Gambia 2016 - A return to the smiling coast

The Gambia...

The country that has captured my imagination and thoughts for years, ever since I became interested in wildlife really. I finally visited the smiling coast in November 2014 with AJ and, despite its brilliant moments, I came away feeling a little flat and almost disappointed by the experience. 

Don't get me wrong, the wildlife, local people, food and climate are fantastic. It was however the behavior of the "guides" around Kotu which soured a lot of the experience for me. This went beyond mere hassle or persistence to getting us arrested, along with our friend Dave, on our first morning in The Gambia. For the rest of the week the unjust and simply disgusting way that we had been treated for simply going for a morning walk with a friend stayed with me and I have vowed never to return to the coastal strip. 

This time however is different. A week long trip on my own to the coastal lands around the village of Kartong. Monitored by Colin Cross, once of Norfolk, this area is regarded by many as the best site in The Gambia. At just 1.1 miles long by 0.8 miles wide this area is about twice the size of Titchwell RSPB here in Norfolk. To date there has been over 350 species recorded at Kartong, and with so few birders present no doubt many things have gone amiss. 

The area is a mixture of reedbeds, pools, thick scrub, grassland, fragmented woodland and beach zone. This mixture of habitats is a fantastic mix for birds visiting as migrants and also for the resident species. A 2 hour walk around the site can reveal many species and almost all give superb views. The site is also home to breeding White-Fronted Plover, a rare breeder in the area now. 

As well as the typical and some rarer African species Kartong also attracts many Western Palearctic migrants that are more familiar to European birders. This adds to interesting array of species one can see at Kartong and means a surprise is often not too far away. 

From the 19th January I will be posting daily updates from my exploration of the area. With the area to myself for the week I am hoping to bring up a surprise species or two as well as photographing as many of the species present as I can. 

Next update on the 19th. Thanks!

Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary

After using the Canon 400mm L F5.6 for so long, and being generally happy with it, it was a bit of a gamble to consider changing it for any lens, let alone a sigma zoom lens.
Having owned the 120-400mm sigma a few years back made the decision even more of a gamble. The 120-400 wasn't a bad lens but the step up to the canon 400mm f5.6 was very noticable and it was an easy decision to change.
I also briefly owned the 120-300mm F2.8. Another fine lens, from F4, but not one I clicked with due to the weight and lack of reach trade off.

So after owning the canon 400mm f5.6 for around 2 1/2 years I have taken the plunge and gone for the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary.

First Impressions

The Sigma is a lens that oozes superb build quality and ruggedness. There isn't a weak component on it and i've been pleasantly surprised by just how well finished it is. It does lack the real proper weather sealing of the Sport series but for the most part it feels like its up to the job.

The size, especially at 600mm, is a little daunting for use as a walkabout lens, however I found that it is a comfortable lens to carry and the size really isn't a problem. The weight as well takes a few minutes to get used to. While not in the league of the 120-300mm Sport series lens this is still a weighty lens. It does however feel well balanced at every focal length when attached to my 1D mark iii.

Ergonomically it isn't perfect however. The zoom mechanism isn't the quickest and it takes quite a significant rotation to increase focal length quickly. The manual focus ring could also be a bit on the larger side, it can be difficult to locate it to start with on a lens of this size.

Overall the Sigma is a great lens to hold and use, a big step up over the older 150-500mm and 50-500mm offerings. Its use of high quality materials, which feel really well put together, and excellent weight distribution make this a lens you can pretty much pick up and use. Its weight and size are a bit daunting to start but once my arms were used to it then I found it easy to follow birds in flight.

So a good start, but not quite perfection. 8.5/10

Image quality

Coming from a lens as sharp and technically superb as the 400mm F5.6 Canon to a Sigma zoom had me seriously fearing a reduction in image quality.

I can't really fault the Canon so the Sigma is already on the back foot. However it quickly redeems itself by offering excellent sharpness from 150-600mm. At 600mm it does help to knock it down to F7.1 or F8 but even at F6.3, in good light, the sharpness is clearly there and it only takes some minor tweaking in lightroom to bring the images to a par with the Canon 400mm.

At the same focal length (400mm) and at the same aperture (F8) I actually think the Sigma could have a slight edge, but again it is nearly impossible to pick this up looking at the images as they are.

Colour, contrast and out of focus backgrounds are all excellent and make for enjoyable images. I don't really have the knowledge or experience to go into the crazy amount of detail that some reviewers go into but to my eyes the images are pleasing overall.

Overall, especially for the sub £800 price tag, the Sigma 150-600 performs very well and delivers excellent images, almost certainly on a par with the Canon 400mm F5.6 L.

9/10

Final thoughts

Overall i've been very pleased with my purchase. It is a big change going back to a large zoom lens, but not one I am regretting so far. The big acid test will come next week in The Gambia. I don't think I will regret changing lenses so close to going away and I am sure the Sigma will perform to the level I need it to.

Sample Images

Some images from my first day out with the lens