Review on Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM SLD Lens for Canon DSLR Camera - Ultimate Ultra Telephoto Zoom Lens by Chris Moody

I already had a Sigma 150-500mm, which I was very happy with. But this 50-500mm lens came on a lightning deal and I had booked a trip to Alaska at Brooks Lodge/Falls in July (when there are salmon and bears) so I settled on this lens. I'm very glad I did this. It was a 1.5 mile walk from the lodge to the falls and we only did it 9 times (2 days 1, 3 days 2-3 and 1 day 1). On the first trip I had a lot of gear with multiple lenses. but this single lens captured everything I wanted. So on later trips I would carry my body (Nikon D7100) with only this lens mounted on a tripod or monopod. I also carried a 35mm f1.8 dx prime lens in my bag but didn't generally use it. If I had stuck with my 150-500mm lens (which is a great lens) I would definitely have to pick up another zoom lens. I've read some reviews comparing this lens to my 150-500 and those reviews mention that the 50-500 isn't sharp at 500, but that's not my experience. My decisions were pretty sharp. I used a high ISO and fast shutter speed to capture the salmon leaping and eagle flight action and got some fantastic photos. I would highly recommend this lens as the 50-500 range (equivalent to 75-750 on my D7100 body) gives excellent utility. This is now my favorite wildlife lens. Before that I was split between a Sigma 150-500 (225-750 eq on the D7100) and my Nikon 28-300 FX (42-450 eq on the D7100). I will sell 150-500r. I will be leaving Nikon for shorter trips (or if I switch to full frame one day).