Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Review

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Review:

Sigma has really been on a roll lately, especially when it comes to L mount.  They have been busy producing lens after lens to fulfill what seems like every photographer’s needs.  Apparently, they haven’t stopped yet because they have just announced the new Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens.  With a range like this, there just isn’t anything quite like it out right now, especially in L mount.  Thanks to Sigma, I was able to get my hands on this lens before its release date to give it a test drive, and let’s just say, this is a review definitely worth reading, if you find yourself needing an optic with this kind of capability.

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Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Build Quality:

Let’s start off taking a look at the build, which by the way, is excellent.  With a 10x zoom lens, and a range of 60-600mm, it’s pretty much a given that this lens isn’t going to be ultra compact.  The dimensions are 119.4mm x 279.2mm / 4.7 x 11 in with a filter size of 105mm.  Therefore, it is especially important that it’s robust because of how much needs to be supported but at the same time, as light weight as possible to make it easier to manage and use.  So, Sigma used what they call a “multi-material structure” in which materials like magnesium, CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), and TSC (thermally stable composite) are used throughout the lens.  This all gives us what we want, which is something that is solidly built, and can withstand years of constant use but at the same time, something that isn’t super heavy for its overall size.  The weight is only 2,495 g/5.5 lbs, which is actually quite good considering the focal length range of this lens.

↑ The Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens attached to the Panasonic S5.

↑ Here’s what’s included.  A hard plastic lens cap is also included but not pictured here.

I don’t normally shoot with lenses that have such a long range because the type of photography I do, doesn’t require it.  I don’t really do much nature or sports photography, so I used this lens for the stuff that I generally like to shoot, which meant I was carrying it around with me all over New York City almost like a street lens :).  I was pleasantly surprised at how portable this lens is, and considering the zoom range is so long with it ending at 600mm, I was amazed at how easy it is to use.

↑ Here’s the zoom fully extended.

For one, the image stabilization on the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is a godsend.  The optical stabilizer (OS) uses a newly developed algorithm called OS2, which improves stabilization by up to 7 stops at the wide end, and 6 stops at the telephoto end.  Bottom line is it works, and it does so fantastically.  When I was walking around New York City to get shots, I was shooting handheld, and I was downright shocked at how low of a shutter speed I could get away with even at the 600mm range.

In addition, the 60-600mm is equipped with two OS modes: Mode 1 is good for general shooting, while Mode 2 is best used for panning shots of things like motor sports, for example.  There’s an algorithm in Mode 2 that helps enable effective IS even when the camera is moved vertically or diagonally, regardless of the horizontal or vertical position of the picture, so that the movement of the subject can be expressed without losing the effect of panning shots.

↑ The image stabilization is great.  This was taken using 800 ISO and f6.3.  I was able to handhold this with no support whatsoever (like leaning on a wall, for example).  It was taken with just 1/125s.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the image above.  If you click on it, you’ll see that it is tack sharp.

Of course, considering the immense zoom range, there were times I did shoot with a tripod when I had the luxury of being able to use one, since I am testing this lens, and I wanted perfect shots for examples.  For these moments, the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens itself incorporates an Arca Swiss compatible magnesium alloy tripod socket.  If you need to, the leg can be removed, and replaced with other interchangeable tripod sockets (sold separately) or even attached to a monopod.

↑ Here are some of the switches and buttons.

Since this lens is designed to be used for sports, and even nature photography, it’s also dust and splash resistant.  The mount area, the manual focus ring, the zoom ring, switches, switch panel and exterior connection all are dust and splash resistant.  The front of the lens also has a water, and oil repellent coating.  I was on a roof one night grabbing some shots of the buildings around New York City, and there was a point when it was drizzling.  I am happy to report that I had no issues operating the lens.

Lastly, there are several other features that make it much more convenient to use this lens, such as, three AFL buttons.  You can use the USB DOCK UD-11 for L mount to set OS operation or focus limiter range for the Custom Mode switch.  The 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is also compatible with the TC-1411 (1.4x), and TC-2011 (2.0x) teleconverters, so technically, you could end up with a whopping 1200mm range, if you wanted.  It’s worth mentioning that Dual Action Zoom is supported, which means you can use the zoom ring for precision, and for a swifter response, grasping the end of the zoom for straight zooming.  What I also found very helpful is the Zoom Lock switch, which can be used at all marked focal distances.  The lens also comes with a lens hood that is reversible for easy storage.

↑ This is the 60-600mm f4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens with the lens hood attached.

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Autofocus:

As for the autofocus, the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens uses a newly developed High-Response Linear Actuator motor (HLA) to aid in its focusing.  I found the autofocus to be fast, and essentially silent in operation.  There wasn’t really any drama with focusing.  For example, I was chasing after a couple of flying seagulls (I was in New York City, and I’m not normally a nature photographer, so it was the subject I had), and the autofocus was able to keep up with these birds flying.  Me capturing them before they flew out of my frame was a different story :).  The point is the autofocus works, and works quite well.  I also did do some night shooting of buildings, as I mentioned before, and the autofocus was quite reliable.

Features I want to mention about focusing as well is for one, there is also a Focus Limiter switch, so you can limit the focus range, if necessary.  Depending on your situation, this might help you get quicker focusing.  Also, the minimum focusing distance at the wide end is 45cm, and at 200mm, the maximum magnification ratio is 1:2.4, so this lens can be used as a telephoto macro lens, which only increases the versatility of the 60-600mm.  As for tracking, since I had an early released version of this lens for testing, I was only using the beta firmware.  The production firmware will offer significantly improved tracking when compared to the beta firmware.

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Image Quality:

According to Sigma, this is the world’s first, and only mirrorless 10x ultra-telephoto zoom, which is already quite impressive.  However, what makes this even more impressive is that it also has the optics to back it up.  The Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is comprised of 27 elements in 19 groups (2 FLD and 3 SLD), and overall, I found the optics to be excellent.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 60mm focal length using f9 and 100 ISO.  I shot this handheld with 1/100s.

↑ I used the 228mm focal length here along with f9 and 100 ISO.

↑ I used the 74mm focal length along with 100 ISO and f8.

For one, this lens produces beautifully sharp images just like another Sigma lens around this range that I tested previously, the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens (review here).  All the details just pop out with such clarity.  Even at its largest aperture opening, images are tack sharp nearly the entire frame.  As you stop down by just a little bit, the overall image sharpness improves slightly.   Overall, this lens performs superbly throughout its aperture range, and yields excellent results, so I just used the setting I felt was best for my pictures.  If I needed to blur the background, I used a large aperture.  If I wanted more in focus, I stopped my lens down.  I was always satisfied with the results.

↑ Here’s a wide open shot using 600mm handheld.  800 ISO was used here.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

↑ Here’s another wide open shot using the 399mm focal length.  400 ISO was used.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.  As you can see, everything is tack sharp.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 245mm focal length.  I used f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.  If you click on the image, you can see that this lens is SHARP.

Other features of the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens include excellent color rendering and contrast.  There’s beautiful depth to the images, and honestly, I just love the detail that this lens is able to retrieve.  There is a little vignetting at wide open aperture but nothing out of the ordinary.  Stopping down a bit reduces vignetting significantly.  As for flare, I didn’t really have an issue with it.  In other words, I found this lens to be highly flare resistant.  Overall, this is just a beautiful lens that performs stunningly.

↑ This was taken using f11 and the 83mm focal length.  I used 800 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 207mm focal length using f8 and 400 ISO.

↑ This was taken using 1000 ISO and f11 with the 149mm focal length.

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Bokeh:

Let’s discuss depth of field now.   As you can see, in order to make this lens a more manageable size, Sigma had to design it with a more modest maximum aperture range.  However, given its telephoto capabilities, the depth of field can still get quite shallow.  So, if you need a thin depth of field for say portraits, for example, this lens can definitely produce it.

↑ Here’s a wide open shot taken using the 600mm focal length and 400 ISO.

↑ This is a handheld shot, and keep in mind the seagull was turning his head quite quickly.  However, the quick autofocus, and excellent image stabilization helped me capture a tack sharp image using 600mm.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with f6 and the 213mm focal length.  I used 400 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.  This was a moving ferry but look at how sharp those words are on the boat.

↑ This was taken with the 600mm focal length wide open.  I used 400 ISO.

As for the quality of the bokeh, it is velvety smooth.  I feel Sigma lenses in general (at least the ones that I’ve tested) produce excellent bokeh, and the 60-600mm follows in this tradition.  There’s nothing distracting or harsh to my eyes.

Pros And Cons:

Pros:

• Build quality is excellent.
• Image stabilization is fantastic.
• Great features on the lens.
• Relatively compact and light considering its focal length zoom range.
• Dust and splash protection.
• Great autofocus.
• Excellent image quality.
• Reasonably priced. 

Cons:

• For some, the maximum aperture range might be a little slow.  It really depends on what you’re looking for.

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Verdict:

The 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is an extremely versatile optic that is another fantastic addition to the L Mount Alliance.  Having something with such a wide focal length range is downright incredible.  What makes it even better is the build, the autofocus, and of course, the optics.  I should also mention the image stabilization, since it saved me quite a bit.  In my opinion, this lens is another winner from Sigma.

↑ This was taken with the 432mm focal length and f11.  I used 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 461mm focal length.  I used 100 ISO and f6.2.

The only issue for some is the 60-600mm has a modest maximum aperture range.  So, if you need something for available light work, for instance, it will be a little more difficult to use this lens.  In other words, like all lenses, it really depends on the photographer’s needs.

↑ Heres a photo I took using the 227mm focal length and f9.  I used 800 ISO.

↑ Here’s a wide open shot I took using the 577mm focal length.  I used 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a wide open shot taken with the 600mm focal length and 800 ISO.  Notice the sharpness of the boats name.

With that said, this lens is really designed to be an all in one zoom that covers a huge range all while also being lighter in weight, and more compact.  In order to make it easier to carry around, the trade off was a smaller maximum aperture range.  With the high ISO capabilities of many cameras these days, and the amazing image stabilization, the trade off will definitely be worth it to many.  This is a very portable lens considering its shortest focal length is 60mm, while its longest is 600mm.  Plus, for what I shot, I did find myself stopping down quite a bit as well, so for me, having a more compact, and lighter lens was more important.

↑ This was taken using f8 and the 85mm focal length.  I used 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo taken with the 389mm focal length and f10.  I used 100 ISO.

↑ The 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens makes a great addition to any L mount system.

If you’re an L mount user, and you’re in the market for a long telephoto with a lot of flexibility, the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is a brilliant option.  The range is incredible, and with just this one lens, you can cover so much overall.  The retail is also $1,999, which is reasonable, and it will be available mid-February 2023.  As a Leica user, I am extremely happy to see something like this come out where I don’t need any adapters or anything like that to use a lens.  I’ve been a Leica user for decades, and let’s be honest, lenses like this just don’t come up that often.  It’s just really nice to see something like this, and from a very respected company like Sigma as well.  And speaking of, Sigma has just been producing hit after hit for the L Mount Alliance.  This is definitely another win for them in my book.  For those that need this type of range, I can’t recommend it enough.

For those interested, you can read my Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens as well.  It’s right here.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If you’re considering purchasing this lens, and my review helped, please consider purchasing from any of the links mentioned in this review, which in turn, helps support this site.  I get a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra.  Thank you!

Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports at B&H Photo

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