Sigma strikes hard with its first 300-600mm F4: the Télézoom which risks shaking Sony and Canon

A white model

The manufacturer has just launched a brand new professional superzoom for the 24×36 mm Full Frame hybrids: 300-600mm F4 DG OS | Sports. This is a first in more ways than one for Sigma. Already, it is the first time that they have rubbed this kind of focal length beaches and it is also the first time that the manufacturer has made the choice of a familiar white covering of professional sports and animal photographers working at Canon and Sony. Why white? To be seen and recognized on the edges of stadiums! To instantly identify professional equipment… and also to optimize the temperature of the objective on long shots in full sun.

A 300-600 mm is a zoom designed to photograph from afar and tight. Used on an APS-C hybrid (such as Sony A6700 For example), it is equivalent to a 450-900 mm. The L-mount version is also compatible with SIGMA 1.4x and 2x focal converters to maximum 1200 mm in full frame and even 1800 mm in APS-C. Sport and the animal are therefore the obvious disciplines online for this objective.

High -end performance expected

In addition, this objective is bright and offers a maximum constant f4 opening ensured by a circular diaphragm with 13 strips. It will therefore be very agile to have the same exposure parameters whatever the focal length used, to work serenely indoors or at night under artificial lighting not very bright and, of course, to play with remarkable bokeh effects on long focal lengths of this caliber.

This new zoom in all superlatives is based on an ultra -complex optical formula composed of 28 elements divided into 21 groups including 6 FLD glasses and 1 SLD glass. The manufacturer has published MTF measures which suppose very high level optical performance and even with the use of a focal lecturer. We find the Super Multi-Layer Coating and the Effective Nano Porous Coating against Flare and Ghost images. The objective is also compatible with the processing of digital optical corrections on board in the boxes, especially for chromatic aberrations.

Rapid motorization

On the autofocus side, there is an HLA Linear Sigma motorization fast, precise and silent. The minimum focusing distance at 300 mm is 2.8 m and 4.5 m in 600 mm.

The objective is obviously stabilized optically and the manufacturer announces a gain up to 5.5 in 600 mm thanks to the second generation OS2 algorithms. Stabilization can be done on 2 axes or only vertically to make thread effects.

From an ergonomic point of view, this is an imposing objective. If we talk about its version in Sony E mount, we must deal with almost 47 cm long and 16.7 cm in diameter for a weight of almost 4 kg, without sun-shaped. Note that the objective has a constant size design (focal length and development).

This is an objective designed for the field, particularly robust (made of magnesium and carbon alloy) and protected against bad weather. There is a fastening collar for tripod, an imposing sun visor, a system of drawers to use ND circular filters or small diameter polarizers. The objective has many adjustment and configuration options: zoom ring, manual focusing ring, programmable ring, programmable buttons, switches, limitators. It is also compatible (in the l but only) with a USB dock for programming and the firmware update.

Availability and price

The Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS | Sports will be available in April and offered at a price of € 7,000.

First opinion

Sigma strikes very hard with this new 300-600mm F4 DG OS | Sports and comes to the reserved land of Canon, Nikon but especially Sony which offer nothing equivalent in their ranges. In 600 mm and at F4 in frame E, you must turn to a fixed focal length, the Sony FE 600 mm F4 GM OSS offered at a price of 14,000 euros! In comparable focal lengths at Sony we can also mention the FE 200 – 600 mm F5.6 – 6.3 g oss Proposed at a price of 1900 euros **, ** less bright and without constant opening.