Sigma Lens Reviews | Photocrati

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro DG AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 105mm f/2.8 EX macro DG is an excellent lens without any significant optical flaws. The resolution figures are excellent and neither distortions nor CAs nor vignetting is something to worry about. Similar to the Tamron or Tokina counterpart it is basically as good as the much higher priced Micro-Nikkor (the classic one, not the VR). The build quality feels very good although the implementation of the Dual-Focus mechanism isn’t really perfect. Regarding all the excellent lens alternatives in this segment it is quite difficult to select a favorite … but the good news is that there isn’t really a wrong choice. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 150mm f/2.8 APO EX macro DG D AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO HSM IF Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 150mm f/2.8 APO EX macro DG D is one of the few third-party lenses that can play in the league up there with the big boyz. The performance figures are excellent and leave really nothing to be desired across all tested quality characteristics. The mechanical build quality is very good thanks to a metal body and a true IF (internal focusing) design with a constant physical length. The AF speed is about average in absolute terms but pretty good for a macro lens. Thanks to Sigma’s HSM (Hypersonic-Motor> the AF operates virtually silent. The lens is compatible to Sigma’s APO EX DG converter so there ´s also an option for some extra reach or increased working distance if needed. The price tag of the lens is moderate at around 550-600 â‚¬/US$.
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Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG IF Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

Thom Hogan

A bit of barrel distortion, edge sharpness issues on 35mm bodies at the extremes, and contrast/flare control problems keep this from being a top-of-the-line lens. If you’re expecting this lens to be equivalent to a wider Nikkor 17-35mm AF-S, downgrade your expectations a bit. Performance is a mixed bag. From a sharpness and contrast standpoint, the lens does a quite fine job. For it’s price, this lens performs quite well. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC IF Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC is a very good standard zoom and a viable alternative to the Nikon offerings in this range. Generally it is capable to produce very sharp results although the corner performance leaves a bit to be desired at 17mm at large aperture settings. The vignetting level could also be a bit better here but most competitors don’t offer a f/2.8 settings anyway and from f/4 it follows the mainstream. The level of distortions is about typical for a standard zoom whereas chromatic aberrations (color shadows) are comparatively low. The build quality is very fine for a lens in this price league. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC EX macro AF Review Round-Up

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Photo Zone

Generally the Sigma AF 18-50mm f/2.8 DC EX macro delivered a solid performance but without being any better than the competition. The resolution results are generally very fine except at 18mm where the extreme border performance leaves something to be desired below f/5.6. Distortions as well as CAs are about in line with the rest of the gang. Typical for most dedicated APS-C lenses the vignetting could be a little better at wide-open aperture. The build quality and handling of the Sigma is fine. The Sigma offers lots of bangs for your bucks but the comparable Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 SP seems to be a better alternative. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Aspherical Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC is an budget lens which comes with a couple of weaknesses but also surprising strengths. At 18mm the level of distortions and CAs is quite extreme. Vignetting is also an issue at 18mm and 50mm – the latter is quite unusual especially because it doesn’t really help much to stop down here. However, if you limit your aperture settings to f/5.6 and smaller the resolution figures are pretty impressive and comparable to much more pricey zooms out there. Regarding the extremely low price tag Sigma had to implement some compromises on the mechanical side like a rotating front element and a rotating focus ring in AF mode but other than that the build quality of this little lens is actually quite decent. Regarding its weaknesses the corresponding Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED DX may be a better choice though. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical RF AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG Aspherical AF Zoom Telephoto Lens for Nikon AF

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical RF is not a perfect lens nor can you expect that a budget lens reaches high end quality levels. Nonetheless it is capable to provide very decent results especially in the 135-300mm range. At 400mm @ f/5.6 the quality is quite soft but from f/8 and up the quality is very respectable. The distortion characteristic is almost perfect and vignetting isn’t really field relevant on an APS-C DSLR. CAs are a quite pronounced at 135mm but the overall level is still acceptable. Mechanically the lens leaves more to be desired. The quality of the used materials is fine but the friction of the zoom ring is way too high and the worst implementation that I’ve seen so far. There’s no such thing as a free lunch but admittedly the Sigma offers quite a bit of possibilities for your bucks. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 AF DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC is naturally a compromise but the package is a bit more sound compared to its more ambitious sister lens – the AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC. Sigma seems to have followed a quite interesting design approach – ignoring distortions and focus on the rest and this works out pretty well. The lens is very sharp specifically around the wide end of the zoom range but the tele settings aren ´t bad either. CAs are about average and vignetting could be a little better at wide-open aperture. Nonetheless these are viable compromises for an extremely compact 7x zoom. Unfortunately the AF performance of the lens isn’t quite as promising. On the EOS 350D AF accuracy is totally unacceptable when using a focal length below 50mm – I haven’t really experienced another lens (besides the 18-200mm) which performs as bad in this respect. Trusting the camera is no good idea here. I used the lens extensively during a recent vacation and after a couple of days I gave up and disabled AF for wide angle shots (Note: normally I’m using the central AF point only for better accuracy …). The lens may work out better on an EOS 30D or EOS 400D. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC AF Review Round-Up

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Photo Zone

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in lens land and the Sigma AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC is no exception here. The resolution figures are generally quite decent and regarding the extreme zoom range you may accept the very pronounced distortions present throughout the zoom range as well as a few other shortcomings. Unfortunately the AF accuracy leaves something to be desired with this lens especially towards the long end of the zoom range. Typically such a type of lens is used by beginners on entry level DSLRs where a rather dark viewfinder combined and an average AF system don’t really help here. So if you’re interested in this lens it’s a good idea to take your DSLR to your trusted photo dealer around the corner to check whether the camera’s AF system is really up to the task. If so it is a good compromise between quality and zoom range. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Fisheye AF Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Thom Hogan

Full-frame fisheye lenses (of which there are two, the Nikkor 16mm and the Sigma 15mm described here) provide a 180 degree angle of view across the 35mm frame diagonal. These lenses don’t attempt to correct for rectilinear distortion (as do the 14mm lenses) and thus produce a very unique “look” to a shot. The Sigma 15mm isn’t exactly a lens suitable for architectural photography, but it can be used for dramatic effect. Focusing is quick and somewhat quiet. Overall sharpness is excellent, though I do note a bit of softness in the corners, especially wide open. Depth of field is phenomenal even wide open, which tends to increase the perception of sharpness of the lens. Chromatic aberration is minimal (and not an issue on the digital bodies; a trivial issue on the 35mm bodies). Light falloff is substantial wide open in the corners of 35mm shots, only a minor issue for digital. By f/5.6, light falloff is minimal and ignorable. Straight lines that run directly through the center of the frame are rendered straight, while straight lines near the edges have considerable barrel distortion (outward curve). READ FULL REVIEW

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