Compare lenses

Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM vs Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary

The Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM if you want a lighter lens (270 g against 615 g). Pick the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary if you want a brighter f/3.5 (1.0 stops more light), for dim light and softer backgrounds; more reach (to 450mm equivalent); a wider view (from 24mm equivalent); and a fit on more cameras (131 against 18 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
SpecCanon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STMSigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary
MakerCanonSigma
Focal length55-210mm (zoom)16-300mm (zoom)
Full-frame equivalent82-315mm on APS-C24-450mm on APS-C
Maximum aperturef/5-7.1f/3.5-6.7brighter
Made forAPS-CAPS-C
MountsCanon RFSony E, Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Canon RF, Nikon Z
Stabilisedyesyes
Autofocusyesyes
Zoom range3.8×18.8×more range
Weight270 glighter615 g
Cameras it fits18 in this guide131 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

142435508513520040080082-315mm equiv.Canon
Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM: 55-210mm on APS-C, like 82-315mm.
142435508513520040080024-450mm equiv.Sigma
Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary: 16-300mm on APS-C, like 24-450mm.

Aperture

f/5
Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM: f/5 wide open.
f/3.5
Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary: f/3.5 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

Sigma at 16mm · 74°Canon at 55mm · 25°Canon at 210mm · 7°Sigma at 300mm · 5°
How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

18 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM fits 18 and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary 131.

Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM

and 8 more

Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary

and 121 more

On their own pages