So after clicking refresh on the UPS tracking page for my new lens all day long and being presented with info that didn't make it look promising that it would be delivered today, it finally showed up around 5PM. I do have to say, this lens is very nice.

Big. Heavy. Kind of intimidating. But very nice.

So one of the cool features of this lens that none of my other lenses has is Optical Stabilization which is Sigma's term for Image Stabilization (if you're a Canon person... or Vibration Reduction if you're a a Nikon person... or Vibration Compensation if you're talking Tamron lenses... you get the picture - and with any of these features regardless of the name, it should be a little sharper (sorry, bad pun)).

So naturally I wanted to see if the OS was worth all the hype.

At 500mm without OS

At 500mm with OS mode 1

At 150mm without OS

At 150mm with OS mode 1

All shots were taken at f/6.4 but the 150mm shots had a much longer shutter time for whatever reason (I wasn't looking to take quality shots, so I wasn't trying for perfection).

On a normal basis with a lens at 150mm, I have no problem holding the camera steady myself. With this lens, it simply is too heavy and bulky to be able to do that with the same level of ease.

I am, however, extremely impressed with the effect at 500mm.

The OS motor is semi-loud. Much louder than the auto-focus motor which is labeled as a HSM (hyper-sonic motor). The AF motor is near silent.

That's it for tonight, but I'm sure I'll post more about this lens in the coming weeks as I play with it more. I think the idea of a zoo trip this weekend has been kicked around already...

- Bill