Jack Howard
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Jack Howard is a lifelong photographer and author of two editions of the how-to book, Practical HDRI. Based in Central Jersey, Jack's go-to photography spots are backroads and beaches of his home state. He loves to travel far and wide with his wife and daughter, visiting national parks, museums, tropical islands and more along the way.

The SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary versus the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports

Last year, Sigma announced a pair of zoom lenses for full-frame cameras, the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports and 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary. With identical focal lengths and apertures, and advanced feature sets including the Sigma-exclusive lens customization, these two new champion zoom lenses share a significant amount of DNA. So, what is the difference between the Sports and Contemporary version of the Sigma 150-600mm zoom lenses?

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art: First Look

Patrick Santucci and I had a few days to check out the first sample of the new 24mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens to arrive in the US, right before it was shipped off to WPPI for the big…

Why Circular Polarizers Still Matter

Why circular polarizers still matter: A high quality circular polarizer is still one of the most important accessories for any photographer’s bag. And the new Sigma Weather-resistant Circular Polarizers offer incredible performance, weather-tough design, and a fantastically upgraded case with grip arcs that keep the filters from rattling around in the bag.

A Long Look at Winter with the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG HSM OS | Sports

Photography in winter can be a challenge. And when I say “winter”, I’m not talking of winter in the sense of majestic snowcapped peaks framed by freshly powdered pines with perfect golden light and firetone brushstroke clouds, I’m talking more of the winter of dirty refrozen slushpiles downtown three frigid days after a mid-January sleetstorm around 11:17 on a grey Tuesday morning when it seems there’s nothing magical left in the world worth getting out of warm car with a camera for.

Winter has its challenges, for sure, especially in the deciduous zones, where skeleton trees thrust bony fingers at the sky, and vistas and sweeping wild scenes are brushed widely with swaths of stingy browns and grays, instead of the festive pastels of spring, the lush greens of summer and the fall fireworks palette. But winter has it own charms and own rewards, and for photographers looking to challenge themselves and experiment, it can be a great time to get out and explore with a long lens, like the new 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG HSM OS | Sports lens.

Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 | Sports: Hands-On

The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports has been generating a ton of buzz since its announcement at photokina in September 2014. This Sports update of the 150-500mm supertelephoto zoom lens is one of two 150-600mm zoom lenses announced at the show, along with the 150-600mm DG OS HSM | Contemporary.

Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 | Contemporary: Hands-On

The Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM Macro | Contemporary is the newest all-in-one camera lens in the Sigma lineup, and offers a high 16.6x zoom ratio, 1:3 macro magnification, Optical Stabilizer, in a lens that covers wide angle to supertelephoto in a single, lightweight lens.

Sigma Global Vision: The Journey Continues

What a difference a couple of years makes!

Two years ago, we were gearing up for PhotoPlus, just days after the announcement of the Sigma Global Vision at photokina 2012. We were preparing ourselves for discussions and briefings to explain the philosophy behind the three new lines being offered.

At that time, many photographers and technical editors were confused as to what Art, Sports, and Contemporary was meant to convey in a lens name. We spent a lot of time that fall explaining the way that Sigma is rethinking lenses and how this relates to the three new lens markings.

Taking Creative Control: Understanding Aperture and F/Stops

Of the three main variables relating to creative and artistic control on DSLR and compact interchangeable cameras–aperture, shutter speed and ISO– aperture control, is for many beginners, the most difficult to grasp. Have no fear, we’re here to help. Learning how and when to select a wide or narrow aperture unleashes the creative and expressive potential of your camera’s lenses.

SIGMA 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM vs SIGMA 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A

Adding either of these Sigma 50mm F1.4s camera lenses to your kit is a great idea. Is the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A or 50mm F1.4 EC DG HSM right for you?

Somewhat Secret Superpowers of Camera lenses

The greatest thing about interchangeable camera lenses is the variety of optical designs, from ultrawide to supertelephoto and everything in between, that offer an incredible amount of variety for visual expression, creativity, and optical performance optimized for different photographic situations. And while it may be sometimes completely and totally obvious what types of photography a certain lens excels at—for example, everyone knows that Macros are designed to capture close-up details; telephoto lenses are great for long-reach wildlife and sports from the sidelines—many styles of camera lenses have lesser-known secret superpowers that can be called upon to make a photo. Let’s take a look!