Citation :
Forum Canon SLR Lens Talk
Subject Sigma 18-50: The Good & Bad (Part 1)
Posted by Travis [CLICK FOR PROFILE]
Date/Time 6:12:03 AM, Thursday, September 30, 2004 (GMT)
Well there's always good and bad in just about everything one can acquire, right? These are my very preliminary impressions of the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 lens after receiving it Wednesday, Sept. 30... not long before I had to leave for work, of course! I had time to snap off a few photos and get a general feel for the lens' physical characteristics as well as a glance at its image quality. Tonight, after work, I played around a bit more but everyone is asleep but me and I'd rather wait to post photos until I have found a suitable subject first! ;-)
GOOD: The PRICE! I happen to stumble across a deal for this lens at Datavis.com for $379.99. And though they don't have very good reseller ratings and the lens was listed as "On Preorder" when I place my order, I decided to take a chance. Interestingly, I got a shipping notice with tracking number the day after I ordered it but it still showed "On Preorder" on their website. Needless to say, I was very skeptical and was preparing myself to contest the charges with my credit card company if need be. On the other hand, SOMETHING had shipped because I had the tracking number, so I had to give them the benefit of the doubt. Well, the lens came today and everything was right. Here's the link if anyone else is interested in taking a chance for a GREAT price on this lens:
http://www.datavis.com/... .../ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=450228&prmenbr=2000
BAD: No HSM. It focuses fast enough, no worries there. It's just not AS fast as my Canon USM lenses nor the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 I have which has HSM. And there's no full-time Manual Focusing, which means you have to switch to Manual Focus with the switch and you have to be careful not to turn the focus ring while in AF mode. As some others have pointed out, Sigma's EX lenses really should ALL have HSM.
GOOD: F2.8!!! Obviously, the F2.8 aperture is the "killer" reason for having this lens. Having a constant F2.8 throughout the 18-50 range is really a major boon. And from the few test shots I took at various focal lengths, it certainly DOES look like a sharp lens, even at F2.8. And it had better have a useful F2.8 or else there would be no compelling reason to own this lens. So it looks like they got this right and it may be the single determining factor for many people to purchase this lens.
BAD: Stiff zoom ring. Is this the case with ALL Sigma lenses? I have both the 70-200 F2.8 and now the 18-50 F2.8 and both have pretty stiff zoom rings. Unlike Canon's lenses which are very easy to turn, Sigma's are much tighter. And though there is a zoom lock on this lens, I can't see there being any zoom creep with it being this tight. Perhaps it will loosen up over time, but I do find this a little annoying. Again, not a major drawback but definitely an ergonomics issue.
GOOD: Case and lens hood included. It has a pedal hood and a decent case included in the box, which is more than comes with some lenses.
BAD: DC line. Well, it's something I obviously already knew when I bought it, but everyone should be aware that this lens will only work on the APS-C size image sensor cameras. Could be a future for future compatability, but....
GOOD: Light and small. Weighing just shy of 1 pound, this lens feels great on the Digital Rebel that I own. Because it is made for APS-C cameras, it is smaller and lighter than would otherwise be the case. So you get the wider range and still retain the fairly large aperture of F2.8. This will definitely be THE replacement for the kit lens.
BAD: CA/PF. Because I had already read about it before buying the lens, I specifically looked for the fringing when I took a quick couple of shots outside in my back yard. The fringing was quiet noticeable in a shot I took of the sky and trees, but this is obviously a stress test in a worst-case scenario (wide open too). The fringing I noticed seemed more purple than blue, so I'll have to keep looking to see if I find that ominous "blue fringing" that others have noticed with this lens. At any rate, I don't see it as being a serious problem, though I'll have to check it against some of my other lenses (particularly the 35L) to see how they compare in similar situations.
TO BE DETERMINED.... I obviously haven't had the time yet to determine the extent of image sharpness, color, contrast, resolution, and vignetting. In the next few days or so, expect a "PART 2" of this thread where I will post further comments and some sample images.
Thanks for your time,
Travis
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