In 2024, the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports was highly regarded in the PetaPixel’s ranking of Sigma’s 2024 optics. As one of Sigma’s high-end Sports lenses, it offers many pros and few cons. One of the most common requests we’ve seen has asked us to test its performance on one of the most challenging subjects: birds in flight.
PetaPixel has written about the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports several times: Jeremy Gray gave us the first introduction and rundown of the specs, Chris Niccolls questioned if it could be the perfect telephoto, and Jaron Schneider reported that the lens is so popular that Sigma couldn’t even keep up with orders.
The Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports for Sony E-mount is highly acclaimed for many reasons, not the least of which is how petite it is for a telephoto. This lens is lightweight at 1,370 grams (48.3 ounces) and compact at 23.5 centimeters (9.2 inches) long. As a fixed focal length lens, it hits all the optical quality points of reduced axial chromatic aberration, ghosting, and flare. Beyond that, this prime is stacked with features thanks to its optical stabilization, aperture ring, customizable buttons, and a removable Arca-Swiss compatible tripod foot.
As of early 2025, there aren’t any third-party 500mm telephoto primes for Sony E-mount with autofocus on the market. For wildlife, this could be the dream lens for many Sony photographers. However, it still has one final test to reach legendary status, and a significant hurdle stands in the way.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports: Frames per Second Limitations
Sony limits third-party lenses to 15 frames per second (fps) on its mirrorless cameras, presumably to make its lenses more attractive to photographers and maintain more control over its Alpha ecosystem. This means that even the flagship Sony a1 II, which normally photographs at 30 fps, would have its frames cut in half. Photographers wielding the Sony a9 III, with its blistering 120 fps, will be in tears at 15 fps.
For wildlife photographers, when tracking subjects with erratic or high-speed movement, high frames per second can mean a world of difference in capturing the right moment or missing it entirely.
Hopefully, a future firmware update will release the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports for Sony E from its fps shackles, but it’s unlikely. Despite the fps limitations and the lack of other options for fixed focal length lenses, this is still a strong choice for many photographers. The hefty weight of telephoto lenses is often a sticking point for many photographers. For others, the optical prowess of a professional grade prime is desirable over the versatility of a zoom. With its laundry list of features backing the optical performance, it ticks a lot of boxes for many. The real question is how the lens performs in the field.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports: Field Testing
In trying out the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, I wanted to test whether the fps limitations were felt in the field and examine its overall performance for wildlife photography. Aspects I look for in a wildlife lens are the ability for autofocus to lock-on to the subject and maintain continuous tracking. It is also important for the bokeh to be clean and the lens to be easily hand-held.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports: Autofocus
To test out the autofocus, tracking, and optical stabilization of the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, I brought it to photograph bald eagles. At the edge of a river, with several dozen adult and juvenile eagles actively catching fish, this was a great way to determine if the lens could keep up with action.
With the sky full of hungry eagles, the birds would soar over the water and then suddenly swoop at high speed to snatch fish near the surface. At times, the eagles flew in front of the forest across the river, and the lens still maintained its lock on the target. Surprisingly, I also found that the lens remained locked-on even when the birds flew towards and even directly over me.
Based on my experience, it tracked equal to or better than most third-party telephoto zooms. Maintaining tracking while hand holding is also easier with the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports versus those telephoto zooms due to the light weight of the lens.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports: Bokeh
I mostly enjoy using a shallow depth of field in my bird photography. My kit includes telephoto zoom lenses that reach f/6.3 when fully extended. While the number difference of f/5.6 may seem small, the one-third of a stop made a big difference in my results.
I often photograph from eye level or lower, which usually means I am sitting or lying on the ground. This perspective of photographing straight at my subject helps give the illusion of an extreme depth of field already. Combining that technique with a wide-open aperture meant my backgrounds were buttery smooth. Good light, photographing from ground level, and the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports fixed aperture of f/5.6 created a very pleasing look. The extra shallow depth of field to the telephoto images almost felt like it lent a cinematic or artful vibe to the photos. As a photographer who has spent many years at f/6.3, I could see the difference in the optical quality of the prime glass and the wider aperture.
To explore the bokeh of the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, I took the lens out to photograph birds at the shore. The rolling dunes, with their wafting long grass, were a perfect backdrop for winter wildlife. While photographing snowy owls, I purposefully created more environmental, portrait-style pictures to showcase the scenery. The layered compositions, with the subject in focus and the beach habitat fading into the creamy distance, were exactly my style. I enjoyed the depth of field at f/5.6 combined with the sharp optics of a prime to show off my subjects. With random gusts of wind, sand, and snow lending an extra layer to some of the images, they were certainly environmental portraits in every sense of the term.
Even small birds, like snow buntings that move quickly, were cleanly rendered with the lens and I was able to create a picture that I feel shows off the pleasant bokeh. In the image below, a flock of snow buntings feeds on the dune grass. With a shallow depth of field, the birds outside the focal plane are out of focus while the subjects are tack sharp. The contrast between the sharp and blurred birds moves the eye around the frame. Instead of motion blur, the image displays aperture blur and freezes the moment in time.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports: Hand Holding
The Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports is a solid, well-designed lens. However, I would tweak one aspect of it. While the lens is lightweight and short for a telephoto, the tripod foot was a sticking point for me.
Older Sigma lenses have longer tripod feet that even have ergonomic grip indentations for hand holding. The tripod foot on this lens is very tight to the camera body, so it is difficult to fit your hand between and hold it by the foot. The foot is too short for your entire hand to grip as just a few fingers fit around it, and the shape misses those indentations. In the cold weather, with gloves on while photographing wildlife, I found the foot a nuisance. In a lens so optimal for handholding in every other way, I yearn for the tripod foot design of the past.
The Light Weight is the Biggest Selling Point of the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports
All things considered, the pros greatly outweigh the cons for the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports. The 15 frames per second limitation may not be as important to some photographers, whether due to preference or gear. For example, a camera body like the Sony a7R V already maxes at ten frames per second anyway.
The tripod foot issue can be solved with a third-party replacement. Although I see several different types available online, none compare to the golden tripod foot of the older “Bigma” lenses like the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM.
Where the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports shines is as a lens to handhold. Maneuvering telephoto lenses or holding them for long periods can be a trouble spot for many photographers. While a monopod can help, it can be limiting when photographing wildlife that moves quickly and in all directions, like birds in flight.
The Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, combining its stellar optics with its light weight, helps it fill the role of a go-to lens for enthusiastic bird photographers. The weight difference is enormous compared to other popular birding lenses like the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS that weighs 79.2 ounces (2,245 grams), Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports at 87.7 ounces (2,485 grams), and Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS at 108.4 ounces (3,070 grams). At a mere 48.3 ounces (1,370 grams), the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports is much easier to use.
I felt the weight difference in my backpack when hiking and when photographing. I found that with such a lightweight lens, I could more easily follow the movements of the birds, even as they flew erratically or directly overhead. This improved my quality of life by avoiding muscle fatigue during long days in the field and increased my success rate for capturing the birds in flight.
With so many features and no true competition, the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports is a solid choice and an excellent example of what made 2024 such a great year for Sigma.
Image credits: Lens photographs courtesy of Sigma, all others by Kate Garibaldi
For Birders Who Handhold, the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 Sports Lens is the Ultimate Prime
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