Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens Review

A camera lens's name is always informative, and "Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens" is a jaw-dropping reveal.

Camera manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, and Sony, typically offer a 600mm f/4 prime lens targeting wildlife and sports photographers looking for the ultimate image quality, including the strongest available background blur that delivers an unmatched look. Often, wider focal length needs are encountered when carrying that lens, which means a second lens is needed (and a second camera to partially close the fast access versatility gap). Since 600mm f/4 lenses are heavy and large, the second lens usually must be considerably lighter and smaller to keep the kit physically manageable, but lighter and smaller results in a narrower aperture. Or, we give up the wider-than-600mm opportunities to save energy, an image quality factor.

This Sigma lens remarkably includes 600mm plus much of the typical second lens's range, with f/4 available throughout.

What are the penalties for adding zoom versatility? Especially those of us familiar with a previous Sigma foray into extreme telephoto zoom lenses, the 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens, immediately brace for a massive size, miserably heavy weight, and unaffordable price.

Prepare to be further impressed.

Let's start with the price. That you can purchase two Sigma 300-600mm lenses and still have $1,000 left in your wallet vs. buying the Canon or Sony 600mm F4 alternative is crazy.

The 300-600's size is like Canon and Sony's 600 F/4 lenses, big but easily managed.

The zoom lens weighs just over 40 oz (1.1 kg) more than those 600 alternatives. That weight difference is noticeable, but not so long ago, our 600mm f/4 lenses weighed that much. Also, build quality was not sacrificed. Sigma designates this lens as a member of their flagship "Sports" lineup, with the accompanying professional build quality, and this lens is loaded with features, including High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) AF and 5.5-stop rated optical stabilization.

Focal Length Range

Back to Top

When you can't or don't want to get closer, you reach for a super-telephoto lens. Here is a list of reasons for selecting a long focal length lens:

• Physical barriers (streams, cliffs, fences, etc.)
• Legislated barriers (lines on a field, property boundaries, etc.)
• Subject intolerance to closer photographers (skittish birds, for example)
• Subject behavior impact (such as the natural activity of wildlife)
• Safety reasons (dangerous wildlife, high-speed vehicles, etc.)
• Stealth requirements (such as for law enforcement missions)
• A requirement to avoid being a viewing obstruction (such as getting in front of the audience at a venue)

When you want to capture a compressed look from a distant perspective, you might want a 600mm lens. When you want to create a strong background blur, isolating a subject from an otherwise distracting background, a 600mm lens (with f/4) is an outstanding choice.

If you simply don't want to get closer, a 600mm lens might be just right. Sit in the comfort of your car or house, avoid the need to cross a creek, stay back from the surf, stay out of view, etc.

As mentioned, wildlife (and domesticated life) photography is the standout use for 300-600mm. 300-600mm is optimal for subjects ranging from large animals at moderate distances to small animals farther away.

Though 300mm is often not wide enough for environmental portraits, it still works well for that use when the subject is distant. Pets are good subjects for this lens.

Use this lens for chasing the kids from afar at the park, beach, or backyard.

While this lens can be used for portraits, it is a superb choice for photographing people participating in outdoor sports (and even indoor sports in well-lit venues). This focal length range is optimal for watersports, such as surfing, and it will reach deep into a large field, such as for baseball and soccer, while still providing closer subject coverage at 300mm. This range is optimal for motorsports and equestrian events.

A windstorm, a daughter home for the weekend, and a horse with pent-up energy created the perfect opportunity to give the Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens a workout. Here is a 350mm image of nuggit jumping a downed tree.

Here is a 600mm example.

Photojournalists and others covering events may find this lens's focal length range useful, including for photographing over large crowds, such as at concerts.

This lens is a good choice for photographing air shows, ideally using a tripod or monopod to support the weight.

As usual, the video uses for this focal length range mirror the stills uses.

An ASP-C sensor format camera model's 1.5x FOVCF (Field of View Crop Factor) will see an angle of view like a full-frame-mounted 600-900mm lens. This narrower angle of view has similar uses but with smaller subjects or longer working distances. Bird photographers rarely have too much focal length, and distant wildlife can often use this focal length range. Keeping a moving subject in the 900mm angle of view is challenging.

Just because you have a 600mm-capable lens doesn't mean that you can create sharp images at that focal length, even when using the fastest shutter speeds and best techniques. When present, heat shimmer will create optical distortion that diminishes the quality of long-distance-captured photos. Artificial turf sports fields and asphalt tracks are among the most notorious venues for heatwaves — sun on these and other surfaces ensures terrible image quality at the subject distances 300-600mm is typically used for.

Here is the 300-600mm focal length range illustrated on a full-frame camera:

Load Comparison Images

Nuggit found enough energy to throw a smile at 470mm.

Sometimes, the extents of a zoom range are rounded, and extreme lenses especially invite scrutiny. Does this lens really go to the full 600mm? It frames the test chart at nearly the same distance as the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS Lens, so that rating appears solid. At 300mm, the Sigma lens frames the chart from even farther away than the Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens.

Max Aperture

Back to Top

F/4 on a 600mm lens is huge. No prime 600mm lens opens wider than this lens, and it has a standout advantage of a zoom range. No other zoom lens, aside from the previously mentioned Sigmonster with a 1.4x mounted, opens wider than f/5.6 at 600mm.

When you want to stop action, including sports action and wildlife in motion, especially in low light, when wildlife is most often active and when sports are often played, you want the f/4 feature in your 600mm lens.

When you want to isolate the subject from even a busy, distracting background, you want the shallow depth of field paired with the strong telephoto magnification that 600mm delivers for one of the strongest background blurs available. Most of the common uses for this lens do not permit manipulation of the background, and the backgrounds found in many of the venues this lens gets used in tend to be busy and distracting. Use this lens to create a differentiating strong background blur, turning advertisement banners, fans, and their clothing, apparatus, gear, seating, etc., into blurs of color, making the subject stand out.

Here is a 600mm aperture comparison example.

Load Comparison Images

The difference between f/4 and f/5.6 is noticeable, even at this greatly reduced image size. These examples illustrate the maximum blur this lens can create:

Load Comparison Images

This lens's wide aperture enables the camera's AF sensor to perform better in low light.

A larger aperture means larger lens elements are required, and that requirement leads to increased lens size, weight, and cost. Sigma went to great effort to mitigate these downsides and was especially successful at holding down the cost.

F/4 may still not be adequate for photographing sports under (normal) field lighting at night or indoors, where an f/2.8 aperture may prove to be the minimum aperture desired.

Image Stabilization

Back to Top

"The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS | Sports delivers exceptional optical stabilization of 5.5 stops at 600mm. Powered by Sigma’s sophisticated OS2 algorithm and featuring a drive unit with a specially designed actuator and high-precision sensor, this lens effortlessly meets the demands of a large-aperture ultra-telephoto." [Sigma]

Use the CIPA ratings for comparison purposes, not your realized stabilization assistance, but large, heavy, long lenses are especially aided by optical stabilization, including from an AF precision standpoint. OS can also improve video quality.

This lens's OS performs remarkably well. When active, the viewfinder image becomes stable and does not fight composition adjustments.

A mildly audible scratchy whirring is heard near the lens when OS is enabled and disabled. A more audible click is heard when the camera powers on or off.

Two stabilization modes are provided. The general-purpose all-axis stabilization Mode 1, and the panning with a subject, one axis of stabilization Mode 2 are provided on the switch. Mode 3, useful for tracking erratic action, is excluded, but mode 1 performs so well that I haven't needed it, even when composing on a tripod.

Image Quality

Back to Top

It is a big ask for a zoom lens reaching 600mm f/4 to deliver the image quality matching the extreme level of today's 600mm f/4 prime lenses. Still, that is what we wanted.

While sports photographers will regularly use this lens's entire focal length range, wildlife photographers, especially those chasing birds, will most often use the 600mm end for as much reach as possible. Thus, 600mm f/4 image quality is of utmost importance. Still, how does the well under 50% price factor into image quality? I spent a lot of time determining that answer.

In the center of the frame at f/4, the Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens is very sharp from 300 to 450mm, rivaling the wide-open performance of the high-end primes such as the Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens. The f/4 results from 500mm through 600mm are slightly soft in comparison to the super-telephoto primes such as the Sigma 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS Sports Lens.

In general, lenses become sharper as they are stopped down one or two stops from their wide-open apertures. The wider half of the range doesn't need to be improved upon, and the slight sharpness increase visible in the test chart at f/5.6 is difficult to see in real-world images. The narrower aperture sharpness difference is significant at the longer half of the range, where the results become razor-sharp at f/5.6.

You can't get the differentiating shallow depth of field look at 600mm f/5.6, but there is a modest image sharpness tradeoff to get the 600mm f/4 look with this lens.

Lenses typically produce decreased sharpness in the periphery of the image circle. This lens delivers good corner performance at 300mm f/4. Corner results slowly degrade through 500mm, and 600mm corners are soft. Stopping down produces minor corner sharpness improvement.

The resolution chart is merciless on image quality, so let's take the testing outdoors, next looking at a series of center-of-the-frame 100% resolution crop examples. These images were captured in RAW format using a Sony Alpha 1 and processed in Capture One using the Natural Clarity method. The sharpening amount was set to only "30" on a 0-1000 scale. Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening, but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens.

Load Comparison Images

The 600mm f/4 results are slightly soft. Everything else looks excellent.

Next is a series of comparisons showing 100% resolution extreme top left corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. The lens was manually focused in the corner of the frame to capture these images.

Load Comparison Images

Count on samples taken from the outer extreme of the image circle, full-frame corners, to show a lens's weakest performance. The 300mm results are good, the 450mm results show slight degradation, and the 600mm results are soft.

While I always prefer a lens to be capable of producing sharp peripheral image quality, images created with a 300-600mm lens do not regularly have an in-focus subject in the corner, and often a blurred corner is desired.

This lens does not exhibit focus shift, the plane of sharp focus moving forward or backward as the aperture is narrowed (residual spherical aberration or RSA).

When used on a camera that utilizes its full image circle, a lens is expected to show peripheral shading at the widest aperture settings. This lens shows only about a stop of corner shading at f/4 throughout the range, and only minor shading remains at f/8.

APS-C format cameras using lenses projecting a full-frame-sized image circle avoid most vignetting problems. In this case, the one-half or less stop of corner shading showing at f/4 will rarely be visible.

One-stop of shading is often considered the number of visibility, though subject details provide a widely varying amount of vignetting discernibility.

Lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration) refers to the unequal magnification of all colors in the spectrum. Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii), with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the most significant amount, as this is where the most significant difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide. However, it is always better to avoid this aberration in the first place.

Color misalignment can be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a set of worst-case examples. The images below are 100% crops from the extreme top left corner of Sony a1 frames showing diagonal black and white lines.

Load Comparison Images

These images should only contain black and white colors. The color separation is moderate at 300mm and 600mm, with the mid focal lengths looking good.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light. More simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration, along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to observe. Axial CA remains somewhat persistent when stopping down, with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing. The spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused, and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation, with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA. These combine to create a less sharp, hazy-appearing image quality at the widest apertures.

The wide-open aperture examples below compare the fringing colors of the defocused specular highlights in the foreground to the background. The lens has introduced any differences from the neutrally colored subjects.

Load Comparison Images

The color separation is strong at 300mm, with varying lesser amounts showing in the other results.

Bright light reflecting off lens elements' surfaces may cause flare and ghosting, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes interesting, usually objectionable visual artifacts. The shape, intensity, and position of the flare and ghosting effects in an image are variable, dependent on the position and nature of the light source (or sources), selected aperture, shape of the aperture blades, and quantity and quality of the lens elements and their coatings. Additionally, flare and ghosting can impact AF performance.

This lens features Sigma's NPC (Nano Porous Coating) to suppress flare and ghosting.

"NPC (Nano Porous Coating)" incorporates porous silica as the coating material. The porous silica layer has nano-sized holes with air inside. Having holes of this size enables a large reduction in the refractive index, allowing the reflectance to be lowered more than conventional anti-reflective coatings. As a result, reflected light causing flares and ghosting is sharply reduced, achieving clear image quality." [Sigma]

Still, the high 28-element count increases the flare avoidance challenge. Long focal lengths do not test well in the site's standard sun in the corner of the frame flare test, but this one did not show unusual results.

This lens has slight pincushion distortion over the entire range. You'll not likely notice this, but it can be corrected via stretching or cropping to true the geometry.

As seen earlier in the review, it is easy to illustrate the strongest blur a lens can create, and telephoto lenses are inherently advantaged in this regard. Due to the infinite number of variables present among available scenes, assessing the blur quality, bokeh, is considerably more challenging. Here are some f/11 (for diaphragm blade interaction) examples.

Load Comparison Images

The first set of examples shows the 13-blade rounded aperture keeping defocused highlights remarkably rounded, and they are smoothly filled. The second set shows full images reduced in size and looking great.

Except for a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the frame's corner does not show round defocused highlights, instead showing cat's eye shapes due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the frame's corner, the shape is not round. That is the shape we're looking at here.

Throughout the focal length range, the peripheral circles are slightly ovaled.

The design of this lens, illustrated above, includes 28 lens elements in 21 groups, with 6 FLD and 1 SLD glass elements, anomalous dispersion glass, and high refractive index glass.

The primary deficit to the Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens's optical quality is the slightly soft (relative to the far more expensive high-end primes) 500-600mm f/4 performance. Some color blur and lateral CA show in some results, but otherwise, this lens is an outstanding performer.

Focusing

Back to Top

With "Sports" in the name, you know that Sigma didn't hold back on the AF system, and the High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) drives fast, accurate, and quiet AF.

Low-light AF performance is good, but slower, as usual.

This lens has a function ring. With Focus Preset Mode selected, turning the function ring in either direction instantly focuses the lens to a pre-registered (using the set button, with beep on or off) focus position. With Power Focus Mode selected, turning the function ring adjusts focusing at a constant speed, allowing smooth focus changes during movie recording and easier handheld manual focusing. "Focusing speed can be changed in two steps depending on the angle at which the function ring is operated." [Sigma]

As usual for lenses in this class, the 300-600 Sports Lens features a focus distance range limit switch that, in addition to enabling the full focus distance range, allows distance selection to be limited to near - 32.8' (near - 10.0m) or 32.8' (10.0m) - ∞, with the narrower range potentially decreasing focus lock times (reduced hunting). Custom focusing limit ranges can be programmed into the L-Mount version's Custom switch via the Sigma USB Dock.

Note that, at review time, Sony limits third-party lenses to 15 fps. Deep in the DSLR days, 15 fps was extremely fast, but today, mirrorless cameras are capable of far faster rates. Drag your mouse over the labels under the following image for a visual look at the 15-fps rate.

Load Comparison Images

While 15 fps provided sufficient peak action choices for the horse jumping, sometimes the ultimate choice wasn't on the card.

Four customizable AFL (Autofocus Lock) buttons are provided. With the camera set to continuous focus mode, press AFL to lock focus at the currently selected focus distance, permitting a focus and recompose technique. These buttons also act as custom buttons that can be programmed to another function using the camera's menu.

Non-cinema lenses usually require refocusing after a focal length change. As illustrated in the 100% crops below, the reviewed lens does not exhibit parfocal-like characteristics. When focused at 600mm, zooming to 500mm results in a slight focus blur, but zooming to even wider focal lengths brings good sharpness back.

Load Comparison Images

This lens has a large, sharp-ribbed, rubberized focus ring that performs exceptionally well, including no play and an optimal adjustment rate. This ring is positioned in front of the tripod mount ring and behind the zoom ring. While this design choice is not often my preference, the ring is behind the center of balance and works well in this case.

This lens's focus ring has a non-linear adjustment rate based on the rotation speed. At 300mm, a full extent focus distance change with a slow turn requires 540° of rotation. Turn the ring fast, and only 240° of rotation does the same. At 600mm, 1260° and 250° are the approximate experienced numbers. I prefer linear AF, but this lens's variable MF adjustment rate design performs well.

Overall, this lens provides an excellent manual focus experience, making precise manual focusing possible.

The 300-600 has a minimum focus distance of 110.2" (2800mm), and at 450mm, it generates a modest 0.17x maximum magnification spec.

Model	Min Focus Distance		Max Magnification
Canon RF 600mm F4 L IS USM Lens	165.4"	(4200mm)	0.17x
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens	102.4"	(2600mm)	0.20x
Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens	110.2"	(2800mm)	0.17x
Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens	94.5"	(2400mm)	0.20x
Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS Lens	66.9"	(1700mm)	0.23x
Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS Lens	177.6"	(4510mm)	0.14x

At 300mm, a subject measuring approximately 12.0 x 8.0" (305 x 203mm) fills a full-frame imaging sensor at this lens's minimum MF distance. Maximum magnification is reached at 450mm, with an 8.4 x 5.6" (213 x 142mm) subject filling the frame. The smallest 600mm framing dimensions are 10.2 x 6.8" (259 x 173mm). Here are examples:

Load Comparison Images

The L-Mount version of this lens is compatible with Sigma 1.4x (TC-1411) and 2x (TC-2011) Tele Converters that create 420-840mm f/5.6 and 600-1200mm f/8 lenses. Unfortunately, the E-mount lens is not compatible with teleconverters. Sony teleconverters will mount behind this lens, but the necessary communications are not supported.

Design & Features

Back to Top

Sigma's Sports lenses feature robust build quality, and the designers paid careful attention to aesthetics.

Load Comparison Images

This fixed-size lens is primarily constructed of strong but lightweight magnesium alloy. "In addition, the optical design with the center of gravity toward the camera greatly improves the weight balance, which tends to be front-heavy." [Sigma]

The rubber-ribbed zoom ring is large and turns smoothly with firm resistance. This ring is easy to find behind the function ring, and the mid-ring diameter increase further aids in locating.

All switches are flush-mounted with just enough raised surface area to be easily used. These switches snap crisply into position.

A white Sigma lens? This is the first white one I've reviewed. Sigma calls the finish thermal insulation paint, designed to reduce heat absorption from sunlight.

Another outdoor feature advantage of Sigma Sports lenses is weather sealing. "The mount joints, manual focus ring, zoom ring, custom switches and other control switches, and exterior joints are all protected from dust and splash by a dust- and splash-resistant structure [not waterproof]. Further, the frontmost surface of the lens is coated with a water- and oil-repellent coating to facilitate maintenance when water droplets or dust adhere to the lens." [Sigma]

The L-mount lens allows customization of the custom switch via Sigma's USB dock.

This lens offers a highly advantageous focal length range and aperture combination, but those features require a relatively large size and heavy weight.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 600mm F4 L IS USM Lens	109.1	(3090)	6.6 x 18.6	(168.0 x 472.0)	DI 52	2021
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports	74.1	(2100)	4.3 x 10.4	(109.4 x 263.6)	95	2021
Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens	140.1	(3970)	6.6 x 18.4	(167.0 x 467.9)	DI 40.5	2025
Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens	74.8	(2120)	4.5 x 12.5	(115.5 x 318.0)	95	2019
Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS Lens	87.4	(2475)	4.7 x 13.6	(119.8 x 346.0)	105	2025
Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS Lens	107.3	(3040)	6.4 x 17.7	(163.6 x 449.0)	DI 40.5	2019

View and compare the complete Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens Specifications in the site's lens specifications tool.

Here is a visual comparison:

Positioned from top to bottom are the following lenses:

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens
Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens
Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS Lens

The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens to other large lenses.

The Sigma 300-600mm lens features a drop-in filter holder for standard 40.5mm filters. Optionally available are Sigma drop-in circular polarizing and 7-stop variable ND filters.

While this lens can be used handheld, your shoulder will not appreciate that. Supporting this lens on a tripod or monopod is recommended, and the included tripod ring is required to balance the mounted lens. This tripod ring is solidly built and smooth functioning, including no slip-stick behavior until the ring is fully locked.

The foot includes two 1/4" threaded inserts, along with a centered 3/8" option. With a non-gripped camera mounted, the lens balances just behind the front 1/4" insert.

While the ring is not removable, the TS-161 foot can easily be removed via 4 small bolts. The primary reason to remove the foot is to replace it with a custom model.

I love the concept of the built-in Arca-Swiss-compatible dovetail, allowing the lens to mount in a wide variety of tripod head quick-release clamps and adding compatibility with a wide range of accessories, including flash brackets. Unfortunately, some non-adjustable lever clamps, including those from Really Right Stuff, do not lock tightly to this dovetail design. The "standard" is apparently not tight or not adhered to.

The top of the foot is slightly padded for increased comfort when using it as a carry handle.

The tripod ring's short-throw metal lock knob is conveniently positioned for use (and the black color stands out).

Helpful click stops are provided at 90° rotation settings, with marks visually indicating the same. Or, switch off the clicks for completely smooth rotation.

Neck strap attachment points are optimally available on the tripod ring.

A lens of this size and weight is most comfortable to control on a gimbal-style head. I recommend the Wimberley WH-200-S Sidemount Head and Really Right Stuff PG-02 MK2 Pano-Gimbal Head.

The large Sigma LH1615-01 hood, featuring rigid carbon construction, a large, knurled, stand-out-black metal thumbscrew lock, and a matte interior, is included in the box. The flat style hood permits the lens to be placed upright on a smooth surface. The rubberized surface on the end of the hood avoids scratching the hood or the surface the lens is sitting on and avoids slippage on the resting surface. This hood affords significant protection from flare-inducing light and impact, including from dust and rain.

Sigma ships the 300-600 in a nice, well-padded, modestly structured, backpack.

The typical non-tapered design means a lof of unused space inside, with hook-and-loop-secured padding to anchor the lens in place. If Sigma provided a few more inches of height, a mounted camera could be included, making the backpack considerably more useful.

Price, Value, Compatibility

Back to Top

When is a $6,000.00 lens cheap? When it is high performing yet costs less than half as much as the 600mm f/4 prime lens alternatives while eliminating the need for a second lens.

The "DG" refers to full-frame camera compatibility, and the "DN", which indicates that this lens was designed for short-flange mirrorless cameras, is no longer used. The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens is compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras, including APS-C sensor format models, and it is also available in the L mount (Sigma, Panasonic, Leica). Sigma develops, manufactures, and sells the E-mount version of this lens based on the specifications of the E-mount, disclosed by Sony Corporation under license agreement. A mount conversion service is available.

Made in Japan, each Sports lens is tested with Sigma's proprietary MTF measuring system, ensuring a quality product. Sigma Corporation of America provides a limited 4-year warranty.

The reviewed Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens was on loan from Sigma.

Alternatives

Back to Top

While this lens has no direct alternatives, we'll look at some interesting comparisons.

Photographers who want or need the game-changing look of 600mm f/4 often choose the Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS, an incredibly high-performing lens. The prime lens wins the image quality comparison. The zoom lens has less peripheral shading. The prime lens has less lateral CA, color blur, and pincushion distortion.

The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports vs. Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS Lens comparison shows the zoom lens moderately heavier and modestly larger. The Sigma lens has 13 aperture blades vs. 11. The Sony lens is compatible with Sony teleconverters and supports a higher Sony camera frame rate. The zoom range and dramatically lower price tag are huge advantages for the Sigma lens.

Let's compare another Sigma sports lens that reaches to 600mm, the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens. This lens extends the zoom range to twice as wide, which is especially useful for environmental wildlife portraits, people portraits, and landscape photography.

The image quality comparison shows the two lenses having similar wide-open sharpness, and the 300-600 is sharper when the 150-600's widest apertures are matched. The 300-600 has less peripheral shading and less pincushion distortion.

The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS vs. 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens comparison shows the 300-600 vastly larger and heavier, far less fun to carry around from a comfort perspective. The 300-600 has 13 aperture blades vs. 9, 5.5-stop-rated OS vs. 4, and HLA AF vs. stepping motor. The 150-600 uses 95mm threaded front filters vs. drop-in filters, and it has a 2x higher maximum magnification, 0.34x vs. 0.17x. The 150-600 is dramatically less expensive — 25% as much — but 600mm f/6.3 does not create the 600mm f/4 look.

Use the site's tools to create additional comparisons.

Summary

Back to Top

The overall high-performing, professional-grade Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS Sports Lens is a great choice for wildlife and sports photographers. The f/4 aperture is as wide as it gets at 600mm, and the zoom range differentiates this lens from all others.

If this lens's 500-600mm f/4 sharpness reached the level of the Sony and Canon 600mm f/4 primes, it would be game over for those other options.

In addition to the zoom range advantage, the Sigma 300-600 is dramatically more affordable than those primes. That the savings are enough to buy a pro-grade camera will capture the attention of many.