Conclusion

The Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports lens is a much more affordable alternative to similar lenses from Canon and Nikon without any sacrifice in image quality or performance. With the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM retailing for £7600 and the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR priced at £8000, the Sigma 500mm f/4 is substantially cheaper.

The Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports is tack-sharp at both the centre and edges of the frame when stopped down by one-stop, and it's also very good even when shooting wide-open. Vignetting is apparent at f/4, but it almost completely disappears by f/8, or it can be easily removed in post-processing. Chromatic aberrations are noticeable only by their absence, and distortion is very well controlled too. Optically, there's very little to complain about.

Build quality is excellent, with the brass lens mount and sober all-black design adding to the high-quality feel and the dust/splash-proof construction adding some peace of mind, plus there's a very good carbon fibre lens hood and padded case. It is a very heavy lens that you won't want to hand-hold for too long, though, and therefore best suited to life on a tripod/monopod. Focusing was very quick on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III that we tested the lens with, and manual focus over-ride is a great feature, as is the effective built-in optical image stabilisation system.

With the price of the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports significantly undercutting the main rival lenses from Canon and Nikon and image quality, build and performance all being top-drawer, we can heartily recommend the new Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports lens.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	5
Value for money	5