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Today I tested my sigma 60-600mm lens and I was really disappointed by the quality of the images produced.

I use a Nikon Z6ii and the FTZ (v1) adapter and everything is fine with my other F-mount lenses. But with the Sigman 60-600 it is impossible to get any image with a minimum of sharpness. I tested the automatic focus and the manual focus but nothing works.

I have tested several apertures and I have the strong impression that this has no effect on the sharpness of the images produced.

Do you know what could help me to know what's going on? I'm not sure if it's a faulty lens, or a bad compatibility between the Z6ii and the sigma 60-600? (quickly tested on a D7100 and got the same results so I don't think that's it)

Here is a sample image: Here is an example

EXIF: F/6.3 - ISO 100 - 1/1250 - 600mm. I used a tripod, no teleconverter, for the manual focus I used the in view magnification (the + loop sign) and focused right in the middle. Lens image stabilization was set to off.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ For the EXIF: F/6.3 - ISO 100 - 1/1250 - 600mm I used a tripod, no teleconverter, for the manual focus I used the in view magnification (the + loop sign) and it was very difficult to find a sharp point. \$\endgroup\$
    – Niv_873
    Commented Apr 11, 2022 at 20:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ In the sample image, where was the focus point? \$\endgroup\$
    – Bob Macaroni McStevens
    Commented Apr 11, 2022 at 21:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ Right in the middle. \$\endgroup\$
    – Niv_873
    Commented Apr 11, 2022 at 21:09
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    \$\begingroup\$ Was lens image stabilization on? If so, have you tried using the lens on the tripod with IS disabled? \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
    Commented Apr 11, 2022 at 22:08
  • \$\begingroup\$ The lens image stabilization was off the entire session (via the swicth on the lens). I didn't even think to change this parameters. For the body sensor stabilization I don't know. \$\endgroup\$
    – Niv_873
    Commented Apr 11, 2022 at 22:23

2 Answers 2

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I use the 60-600 w/ the FTZ-ii on the Z9 and I get very good results. There is a firmware update to the FTZ to bring it up to the Vii, but I highly doubt that is your issue. And with adapted lenses on the Z cameras IBIS is controlled by the VR switch on the lens, so it was off.

The fact that you were not able to achieve better focus manually, and that you got the same results on another body, indicates 3 possibilities.

  1. A low quality filter on the front of the lens
  2. Environmental degradation over distance (e.g. heat waves)
  3. A damaged lens

If there is a filter on the lens I would remove it and retest at shorter distances. If neither of those are the cause, I would send it in for repair.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Oh I didn't think about the filter! In fact, yes I put a cheap UV filter to protect the lens front element. I will make some test and update. Thank you for this lead! \$\endgroup\$
    – Niv_873
    Commented Apr 12, 2022 at 14:02
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think the UV filter (XIT MULTI-COATED HD ULTRAVIOLET FILTER 105MM) has an influence of the sharpness produced. Here is an album without and with the filter on the lens. EXIF: F/8 - ISO 500 (ISO 640 for the second one) - 1/500 - 600mm. However the difference seems to be minimal. Here is the setup I used and I focused on the 40mm mark \$\endgroup\$
    – Niv_873
    Commented Apr 12, 2022 at 14:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ I agree the effect of the filter seems minimal... but these results are exponentially sharper. So it seems like #2 is most probable. A related factor is temperature differences between the lens and the environment... e.g. if the lens had just been pulled from a warm car on a cold day. \$\endgroup\$
    – Steven Kersting
    Commented Apr 12, 2022 at 15:18
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An other answer could be the lens hood as explained in this video.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Links can become broken, resulting in an answer that has no information. \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 14:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. \$\endgroup\$
    – Community Bot
    Commented May 6, 2022 at 23:30

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