Sigma announced 3 lenses, 2 teleconverters, filters and a new Quattro camera, and we were able to play around with the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 OS Sport lens. They did not have the contemporary lens on display.
The new sport lens is built to the same standard as the 120-300 f/2.8 OS lens that Sigma released over a year ago. The focus and zoom rings are extremely smooth, and the autofocus was relatively quick on the 5D Mark III I borrowed to try the lens out with. The weight is well balanced and the lens doesn't expand as much as I thought it would when zooming to 600mm.
There's definitely a space in the market between the Tamron 150-600 f/5-6.3 VC ($1100) and the Canon EF 600 f/4L IS ($12,000). The added reach will also sway a lot of Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS ($1700) prospective buyers over to the Sigma camp if the autofocus can perform up the standards most birders and field sport photographers demand.
I suspect the contemporary version will be priced in the $1200 range, but we'll have to wait on the official word from Sigma.
As you can see from the image above, the Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 OS Sports series lens is bulkier and longer. Sigma told us that the lens is better built for the elements, autofocus performance and optical quality. At the $1999 price tag for the sports version of the lens, Sigma should be very competitive once again from a price standpoint.
Preorder: Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 C | Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 S | Sigma 18-300 f/3.5-6.3 C
Preorder: Sigma TC-1401 Teleconverter | TC-2001 Teleconverter
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