Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Macro Lens for Nikon DSLR
- A minimum focusing distance of 20cm (7.9″), a maximum magnification of 1:3
- Large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range
- Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD)
- Compact and lightweight lens
- Reduced Ghosting and Flare The super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghost. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range
- HSM (Hyper-Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high-speed auto focus
Sigma’s 18-50mm EX series macro lens is specially designed for Nikon digital SLR cameras with a minimum focusing distance of 20 cm (7.9 inches), making it suitable for a wide variety of subjects. The lens offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, along with a maximum magnification of 1:3 for close-up macro photography.Sigma’s 18-50mm EX series macro lens is specially designed for Nikon digital SLR cameras with a minimum focusing distance of 20 cm (7.9 inches), making it suitable for a wide variety of subjects. The lens offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, along with a maximum magnification of 1:3 for close-up macro photography. The interior, meanwhile, incorporates both glass-mold and hybrid aspherical lens technology to deliver superior peripheral brightness and extremely high image quality. Add in Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ESD) glass elements and you have a lens that can correct all types of col
List Price: $ 419.00
Price: $ 419.00
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A versatile lens for a great price,
Just another vote of confidence for this lens. (I posted this same review at another online retailer, but since I bought it from Amazon, I decided to post it here, too.)
After learning to love prime lenses, it was time to replace the underwhelming kit lens of my Rebel XT with better quality glass. I looked long and hard for a fast zoom that covered the wide-to-medium range despite the XT’s crop factor, and finally settled on the Sigma.
Although I haven’t laid my hands on the competition (including a similar 17-55mm f2.8 EF-S from Canon for more than *twice* as much, and the slower 17-40mm f4L), I don’t regret my purchase at all. I was a bit wary at first about buying a non-Canon lens, especially after reading a few complaints online about bad samples, but the lens turned out to be just fine.
Edge-to-edge sharpness looks great to me, even wide open, and vignetting doesn’t seem to be a problem. I’m not a professional, and don’t own any L-series glass, but this is far more than I expected for the price.
The macro ability is also a nice bonus, as is the lens hood and case included in the package. I wouldn’t call the lens “lightweight” (since I still prefer small primes when I don’t need the versatility), but it’s still a reasonable fit on the diminutive XT body.
I’m not crazy about the slight sparkle in the powder coat, but hey, that’s hardly a complaint. All in all, I couldn’t be happier!
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|Excellent Image Quality, Low Cost, Great Build!,
This is evidently Sigma’s third release of this lens, and it now includes HSM (HyperSonic Motor) so that it will work on cameras like the Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D3000, and D5000. These cameras have no built-in body autofocus (AF) motor. The AF motor is built into the Sigma lens, instead.
The easy way to make sure you are getting the HSM version is to check the sales ad for the filter size. The older lenses had a 67mm filter, while the new lens has a 72mm filter and lens cap. Looking at the lens, it seems a little shorter in length, yet slightly bigger around compared to the older lenses, due to the larger glass.
In shooting with this lens, I find the image quality to be simply superb at f/5.6 and f/8. At f/8 it is every bit as good as some of my Nikkor prime lenses. I don’t make that statement lightly! I am a strong user of single focal length prime lenses. The reason I bought this lens is because I own the Sigma 10-20mm super-wide, and found its image quality to be excellent at f/8, also. I am a tripod-based landscape shooter, so I am mostly concerned with maximum sharpness, low chromatic aberration, and nice contrast. The newest Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX DC HSM lens delivers on all those fronts. It is a lightweight carry lens for everyday “normal” use.
Opening the lens up to f/2.8 lowers sharpness, especially in the extreme corners. The nice thing, though, is that my Sigma is about as sharp wide-open, as my Nikkor 24-120mm VR lens is at f/5.6. It is quite usable and impressive at f/2.8 and even has very low vignetting, which is an unexpected bonus. Stopping down to f/4 brings this lens into a high-sharpness range that gets progressively better to about f/11. After that significant sharpness is lost due to diffraction (light being diverted by the edges of the aperture blades). At F/22, this lens seems less sharp than when wide-open. I consider the maximum-quality usability range of this lens to be between f/4 and f/11. The larger and smaller apertures are there when you need them, but with some loss of sharpness.
The short focal length range (18 to 50mm) is necessary to keep image quality under strict control. Most “professional” lenses will not have a large focal length range, since it is very difficult to correct for lens issues over a broad range of lengths in one lens.
The Macro feature on this lens is quite usable. I was carrying a 60mm Micro Nikkor in my daily carry bag, but no longer do so. While not true macro, it is very close, and allows me to get up to within a couple of inches of my subject at 50mm. Quite impressive!
Pros:
Light-weight and small size
Solid EX build
Very high sharpness between f/4 and f/11
f/2.8 when you need it!
High contrast
Fast and Quiet AF – HSM Style
Macro that works pretty well
Low price
Cons:
Short focal length range
Loss of sharpness in edges at f/2.8
Diffraction unsharpness quite noticeable at f/22
Mild vignetting (light falloff on edges) wide open.
I’ve been using this lens for several weeks now, and would buy it again! No lens is perfect, and I don’t expect this one to be. However, it easily meets my needs for a very sharp lens that will replace my use of several prime lenses. It adds little weight to my digital Nikons, so I can take it with me everywhere. It has become the daily “carry” lens on my Nikon D300. The images I have created with this lens, so far, have made me very happy. I enthusiastically recommend it!
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|Versus Tamron 17-50, Canon 17-55 [is], Canon 17-85[is], Canon 18-55[is],
I own the best Canon 17-55 F/2.8, but it is also heavy and expensive for risky environments like windy beaches to packed clubhouses. I need an affordable F/2.8 backup, so I bought this Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 Macro. Having read many account of sigma lens front/back focusing, I have a very low expectation for my lens. Luckily, my fear proves to be unfounded, as my 18-50mm f/2.8 macro is free from rear/front focusing.
[ Biggest Surprise ] = Fast + Silent + Reliable focusing. Even without HSM/USM motor, the AF speed is fast & comparable to my canon 17-55 f/2.8 usm in dim light. Under the same setting, my tamron 17-50 f/2.8’s banshee-like micro-motor scream loudly yet failed to find focus after 1 minutes.
+ The build quality is near “L”, better than my expensive Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS
+ Size is very small compare to my gigantic canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS
+ Fantastic MACRO lens on the run
[Disappointment] 18mm F/2.8 “wide open” is softer than Tamron 17-50mm.
– Canon 17-55 f/2.8 @f/2.8 is sharper than sigma 18mm @f/5.6 (no joke!)
– Field of view is closer to 18.5mm or 19mm.
Since I had previously own the tamron 17-50 f/2.8, a canon 17-85is, and a canon 18-55is, here how they compare against one another:
……………………………………………[ Landscape Sharpness ]
[1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__amazing sharpess even @f/2.8 wide open
[2] Canon 18-55 IS ______ sharp corners, mild barrel distortion + ca
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8____sharp “when focused”, problematic AF, field curvature
[4] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8_____softer wide open than tamron, 18mm behave like 19mm
[5] Canon 17-85 IS_______strong C_A + barrel distortion, soft corners
……………………………………………[ Bokeh / Out of Focused Highlight ]
[1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ big round circular highlight, no cat’s eyed footballs
[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ some cat’s eyed football highlight on the edge
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ some visible double contours highlight
[4] Canon 17-85 IS______ small f/5.6, 85 has an edge over 55mm in highlight size
[5] Canon 18-55 IS ______ small f/5.6 = smallest highlight, boring photos
……………………………………………[ Construction Quality ]
[1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ impressive build even at such a low price
[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ [tied] build should have been better for a $1000 lens
[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______[tied] exactly the same build as 17-55 f/2.8 IS
[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ decent, plasticky, not as good as others above
[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ plastic mount, front barrel rotate makes cpl difficult
……………………………………………[ AF Speed in Low Light + Reliability ]
[1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ USM + IS + F/2.8 = ultimate
[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______USM + IS, F/5.6 seem to focus just as fast as F/2.8
[3] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ Silent, Fast, and Decisive AF even in low light
[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ silent image stabilization, but louder AF
[5] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ loudest motor, indecisive AF in low light
————————————-[ in conclusion ]————————-
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 Macro is jack-of-all-trade, master of none. While tamron is sharper @17mm f/2.8 than sigma is @18mm f/2.8 “when in focused”, sigma has superior AF motor that is far more reliable under any circumstance. Sigma is a pleasure to use in real life ownership, free from fousing-worrying that plagued my tamron. Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 is a combination between the reliable yet so-so IQ of canon 17-85is + tamron 17-50’s superior IQ, but poor autofocusing mechanics. Highly Recommended!
$429.95 [Canon 17-85IS] poor 17mm IQ, but fantastic AF mechanic + IS
$443.41 [Tamron 17-50] great 17mm IQ, but poor AF mechanic
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$375.00 [Sigma 18-50mc] decent 18mm IQ + fantastic AF mechanic (no BUT)
Sigma did their homework. Sig18-50 retained good quality from its competitors while shredding the bad, yet it is offer at the lowest price. Competition is wonderful, I’m very happy with my purchased
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