Shoot-out: Sigmonster vs. 500 f4 L IS

Just got the 500 f4 L IS to complement my Sigmonster. Before using the 500, I did a test to know the weaknesses and strengths of each lens.

It took me almost the whole day today to perform the test, as I had to be very, very careful with each shot.

But the results are worth it - I can now go out and bird with my new 500 f4 L IS, knowing how to best utilize it and the Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG) at whatever situation that develops in the field.

The test covers 500 mm all the way to 1400/1600 mm and is presented as an assembly of crops, with my comments and conclusion embedded.

Warning - 1.82 MB assembly of crops:

http://www.pbase.com/l​iquidstone/image/58879​465/original

Regards,

Romy

WOW! The Sigmonster is a hell of a lens!

That was an excellent comparo. I'd love to be able to do something like that, but alas I lack both the time and the talent and knowledge.

Might I suggest, though, that it might have been better to have used a subject with perhaps finer details, perhaps also something that had color would have shown a great deal more.

Please don't take that as criticism. I truly enjoyed your post.

mark

Good job Romy, thank you for share.

a very nice side by side shoot out thanks for taking the time to do it and show us.
Rob.

congats of the new lens Romy. ive always loved your work, go get em.

Great test Romy.Thanks.

Romy:
Thanks for posting your test results. I shall, hopefully, be in the position to decide between both those lenses and your post has been a felp in making that decision.

cheers,
jim

Great test Romy. I'm sure alot of people are curious how they fare, but not many people have the kah-ching-ching $$$ to own both.
The test has answered a lot of questions.

Excellent work, thanks very much for taking the time to put this together. Very informative!

WT

Excellent comparison Romy! Thanks for sharing.

That Sigmonster certainly is the D's B's! I wonder if Sigma will ever modify the design to integrate their OS system?

Nice work man!

liquidstone wrote:
Just got the 500 f4 L IS to complement my Sigmonster. Before using the 500, I did a test to know the weaknesses and strengths of each lens.

It took me almost the whole day today to perform the test, as I had to be very, very careful with each shot.

But the results are worth it - I can now go out and bird with my new 500 f4 L IS, knowing how to best utilize it and the Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG) at whatever situation that develops in the field.

The test covers 500 mm all the way to 1400/1600 mm and is presented as an assembly of crops, with my comments and conclusion embedded.

Warning - 1.82 MB assembly of crops:

http://www.pbase.com/l​iquidstone/image/58879​465/original

Regards,

Romy

You need to try the 500 on a 5D if you have the cash to get all those expense lenses.

Thanks for the comments, guys. Now that pixel peeping for the new lens is dispensed with, I can go out and bird....

Mark, a finely printed flat sheet (in this case a 10 dollar bill) is the best test subject I can get my hands on. A 3D subject like a stuffed toy with fur detail will bring in some more variables to control, like DOF and point-of-focus issues.

As far as colors are concerned, I guess I just have to shoot the 500 at birds and see if it performs as expected. Will post the bird pics as I get them with the Canon prime.

Regards,

Romy

Thanks, 5D is a great camera for a lot of things, but for my application (birding, where I'm always focal length limited), its pixel pitch is not the best option.

Regards,

Romy