A Full Comparison of Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary vs Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

The Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary and the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS are two super-telephoto zoom lenses for Sony E-mount cameras with full-frame coverage.

They are both designed for wildlife, sports and landscape photography, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. In this comparison, we will look at the main differences between these two lenses, based on various sources¹²³⁴.

Table of Contents

The Differences: Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary vs Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

Focal Length and Aperture

The most obvious difference between these two lenses is their focal length range. The Sigma 100-400mm offers a 4x zoom ratio, covering from 100mm to 400mm, while the Sony 200-600mm offers a 3x zoom ratio, covering from 200mm to 600mm. This means that the Sony lens has more reach and magnification power than the Sigma lens, which can be useful for capturing distant or small subjects.

However, the Sigma lens has a wider angle of view at the short end, which can be useful for capturing more of the scene or for shooting in tight spaces. The Sigma lens also has a shorter minimum focus distance than the Sony lens, resulting in a higher maximum magnification ratio of 0.71x at 400mm versus 0.66x at 600mm.

Both lenses have a variable aperture that changes as you zoom in, meaning that they lose some light and depth of field control as you increase the focal length.

The Sigma lens has a maximum aperture of f/5 at 100mm and f/6.3 at 400mm, while the Sony lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 at 200mm and f/6.3 at 600mm. This means that the Sigma lens is slightly faster than the Sony lens at the wide end, but they are both equally slow at the tele end.

Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary

Optical Performance

Both lenses have complex optical designs that use various special elements to reduce chromatic aberrations, distortion and flare, and improve sharpness and contrast. The Sigma lens has 22 elements in 16 groups, including four SLD and one FLD elements, while the Sony lens has 24 elements in 17 groups, including five ED and one aspherical element.

They both also have optical stabilization systems that can compensate for camera shake and work in conjunction with the in-body stabilization of certain Sony cameras:

The Sigma lens has an OS switch with two modes (mode 1 for general shooting and mode 2 for panning).
The Sony lens has an OSS switch with three modes (mode 1 for general shooting, mode 2 for panning and mode 3 for erratic movement).

According to various reviews and tests¹²³⁴, both lenses deliver good optical performance overall, but they have some differences in terms of image quality:

The Sigma lens is sharp across the frame at most focal lengths and apertures, but it loses some sharpness at the corners and edges at 400mm, especially when shooting wide open or stopped down beyond f/11. The Sony lens is also sharp across the frame at most focal lengths and apertures, but it maintains its sharpness better at the long end than the Sigma lens.
Both lenses have some vignetting at all focal lengths when shooting wide open or close to it. The Sigma lens can be easily corrected in post-processing or by stopping down a bit. The Sony lens vignetting is less noticeable than on the Sigma lens.
The Sigma lens has some barrel distortion at the wide end and some pincushion distortion at the tele end, but they are not very severe and can be corrected in post-processing or by using the Lens Aberration Correction function on supported cameras. The Sony lens also has some barrel distortion at the wide end and some pincushion distortion at the tele end, but they are less noticeable than on the Sigma lens.
Both lenses have some chromatic aberrations at all focal lengths. For Sigma lens, it can be seen especially at the edges of the frame and when shooting against bright backgrounds or high-contrast scenes. They can be reduced by stopping down or by using the Lens Aberration Correction function on supported cameras. The Sony lens also has some chromatic aberrations at all focal lengths, but they are less noticeable than on the Sigma lens.
The Sigma lens has a super multi-layer coating and a nano porous coating to minimize flare and ghosting, but it can still show some flare when shooting against strong light sources or backlighting. The Sony lens has a nano AR coating to minimize flare and ghosting, and it handles flare better than the Sigma lens.

Autofocus Performance

These two lenses have fast and quiet autofocus performance, suitable for both stills and video shooting. The Sigma lens has a stepping motor (STM) that provides smooth and accurate focus, while the Sony lens has a linear motor (LM) that provides quick and precise focus.

They both also have a focus limiter switch that allows you to choose between three focus ranges: full (1.1m to infinity), close (1.1m to 6m) and far (6m to infinity) for the Sigma lens, and full (2.4m to infinity), close (2.4m to 10m) and far (10m to infinity) for the Sony lens. This can help speed up the autofocus performance by limiting the focus range to the desired distance.

Both lenses also have a customizable AFL button that can be assigned various functions via the camera menu, such as AF lock, AF on, eye AF, etc. The Sony lens also has three more customizable buttons on the lens barrel that can be assigned different functions as well.

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

Build Quality and Handling

Both lenses have high-quality build and design, with metal mounts and dust- and splash-resistant construction. However, the Sigma lens is not fully weather-sealed like the Sony lens, which has additional seals at the front element, zoom ring and focus ring.

Here are some more comparisons for the two lenses when it comes to their body quality and handling:

The Sigma lens is more compact and lightweight than the Sony lens, measuring 7.8 by 3.4 inches (HD) at its shortest setting and weighing 2.5 pounds, while the Sony lens measures 12.5 by 4.2 inches (HD) at its shortest setting and weighs 4.7 pounds. This makes the Sigma lens easier to carry around and handhold than the Sony lens, especially for long periods of time.

The Sigma lens extends when zooming, just about doubling in length at 400mm, while the Sony lens does not extend when zooming, maintaining its length at all focal lengths. This means that the Sigma lens may be more prone to dust or moisture entering the lens barrel than the Sony lens.

Both lenses have a zoom ring that rotates smoothly and evenly. Sigma lens has a lock switch that can prevent zoom creep or lock the lens at any focal length. The Sony lens has a torque adjustment ring that can adjust the resistance of the zoom ring from smooth to tight.

Both lenses have a focus ring that rotates smoothly and precisely. The Sigma lens has an AF/MF switch that allows you to switch between autofocus and manual focus modes. The Sony lens has an AF/MF switch that allows you to switch between autofocus and manual focus modes, as well as a DMF mode that allows you to fine-tune the focus manually after autofocus.

Both lenses come with a petal-shaped hood that can be reversed for storage. However, the Sigma lens does not include a tripod collar or foot. It sells an optional tripod socket TS-111 that can be attached to the lens barrel and provide proper balance when mounted to a tripod or monopod. The Sony lens has a tripod collar with an Arca-compatible foot that can be removed or rotated for different shooting angles.

The Sigma lens supports 67mm front filters, which is relatively small for a telephoto zoom of this range. This makes it easier to find and use filters such as polarizers or neutral density filters. The Sony lens supports 95mm front filters, which is relatively large for a telephoto zoom of this range. This makes it harder to find and use filters such as polarizers or neutral density filters.

Conclusion

The Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary and the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS are both excellent super-telephoto zoom lenses for Sony E-mount cameras with full-frame coverage, but they have different strengths and weaknesses.

The Sigma lens is more affordable, compact and lightweight than the Sony lens, making it more portable and comfortable to use. It also has a wider angle of view at the short end, a shorter minimum focus distance, a higher maximum magnification ratio, a slightly faster aperture at the wide end, and a smaller filter size than the Sony lens.

The Sony lens is more expensive, bulky and heavy than the Sigma lens, making it more cumbersome and tiring to use. It also has a narrower angle of