Recomendations for a telephoto lens for 6D

[basketballfreak6]

hey Helen, hope i am not too late to the party, i personally own the sigma 150-600 sports and for me it's been nothing short of phenomenal (for the price)

being a 3rd party 150-600 super zoom my expectations weren't actually that high, i just wanted a reasonably priced 600mm lens (got mine brand new on sale for $1700) but when i actually got to use it the lens blew my expectations out of the water

sharpness wise it is fantastic wide open at 600mm, is it the sharpest lens i've used? no definitely not, but it's not far off

auto focus wise it is very accurate, it doesn't focus as fast as my 70-200L 2.8 II or 24-70L 2.8 II (and it would be unfair to compare) but it's not far off, it's actually quite fast (and the recent firmware update has made it faster) but it's supremely accurate, it just find ways to nail focus, easily comparable to the 2 lenses i've mentioned (maybe i just got lucky and received a very good copy) accuracy wise

now the lens is heavy, and depends on your fitness it may be an issue, for me personally i am a pretty average built guy and i have not problem carrying it around with me for hours at a time simply using a r-strap, i shoot it 100% hand held, the OS works well i've gotten sharp shots at 1/50 shutter speed at 600mm out in the field, and not uncommon for me shooting at 1/100-150 speed when light gets low, you could always consider the C version which is a lot cheaper and lighter and from what i've seen not much difference image quality wise

House Sparrow by Tony, on Flickr

Superb fairy wren juvenile by Tony, on Flickr

Spotted Pardalote by Tony, on Flickr

Scarlett Honeyeater by Tony, on Flickr

[HelenClaire]

Hi Tony,

No you are not too late to put your 2 bob's worth in. Really appreciate your amazing photos which show how accurate this lens is. I actually was coming back to post a message to say I bought the Sigma contemporary and have taken it out once so far and love it. For me it feels good in my hands which is always a good indication that it is the right lens for me. I personally found the Canon 100-400mm was too bulky and I struggled to do hand held shots. The Sigma however is a completely different story. Had no trouble at all, it felt comfortable and lighter even though it is slightly heavier than the Canon. It's longer but more slender so doesn't feel monstrous. Once I have practiced and got some decent shots I will post them. Just getting the hang of it at the moment and playing around to get the feel of it but so far am very glad I made this choice.