10-13 thousand, although usually more expensive. It's definitely worth the top ten.
On nikon I have a sigma of 150-500 wasps, which, unlike 170-500, pleased me immediately and pleases me to this day. Sharpness is noticeably higher, HA is less. The trunk also comes out, but not so quickly. It is enough to slightly deflect 170-500 from the plane, while 150-500 should either be lowered down and pulled by the camera, or raised up and again pulled :) What is especially nice - there is noticeably less backlash, but there is a little with the extended trunk. Well, the main plus for me is stub. If the stub helps a little on the width, then on the telephoto I can do nothing without it, especially if the sun is not bright outside. Moreover, the stub, even to a greater extent, does not save from shaking (I still take pictures of birds and animals at it most often, at very short exposures), but also helps when hovering, freezing the image in the viewfinder. Moreover, the stub is really iron, according to my feelings about the level of Nikon 70-300vr, slightly stronger than Canon 55-250is and can only be slightly inferior to Canon 70-200 4lis. A very decent lens for your money (though, if you look at a used one, a new one is expensive).
I join the hopes for a review of the tamron 150-600bc, judging by the reviews on the network, the glass came out decent, and the price for it, even taking into account the growth of the dollar, is still attractive, which can not be said about sigma 150-600os. Plus, the tamron has dust and water protection, which neither the sigma 170-500 from the review nor my 150-500os have. And it’s quite interesting to use a super televict with a stub in the rain, especially in case of sudden precipitation you can’t hide it like a fifty dollars in the bosom.
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offtop
FF Pentax !!! http://dphotoworld.net/news/pervye_izobrazhenija_polnokadrovoj_zerkalki_pentax/2015-10-23-3733
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funny analog d750.
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Nikon end Canon tremble!
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funny does not mean worthy.
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Yes you, sir, you can’t please with your Leika.
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ha ha ha No.
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You wrote nonsense.
'END' is 'end'
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"End Canon" - I mean the end of Canon)
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Now I use 150-600 C. Optically, it is much better, plus a stab. In a pair to him Sigma 50-150. I use the 7D Mark II. Very satisfied. Of the minuses, only weight. a hefty lens hood saves even when dropped on stones. I can get stones6 from the glass (I use a protective filter, they just don’t climb into the lens hood. I put on a dust and moisture protective cover (really helps). Now I’m shooting mostly in the desert. Very satisfied. The speed is pretty high, there are not many misses in focus ( maybe 1 frame out of 10) .Let's see how much they live.
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I do not agree that the glass is bad. The construct is yes, stupid and inconvenient. But the picture quality is very decent if the back focus is precisely adjusted. I had two such copies in different states. All film long zooms have back focus to varying degrees, less often front. On my D7100, an adjustment of -7, - -8 was required, after that it hits the target exactly even on an open one. Sharpness is different from f8-16 not worse than 50-500
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The lens is weak, the pictures are super. What to believe ???
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Believe your heart, Luke!
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You write that the Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO HSM OS has a built-in focus motor, however, the descriptions in online stores indicate that it is not there, only Sigma AF 150-600mm has it.
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If the lens has HSM, then it is with a motor. Marking in online stores can only be viewed by real photos of the product, the way the lens is named there and its descriptions may not correspond to reality.
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“In general, the image quality is below average. On modern cameras with a large number of megapixels ... you won't be able to achieve good detail at 500 mm. ”
“A highly specialized lens that may not fit every photographer”
- the most important quotes from this review.
Used on D90, H6006, tully and Nikkormat FTN, Kiev 19.
The peculiarity of my copy is that you need to set the exposure compensation to (-1) - (-2) on D90.
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Can someone tell me about the SIGMA 170-500 ARO DG for CANON?
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bought this lens - disagree about image quality
on my copy it is very, very decent, not bad sharpness and on open - good starting from 8, HA - practically absent
in terms of image quality at all focal points, it significantly exceeds the cheap options 70-300, and is quite close to whale lenses from ff cameras 24 (28) -85
really not enough stub for long exposures
on my tripod it’s very difficult to shoot something decent at shutter speeds longer than 1s
in the afternoon, excellent frames are obtained on it, and versions with a stub are 2.5 times more expensive
about shutter speeds - at 500mm you can shoot 1/100 s, and already when your hands start to get tired 1/400 s
mb I just came across a successful instance, maybe, sigma is known for uneven quality
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I shoot with it on the d800, and on the sony a7 (via an adapter) - a fairly modern camera with a large number of megapixels
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Hey! Tell me which adapter can I get? I want to cheat on Sony A7
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Depends on what kind of bayonet it will be on (they are different). The easiest way is to buy this sigma with Sony A mount and use an A-> E adapter, by type so dear.
You can also find a Canon EF mount body, and use adapter EF-> E, type this.
Nikon version Requires more expensive adapter
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up to 24 (28, 35) -70 2.8 or up to 70 (80) -200 (210) 2.8 (4) - he is far away
but he has completely different focal lengths
the image quality here will be close to what you can expect from the 70-300 class -
better than 70-300G, or 70-300 sigma apo dg, comparable to 70-300 VR
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with a stub at long exposures it is impossible - the sharpness drops strongly
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In my opinion this is a Japanese miracle. I tried a lot of telephoto technology and this lens was remembered by me for its aperture ratio, analog of Nikon af 80-200 2.8. Good sharpness, consistent with its increase, no one has yet canceled physics)) A very reliable technique, thanks to its AF focus. Unfortunately, modern lenses sin with their unreliable focusing motors, although they are like used cars. I think the main thing in Japanese technology is reliability.
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I bought such a lens for only $ 100 in excellent condition. When they saw me from afar
with him, they thought I was picking apples. The conical lens hood and size brought observers to
such thoughts. At that time I was photographing leaves located high on a tree. Without
At first, the stabilizer was unusual, but then it adapted. At 500mm it’s hard to remove it from your hands, you’ll have to buy a monopod for it too. I was surprised that in cloudy weather
400-500mm focus worked well. Industrial landscape with processing.
Auto BB; lights; levels; sharpen 1; noise reduction 50%; retouch; sharpness at the edges.
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I recommend a pen from old cinema cameras - it turns out a convenient photogun
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I’ll add to the first f / 6,3 1/500 iso 500 400mm. The second picture without processing-settings in the camera is high saturation, increased sharpness f / 5,6 1/250 iso 800 175mm
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Hi all!
NEED HELP!
I want to wind this Sigma 170-500mm on Sony A7,
What adapter should I take and where to find it?
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Will be without af.
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Passion for autofocus is vicious in theory. Let's say we're shooting through glass. In this case, autofocus does not understand what detail needs to be focused on. Only manual focus remains. When shooting VIDEO, the situation worsens further, because the subject moves and autofocus simply does not have time to work out (7-12 seconds), which gives only one frame reject. If we photograph oncoming traffic (cars on the road), then autofocus goes crazy. The lens is difficult to repair and disassemble. Can be taken apart but not reassembled. And plastic parts are subject to severe wear - backlash, so work on it. Bulkhead and replacement of lubricant is simply necessary. Who will answer - glass lenses or already plastic? Glass produced only PENTAX and CANON.
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Weekends - they are, yes ... \uXNUMXd\
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)))
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after this comment, all manufacturers will massively go to manual lenses
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Well, 40 years ago, this comment would have been relevant in some print publication in the “letters from readers” section, but in 2022, when AF has made such progress…
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