Much depends on one's physical status.
Personally, while I have both tripods and monopods, I generally shoot hand-held to get the speed of location and tracking of my subjects. Since most of my work is with telephoto lenses that, by their very nature, are heavier I do weight training so I can easily handle them - and that imperative is also very good for my general health as loss of muscle mass is a real challenge for us as we get older, and I am approaching 71.
The Sigma 150-600c is relatively lightweight at 1,830g compared to my 60-600s at 2,700g. A lot depends on technique - I don't stand for long periods with arms extended and the lens against my face, I have the lens in ported mode, cradled against my chest in such a position that I can bring it up within a second and shoot. I actually saw this technique being taught by a Ukrainian master sergeant to a newbie on the front line when he was at the ready with his assault rifle.
There are many reviews out there from folks who have used the Sigma, and some comparing it to the Tamron (which I have not used, but respect Ernie's experience).
sigma 150-600mm contemporary - YouTube one of the most detailed is that from Dustin Abbott:
Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 OS Contemporary Super Telephoto Review - YouTube
Since Joe is using the Canon EOS R6MkII, one of the biggest questions is how the lens (and any EF mount alternative) will work on his MILC camera. There has been a fair bit of traffic about the performance of the Sigma 150-600c in particular in that context - given its popularity, especially from people using the Canon EOS R7.
There have been some complaints that the camera/lens combo causes focus 'pulsing', where the system goes rapidly in and out of focus. The initial postings of this by Australian photographer Duade Paton, where he conducted a fairly unscientific experiment with one body and a borrowed lens were (as usual with the web) amplified significantly in responding posts.
I spent some time and effort looking at this situation. First, from what I understand Mr Paton's experiment involved one camera and one lens with one system configuration and technique. He was shooting on a tripod, with OIS and IBIS active, using Eye tracking and multi-point metering, and with the shutter set to fully electronic at 30 fps. To my knowledge he did not try other variations. While I respect his effort, my conclusion is that this is a very specific set of elements and does not constitute an experiment from which one can make valid generalizations.
Sigma went out of their way to produce a video demonstrating that their 150-600c (amongst others) worked fine with a Canon R6 body and I posted about this: Sigma Video on their lenses adapted to the RF moun... - Page 2 - Canon Community Like Mr Paton's experiment, this could be considered fairly unscientific, but that video indicated that the system worked fine and what is more significant is they put their name behind that statement. What is apparent to me is that the two used very different methodologies. The Sigma demonstration used the R6, a FF sensor with a much more modest pixel density than that of the R7 (20MP for the R6 vs 82MP [equivalent] for the R7).
They shot hand-held and this, combined with the pixel density is significant, because those pixels are used for focusing and there is a lot more data for the system to process for that. My suspicion is that the pulsing the R7 is caused by the multi-point autofocus switching rapidly between tiny elements on the subject deciding to get a lock or not as the OIS generates tiny movements in the light getting to the R7 sensor. Furthermore, there is some evidence that with the R7, turning of OIS and leaving the IBIS (or vice versa) produces a more reliable solution. Finally, shooting at 30 fps full electronic is problematic on the R7 because its data bus is just not up to keeping up with the huge amount of data running through at 30fps, and this alone accounts for significant rolling shutter as the image is refreshed down the sensor when viewing a moving object, but this signal latency could also account for focus pulsing as the sensor attempts to refresh the rows in rapid succession. This deserves more research...
However, my general point is that the R7 is a very different beast from an R6 or R6II. The pixel densities are massively lower, and the R6 and R7 series have a better focusing system designed for FF. The R7 used a modified version of the R3 focus system, which was designed for a FF 23MP sensor and thus a very different beast. I have never experienced pulsing with the R6 bodies or my 45MP R5, and I have shot quite a few images with that lens body combo. However, my methodology is quite different: single point focus, with eye tracking, hand-held, 12 fps mechanical shutter. Using a much reduced number of focus points puts a lot less throughput as regards processing of tracking data. As long as I get the initial lock, the system stays in focus.
I fully appreciate that my method is mine and others may use different setups, so it would be interesting to see specific information from members shooting with the R6 and R6II, using the Sigma 150-600c to comment on their experience, and detail their shooting setups.
cheers, TREVOR
The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris
