Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC ELD OS HSM Macro Lens for Sigma Mount Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I received the Sigma 17-70 2.8-4 OS HSM from Amazon five days ago. I have taken about 400 shots with this lens, including landscapes, indoor family gatherings with flash, and a sporting event in a large, well-lit indoor arena. It seems to me that this lens works as advertised. I don't see focus problems with this lens in either the AI Servo to AI Focus modes on my Canon XSi. The XSi exposure metering seems to work fine with the Sigma 17-70, and I cannot see anything wrong with color accuracy. The finish, appearance, and feel of the lens are pleasing. I like it, and it certainly seems to be a good value given its relatively low cost vs. function. I have awarded four stars in my rating only because of my limited experience with this lens. If this lens continues to work as it has so far, I would award a fifth star.
Photography is my hobby, not my profession, but I carry my camera to work and shoot nearly every day. I cannot afford high-end camera equipment, so I make do with what I can afford. Even so, I have had rewarding successes and lots of fun with my hobby. My photos have been published in magazines, textbooks, brochures, large-format calendars, and web sites. They have been framed and hung on walls in office suites, sports arenas, and homes.
I have used Sigma lens for the past ten years, and currently own four Sigma lens for my Canon XSi. Sigma lens are cheap, they are most often lightweight as compared to Canon lens, and they work acceptably well. I am familiar with the "you get what you pay for" concept, and I understand that sometimes there are issues with Sigma lens. I can see why professionals need sturdy equipment, but overall Sigma has provided me with a successful and cost-effective way to observe, record, and enjoy my surroundings.


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Sigma Corporation adds unique, anti-shake technology to award-winning 17-70mm lens Sigma announced the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM. This large aperture standard zoom lens offers an aperture of F2.8 at the 17mm focal length and is ideal for many situations such as portraits, sports, macro and general photographyThe OS (Optical Stabilizer) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible.The maximum aperture of F2.8 makes this lens ideal for hand held photography as well as producing an attractive background blur and high speed auto focus.This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm (8.7..) throughout the entire zoom range and maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.7, making it ideal for close-up photography. It is possible to focus as close as approximately 4.7cm from the tip of the lens to the subject making this lens particularly useful for close-up photography.Three aspherical lenses and one ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass element provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high contrast images.The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed AF. This lens has a rounded 7 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image

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Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 AF DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)(See my update at the bottom of this review.) After buying my Canon xSi I quickly concluded that I was not going to be satisfied unless I had a zoom of some kind to go with it. For a walk around lens, the modest 18-125mm range that this zoom offered, which is moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto, sounded very appealing. I am not all that keen on sports or wildlife photos, so I eschewed the available super zoom lenses, not just for cost but for weight, size, and image quality issues.
I've done pretty extensive tests on this lens, taking many tripod shots out my window in Chicago, trying different apertures and focal lengths, and comparing them to my two Canon lenses, and found it compared favorably. I found the Sigma's photos to be good looking and always in focus.
The OS works pretty well, and I was able to take two perfectly clear hand held shots at full 125 mm telephoto at only 1/15 of a second, though I had to use my best technique, as I suspect at full tele it's not hard to overwhelm the OS. Two more identical shots taken without OS were both blurry.

I've taken a few hundred shots with this lens so far and have no focus problems. Focus is fast and quiet. I took a number of shots of seagulls in flight at 125mm, a pretty challenging focus situation, and every one was in focus.
At 18mm this lens is a tiny bit less sharp than Canon's well-regarded 18-55mm IS kit lens that came with the camera, but as you zoom in the Sigma gets better, particularly at 50mm. (see update below about this)
The telescoping part of the lens is very tightly constructed, with no looseness or feeling of imprecision at all, unlike the Canon kit lens. It has a zoom lock, but this doesn't seem to be necessary as there is no lens creep. I found this lens to be very well built and solid.

This is not a light lens. At about a pound it is twice as heavy as the Canon 18-55mm IS kit lens. Still, some of the superzoom digital lenses by Sigma and Tamron such as the 18-250mm weigh quite a bit more.
Overall I would say this is a very nice lens and I would buy it again. If you want the option to have one lens you can leave on the camera while traveling around, and if you're hooked on wide angle as I am, and if you also like telephoto but don't need a 200 or 250 mm superzoom and all the image quality compromises that can entail, this is the best and only choice for Canon APS-C digital cameras that I know of at this time, and I would recommend it.
UPDATE: After owning this lens for a year I finally figured out that the reason it tended to be soft at the wide (18mm) end was because it was mis-focusing. I am embarrassed that it took me that long to figure it out, but there it was: Point at a distant object and it was focusing at 2m.(The problem quickly disappears above 18mm) I went to the Sigma site, registered my lens's serial number and it said that I was eligible for the additional two years of warranty coverage (as was originally promised in the Amazon product listing), and that I had 22 months left. So far so good. When the came back the paperwork said "Lens not under warranty" but it also said "Adjusted A.F. data courtesy N/C", which meant they fixed it, no charge. I was probably one of the first people to buy this lens, in June 2008, and it sounds like they may have since updated the firmware that controls the autofocus function. In fact the lens now works better, perhaps much better, at 18mm. I can now take shots at F/4.0 and they are often quite sharp, at least in the center. I can now say that the optics in this lens are in fact capable of taking very sharp photos even wide open, but if yours has the same problem mine had you will have to focus manually to achieve this unless you get this "AF data" update. Hopefully the lenses being sold now don't have this problem. More recent reviews than mine seem to indicate that this issue has been resolved.
I would also suggest that Sigma put more resources into their customer service. Being told on the phone and in writing that the lens wasn't under warranty when their website and their printed warranty clearly said that it should be was a bit troubling.

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The lens is equipped with Sigma's own unique OS (Optical Stabilizer) function. This function uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera and works by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group to effectively compensate for camera shake. This system offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower. It also automatically detects movement of the camera and compensate for camera shake when shooting moving subjects such as motor sports. Its compact construction has an overall length of 88.5mm (3.5"), maximum diameter of 74mm (2.9") and weight of just 450g/15.9oz (Sigma mount). This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 35cm (13.8") at all focal lengths, and has maximum magnification of 1:3.8, making it ideal for close-up photography. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass, a molded glass aspherical lens and two hybrid aspherical lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range.

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Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD Large Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera Review

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(More customer reviews)Actual score: 4.5 stars
2/1/11 - update. Official price drop. New price now $1399 - that's more like it... If you have been on the fence with this lens, time to give it another look. I still love this lens. -TXJAVAMy apologies in advance for a long review. There are not a whole lot of reviews out there for this lens so I'm hoping I can help some others make a good decision. Summary: It is a great Lens, but perhaps not for everyone.
I have been watching this one since it was announced. I tried it out at the local Camera shop and fell in love with it. I decided at that moment, I was going to own this lens.
The initial drawback was always price. At $1699 (sixteen-ninety-nine) it seems a bit high. Yes, this is a quality lens with a 2.8 constant aperture throughout the zoom range and a very good OS optical stabilization (IS in Canon's terminology) but at that price it is only a few hundred less than the highly rated excellent Canon 70-200 2.8 IS ii. So I've been waiting patiently for the price to move.
Well one day, quite unexpectedly, the price at the "B" Camera vendor was $350 (three-fifty) less. Suddenly, at $1349 (thirteen-forty-nine) it was near my strike price (I think the lens should sell for $1200 or so). So I watched to see if the "A" internet vendors would match. They did not. I knew this was less that wholesale for the lens, so I ordered one from the "B" vendor. (The next day the two "A" vendors matched the price - Sorry Amazon, you were not fast enough). The lens arrived a couple days later, VERY well packed. With Amazon, packing can be a bit hit or miss. By the time the lens arrived, all the vendors were priced at the original $1699 (sixteen-ninety-nine). Hmmm, maybe it had been a price mistake.
So enough of that - What do I think of the lens? I still love it; however, there was something that I had not noticed in the store. When the OS system started up (1/2 press of the shutter key), it made a fairly loud click and then the Gyros sounded like very distant fire truck sirens. I literally though that there was a fire truck outside. But it turned out to be coming from the lens. Mind you, it was not loud, but it was disconcerting. I own the excellent Canon EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS and the IS system on that is near silent. I've been spoiled by that lens. I went down to the camera shop to see if their copy had the same sound. It did have some OS sound, but I had not noticed before above the ambient sound in the store. The store model did not sound like my copy. So I called the "B" Vendor and they quickly sent me a new lens.
The new lens arrived today and it too had the OS sound but not as noticeable as the first copy of the lens (I was able to compare side by side). Is the sound bad? No not really, but it is different than the low level "whurl" of the Canon IS system.
That said, the OS system does work very well. It is especially nice at the tele- end of the zoom. You can really see that camera shake through the viewfinder, and then you press the shutter release ½ way and suddenly it locks into place. Very nice, very cool. I have been able to take nice sharp pictures as low as ¼ second - and that is at the long end of the zoom. Impressive!
The rest of the build quality is very good. Both the focus and the zoom rings operate very smoothly and with just the right amount of resistance.
The lens is heavy (over 3 pounds). The rebel series cameras will benefit from the extra holding power that the extra battery grip offers. It comes with a tripod collar so you can use it on a monopod. A lens hood included (wish Canon would include hoods with all their lenses) there is even an extender for APS-c crop sensor cameras. However, I don't intend to use it.
The pictures I have taken have all been great. It is a bit soft at 2.8 (as many lenses are), but still within my tolerances. The 2.8 aperture really helps for indoor shots. It is great because you can sit across the room and shoot away without bothering those in the room. F4.0 lenses just do not give you enough light for indoor shooting, especially sports. Seems like it would be a great lens for weddings and other indoor events. As for picture quality, I've seen some web reviews that compare this with the Canon and the Sigma comes out pretty good. I do not see any CA at all on my copy. Focus is fast and accurate with no front or back focusing - it is spot on. It is not as fast or quiet as the canon, but still focus motor is still very good. You also have full time manual focus override. So for those of us who are mere enthusiasts or hobbyists this is a great lens to have for the all-important 70-200 tele- range. Pros might want to stick to the Canon version.
All and all, this lens is a keeper. It takes great pics, the OS is very effective (although a bit loud) and the nice 2.8 aperture really shines. Lastly, one of the real reasons I got this is because it is black. You are already conspicuous when you have 8" of lens hanging off the end of your camera at your son's basketball game, or your daughter's rehearsal. You really start to look ridiculous when you have 8"s of a white and black striped Canon lens. (I know I have lost some of my credibility with that last statement, but I just prefer black lenses...)
So the choice is yours. If you are looking for a lens in the 70-200 or 75-300 range, save your money up for a fast 2.8 version with stabilization, you will not be sorry. Those less expensive f3.2-5.6 or lower lenses are just not as practical as a good 2.8 lens. If you can afford the Canon and don't mind the black and white stripes, by all means get it, otherwise, get this one, you will be very pleased that you did.
One of these days, i'll upload some pics.

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Sigma's New APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is the second generation of this large aperture telephoto zoom lens now incorporating Sigma's Optical Stablization function, OS, Sigma's own anti-shake system.Two FLD glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass have also been added along with three SLD glass elements, all which provide excellent correction of color aberration. In spite of the additions of all of these features, Sigma has managed to make the lens more compact than its predecessor, measuring only 7.8" in length.For any serious photographer where the 70-200mm focal range is often the most important second lens to own after the initialstandards lens or mid range zooms. The fast aperture is extremely useful and important in low light environments or when shooting fast moving situations where a higher shutter speed demands maximum lights thru the lens.HSM ensures quiet and high speed AF as well as full-time manual focus capability. Super Multi-Layer lens coating reduces flare ghosting and assures high image quality throughout the entire zoom range. It has a minimum focusing distance of 55.1 inches throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:8 The rounded 9 blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to the out of focus images.This lens is equipped with a petal-type hood. Its exceptional versatility as an all-around lens is perfect for journalists and wedding photographers. This latest

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Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera Review

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(More customer reviews)So I've been bouncing back and forth between the big three competitors. If you're looking at this lens, you've probably weighed Tamron's 2.8 17-50 VC and Canon's more expensive but much beloved 2.8 18-55 IS that's been out for a few years. I finally broke down and went into a store to wrap my hands around all three, shoot some comparative video with the various IS/VC/OS, futz with the focus rings and zoom, etc. I did not run a full professional test on the image quality, but those reviews can be easily found online. In most fields the Sigma beats the Tamron, like Bokeh and low distortion. The Tamron is ever so slightly sharper at 2.8. At 2.8, I do get some easily visible circular distortion in the corners with the Sigma when pointing the camera at a window or bright source. I basically determined that image quality between the lenses was a draw. The Canon tests slightly better, but I found looking through that lens for the very first time that I was getting all sorts of unwanted flair at 2.8 indoors. I was at a pro shop in town, and I asked if other rental customers and pros had experienced unwanted flair under those conditions; they said yes. So I finally decided that the difference between all three lenses in terms of optical quality is very slight.
That left price, handle, build, and vibration control.
Price: Canon is about $1080, Tamron is about $550 with rebate, Sigma is about $640 depending on where you buy it (not including tax)
Handle: The Canon had the nicest overall handle. Since I'm primarily concerned with shooting high-end video, the range of focus is particularly important, as is how the focus ring handles (smoothness). On this front that Canon wins hands down. The focus ring continues after you hit the edge of your range, and dampens so you know you've maxed out. Both the Tamron and Sigma have hard stops. The Canon also provides the most breathing room, so if you're tracking focus, or need to attach a follow focus, this lens is going to make life a lot easier. The Tamron had the second longest range, though only about 20% more than the Sigma. The Tamron ring got caught and was a little jerky. If I applied outward pressure, the ring wouldn't stick. The Sigma was smooth and slightly dampened. However, it's range is super tight. This is my only complaint about this lens. You better be amazing at eye-balling focus, and have some killer dexterity to pull this off. The incredible feel of the ring makes this tricky, but not impossible. I actually found it easier to hit marks with the Sigma than the Tamron, because of the quality of the ring. For video applications, auto-focus doesn't really even matter. Sure it's super silent, but if you're pro, you're probably operating this guy in manual anyway. All of this said, because the range of focus (by that I mean distance the ring turns) is so limited on the Sigma, and because I'm using this for video; I'm still contemplating paying the extra $475 for the Canon. This would be the only reason I would buy the Canon over the Sigma.
Build: Like another reviewer said, the Sigma is solid. It feels great. I actually thought the zoom ring beat the Canon head to head. It's also lighter than the Canon, but made out of more rugged materials than the Tamron. In terms of build, Sigma is the winner in my opinion.
Vibration Control: After all of my testing, it was hard for me to gauge superiority on this front. With the Canon, the VC is obvious. It's also obvious with the Tamron. For whatever reason, despite flicking that switch on and off, I have not been able to visibly see the difference. The image seems to move fluidly whether I have the darn thing turned on or off. According to the instructions, the OS kicks in when the shutter button is depressed half-way. However, when I put my ear up against the lens, I can hear the OS working round the clock. It's very quiet, but the on-camera mic might pick it up. Regardless, I'm satisfied with the smoothness of the image. With both the Tamron and the Canon you can hear the VC/IS turn on. There is no sound associated with the OS on the Sigma unless you listen really closely (similar to Canon's IS on its new lenses).
Wrap-up: The Sigma has a few tiny setbacks, and if you've got the money and video is your world, get the Canon. I like the feel of the Sigma more than the Canon, but the focus ring on the Canon makes a big difference. This guy weighs less and feels great in your hand. The Tamron feels cheap by contrast, and the focus ring is loose and gets caught. Whether I was shooting video or stills, I would choose the Sigma over the Tamron.

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Sigma's new 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM large-aperture standard zoom lens covers a focal length from 17mm wide angle and offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, making it ideal for many types of photography especially portraiture and landscapes.The OS, Sigma's anti shake feature offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise bepossible. The OS feature allows Sony and Pentax users the option of viewing a stabilized image in the viewfinder, a feature offered only by Sigma.HSM provides fast and quiet AF. Sigma's own FLD glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite along with two glass mold and one hybrid aspherical lens, provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The Super Multi-Layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens boasts superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even atthe maximum apertures. With a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches throughout the entire zoom range and a magnification ratio of 1:5.When you need to stand ready for any photo opportunity you need a fast aperture so you can shoot in low existing light or at maximum range with a flash. This Sigma lens is perfect. With its compact size and light weight, it's a necessary addition to your camera bag Please Note Vignetting will occur if the lens is used with digital cameras with image sensors larger than APS-C size or 35mm SLR cameras.

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