Sigma 50-500mm vs 150-500mm

Hello,
I am going to buy one or the other of these 2 lenses in the next few weeks to be used with my 1Ds mkII. The reviews I have read indicate the 50-500mm is a bit sharper than the 150-500mm. My question is if the images produced by these lenses are destined to be printed in sizes 8x10, 11x14 or 16x20 would you notice any difference in sharpness between the 2 lenses?
I will use the lens for landscape and some wildlife shots. I am leaning towards the 150-500mm because of the OS which will allow me to handhold it if I want to. Most times, however, I use a tripod with pan/tilt head for my landscapes. Your insight into this question will be most appreciated. Thank you.

Tim

The 50-500 is a wee bit sharper but the 150-500 has OS. The OS can make a big difference in clarity at those long focal length.

themadman wrote in post #9638485
The 50-500 is a wee bit sharper but the 150-500 has OS. The OS can make a big difference in clarity at those long focal length.

Second that.
Have you seen any comparisons? The difference in sharpness is not worthy "not having OS" IMHO.
The only way I'd trade my 150-500 for an 50-500 is if I needed the 50mm end... the sharpness itself is not enough since is so little different.

I use the 150-500 OS for birds and wildlife. I find that the OS is a necessity since it is not always possible to set up a tripod before the bird/animal leaves.

Thank you for your comments. Do you find your images sharp when you enlarge them to 16x20 or larger? My images will not be enlarged much beyond a 16x20 but I want them sharp at this size which is why my question about the difference in sharpness between the 2 lenses. Thank you.

Tim

I think the sharpness you achieve will mostly be down to your technique. Hand holding at 500 is not easy, and you need to know how to do it.

In any case, are these lenses the state-of-the-art for affordable very long telephoto lenses to fit Canon? Is there anything else to be considered?

raven4ns wrote in post #9639503
Thank you for your comments. Do you find your images sharp when you enlarge them to 16x20 or larger? My images will not be enlarged much beyond a 16x20 but I want them sharp at this size which is why my question about the difference in sharpness between the 2 lenses. Thank you.

Tim

Any of the hand held images I've done with it at 500mm easily hold up at that print size.

The thing to remember is not all your shots will be sharp even with the OS, so shoot sequences because the OS sometimes gets confused and causes motion blur when it shouldn't.

I suspect you would be more likely to get more useable sharp images with the 150-500 with OS, rather than possibly slightly better IQ of the 50-500 without OS.