The updated Sigma 60-600MM DG DN OS Sports lens takes decent macro photos and has an incredible zoom range. Even after watching over a dozen reviews of this superzoom lens, I was skeptical of the possible macro capabilities. I was particularly wary of how it would perform under handheld conditions. After spending about 20 hours shooting with it at track meets, my skepticism is gone.

The images above and below were both shot at the Harvard-Westlake Senior Day Invitational. The bee was shot at the 200MM focal length, and the high jump photo was shot at 600MM. The minimum focal distance for this lens is 17.7 inches, just past the end of the barrel at 200MM. While the camera has an overall magnification spec of 0.42x, at 200mm, the lens has a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.4, allowing it to be used as a telephoto macro lens as well.

I purchased the lens specifically to photograph track meets. I felt it would allow me to capture a wide range of images. For example, the two photos below were taken from the same location on the track. I was one meter from the edge of the track for the hurdle shot and fifty meters from the pole vault bar. A single lens captured all of these images. And decent macro photos too. It may never come off my camera… so long as there is adequate light. 🙂