Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I originally was looking into the 70-300mm APO macro by Sigma and the 70-300mm lens by Canon. I chose this one because I was reading the reviews of the 70-300 by both comapnies, and it seemed that at the 300mm length the lens was very vey soft. Too soft to make a decent print. So I looked into this zoom range and it didnt bother me that it was only 200mm because I have the Canon XT and the 1.6x crop factor would make the zoom over 300 mm, which is more than I need. Plus, I saw pictures of this lens on one of the review site, and at the 200mm end, the pictures were not that soft! THey seemed like they could make a decent sized print.
Going with my hunch, I bought this 55-200 mm lens and boy am I glad I did!! The autofocus has great speed for the money I paid. Its a little noisy, but I actually like it. At the long end, I was using a shutter speed of 1\500 of a second and my hand shake (which you could def. see) was not apparent in teh photos. I would say at 1\150 and less would certainly make blurry pics. I plan on using a tripod at the long end for the most part. The build and feel of the lens is amazing. THe lens hood is awesome too. it goes over the lens and locks on the other way for easier carry around. and the speed of the lens is def. fast enough if you are out in broad daylight. Indoors things I believe would be a mess. Color rendition is quite nice as well. So overall, it is very sharp at the 55mm side, and decently sharp at teh 200mm size.
The only con I see is that you will need a step up ring for 58mm filters. I have a 58mm polarizer and was bummed about this...but step ups are really cheap, so its no biggy.
I bought this for my trip to AZ that I am going on soon. We will be going to the zoo and bird sanctuaries so it seems perfect for the occasion. I think this lens is amazing for the price. GO BUY IT!
*UPDATE* I just took some test shots. All from a tripod on a sunny day. I took 18 shots total, in the progression as follows: 55mm at f/4.0, 55mm at f\5.6, 55mm at f\8.0, 55mm at f\11.0, and I did this with the zoom lengths at 70mm, 105mm, 135mm, and 200mm respectively. All were shot with a Canon 350D. What I found was 55mm-105mm were sharp w\ all fstops, 8.0 and 11.0 being the best, but you couldnt really tell the difference. Then when it hit 135 mm, it was a bit soft at 5.0 and 11.0...8.0 was decently sharp, and then at 200mm the sharpest was at 11.0. When I say sharpest, I do believe it could make a pretty decent sized print. I mainly print 12x18 w/ my 350D, and I assume I could make that size print with this lens. There was some CA in all my shots, but I CS2 could easily fix it. I will update you after I come back from my trip to AZ!
*UPDATE*
Just got back from my trip. Went to the zoo with this lens and it is great! Took many pics, got some great shots of peacocks and parrots, etc. Feathers are really sharp. I also took pics of birds in their natural habitat. The lens was pretty sharp, and def. made decent photos. Autofocus hunts a bit, but for the most part, great lens!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sigma 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Sigma 55 - 200MM Lens for Canon SLR Camera 684-101 - This compact telephoto zoom lens was exclusively designed for use with digital SLR cameras. The image circle was designed to match the size of the image sensors of digital SLR cameras that also allows compact body and lightweight with overall length of 84.6mm (3.3in.), and weight of only 310g/10.9 ounces. It has a filter size of 55mm, maximum diameter of 70mm (2.7in.). This remarkably compact high performance zoom lens is ideally suited to a wide range of subjects. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 110cm (43.3in.) and maximum magnification of 1:4. Digital cameras having image sensors larger than APS-C size, and 35mm cameras, should not be used with these lenses. If such cameras are used, severe vignetting in the images may result. The angle of view varies depending on the camera the lens is mounted on
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