Sigma 18-50 F2.8 EX DC Macro  reviews

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: zygon811   review date: May-15-13  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

n/a

positive:

great IQ. sharp, colors are not too bad - adjusted post processing, nice solid feeling lens

negative:

n/a

comment:

i'd keep shooting with this lens. upgrading to full frame, so having to re-invest. Highly recommend this. Even for folks just getting above the beginner stages, allows you to very quickly elevate your 'photo game'.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: derekw   review date: December-29-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 20-40
Tamron 17-50

price paid:

140 GBP used

positive:

Good sharpness, even at f2.8
Great colours
Nice weight and build
Distortion well controlled for a lens in this class.

negative:

Nothing specific - but the images lack something

comment:

If you can live with the shorter range, the Tamron 20-40 is by far the better of these lenses (and full frame)

Otherwise its down to preference or your individual copy.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: Grrrowl   review date: July-23-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

£210

positive:

- Sharpness is great at all apertures especially f4 +
- Beautiful Colours
- Build Quality
- Light and very easy to handle
- Fast AF even in low light

negative:

- Petal Lens hood is a little flimsy
- Slight CA on edges

comment:

Great lens with good handling. Af is very quick and accurate on a77. If your looking for a decent wide angled lens, you can pay a lot more money out and not get much better imo.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: Andy92   review date: June-14-12  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 17-50 2.8
Sony 16-50 2.8
Sigma 17-50 2.8 HSM

price paid:

147 USD (used)

positive:

-great center sharpness on f2.8
-amazing sharpness from f4
-great build qality
-filtr 72mm
-compact size
-pretty fast AF(even that´s not HSM)
-"Macro"

negative:

-17-55mm would be better
-noisy AF
-doesnt have AF/MF switch

comment:

I bought this lens as used, but it´s pretty new. After one day using it I have to say, that this lens is really amazing! It produces very sharp (in center) even on 2.8. From f4 is like standart 18-55 kit lens on f13. Very good walkaround lens, great for portraits and also landscapes. Only thing I don´t like is AF/MF switch whitch I really miss.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: LesPaul   review date: September-02-11  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 18-70

price paid:

350 USD (used)

positive:

-Min. focus distance (20cm)
-reasonable macro performance
-f2.8
-great build

negative:

-slow af speed
-hard to focus manually when the hood is reversely on lens
-short range

comment:

I bought this lens to replace the Sony 18-70 kit lens which I never loved..

Life-saving lens on some conditions with max f2.8.
Easy to use with the great Sigma build quality and nonskid finish.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: godsakes   review date: December-11-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron 17-50mm

positive:

1:3 Macro
sharp

negative:

lacking AF limiter

comment:

Given the reviews of the tamron 17-50mm i was expecting my tammy to walk over this but it was actually extremely close on image quality. If we're splitting hairs you can argue the tammy is slightly sharper at f2.8 while the sigma has slightly better bokeh but in reality there's near nothing between them.

the sigma has better macro ability but at the cost of slightly slower AF speed (pity they didn't add a limiter).

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: Alphaholik   review date: August-20-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Min 28-85 (Mini Beer-can)

price paid:

375 USD (New)

positive:

Love the EX Finish!! Sharp Enough, Great Colors, Focus Lock, Focus & Zoom Rings Feel Nice, Petal Hood, Wide!!!

negative:

Worry about Gears on my A700 but since it is guaranteed I keep on Fast. 1 1/2 Years Now And Still OK.

comment:

I too picked over Tammy 1750 at local shop. Just looked so darn NICE. Have had some Great Results on my a700. It focuses fast and true. I got a somewhat rare good copy of this lens. I really Love it. The colors are nice not overly saturated like the 28 - 85 KM Lens. If you can get a good copy of this lens it is HIGHLY Recommended....

sharpness: 3.5 

color: 4 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Oclaf   review date: April-02-10  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony 18-70 kit lens
Sony CZ 24-70 2.8

price paid:

950NZD

positive:

Cheap normal Zoom.
Good solid feel.
Reasonably compact.
Good macro.
Good weight.
Good low light performance.
Tough.

negative:

Not terribly sharp wide open.
Designed for APS.
Zoom creeps with age.

comment:

Whilst it cant compete with my new Zeiss glass. It was a far superior lens to the kit 18-70 that came with my a200. Used and abused for over a year.
Survived 2 significant falls. Once off my desk and another whilst standing changing lenses. Survived both unharmed aside from a cracked UV filter.
Zoom seems to have loosened off a bit since new. Not a major issue but it is prone to creep in or out.
Manual focus has a good positive feel. This lens took some great photos and even though its been superseded in my kit, I still carry it when I don't feel like lugging around my heavier glass.
Vignettes terribly on full frame. But that's too be expected. As a kit lens replacement or first lens you can't go wrong with this.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Robokeh   review date: November-15-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 18-200mm
Sony 18-70mm kitlens

price paid:

+/- 250 EURO (used)

positive:

* Great EX build
* Sharp
* F2.8

negative:

* Bit short range
* Large filter size (72mm)

comment:

As many others I considered the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 or this lens. The deal I could get on an almost new Sigma 18-50mm and the fact that I am satisfied with my Sigma 18-200mm as well made me decide to go for this one.

I must say I did not regret my purchase! Focus is fast, also in low light. I really like the sturdy EX build. The impressive filter size of 72mm is to be considered when you want to use different filters; larger filters are considerably more expensive. I got mine with a decent UV / protection filter and that's enough for me.

I like the colors of this lens (of my other Sigma lenses too, as a fact). Sharpness is sufficient at F2.8 but boosts when stopping down to F4 and further. I did not notice any other negative points sofar. Of course we would all like to have F2.8 lenses with bigger ranges :-) but 18-50mm suffices most of the time.

It blows the kitlens away and compared to my Sigma 18-200 it is clearly a step up in the range. Recommended.

UPDATE (jan 14, 2010): After purchasing a new A700 to replace my A300 a week ago I started to like this lens even more. It is clearly a good match for the A700 sensor in terms of IQ.

After reading some disturbing stories about Sigma and stripped gears, I was wise enough to put the AF to "slow" in the menu, although I do not feel much difference with the "fast" setting, I must say. If there are any problems arising, I will let you know.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: vadang   review date: October-04-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

-Sony 18-70mm kit lens
-Minolta 24-105mm D
-Minolta 50mm 1.7

price paid:

$400 USD

positive:

-Great build quality
-Great macro ability
-Constant 2.8

negative:

-I find it to be a little short sometimes

comment:

I was considering this lens or the famous Tamron 17-50mm. I decided to go with this lens since I really liked the better macro performance. I am a new shooter, so I dont think I would have really noticed a huge difference in overall IQ.

Overall I am very happy with this lens for my indoor shooting. I also bought a sigma 70-300mm APO to complement this lens since I found that for my general walk-around lens it was a bit short.

I have mostly 4 ratings since I am not an expert and could not compare it too much. Build quality however is top notch in my book. Wish it would have come with a center pinch lens cap for that huge 72mm front end though. Had to get a cheapy aftermarket one so it would be easy to use with the hood.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: Jason Hicks   review date: May-12-09  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Beer Can
50mm 1.7

price paid:

450

positive:

Perfect zoom range for my APS-C
Constant wide aperture
Decently Sharp
Small and lightweight

negative:

The internal focus gears stripped on A700
First copy had blurry left side
Seems like the quality control is weak.

comment:

The first copy I received was blurry in the left side of the frame. I sent it back and Sigma sent me a new one after a month. The new one stopped focusing after two weeks. Seems that the A700 focus motor is too strong for the focus drive gears. Once I get it back from repair I will be sure to keep the A700 in slow focus mode.

It could be a great lens if the internals were a little more robust.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Keijog   review date: May-13-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

18-70mm kit lens
16-80mm CZ

price paid:

370 EUR

positive:

Sharpness after F5
Colors
Build quality
Macro feature
Bokeh

negative:

Softness on F2.8 when very much light
Sometimes slow AF

comment:

A great lens so far, I bought this to replace the poor KM/Sony 18-70mm kit lens to my A200 and so far I'm more than happy about it. The build quality is nice, especially when compared to the CZ 16-80mm, it's heavier (in a good way) than the kit lens and the F2.8 gives you more options in low light. Razor sharp after F5-6 + lovely colors + superb bokeh. with this price, I can't find anything too much to complain.

sharpness: 3 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 2 

user: zdenek.falar   review date: May-13-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

M-AF 2,8/20mm
Σ 2,8/24mm
Σ 2,8/28mm-70mm Ex Asp

price paid:

10k5 CZK

positive:

negative:

in light from side has a strong mist
in viewfinger visible vigneting

comment:

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: CC   review date: May-12-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

price paid:

610 USD

positive:

Wide
Sharp
Nice bokeh

negative:

Weak internal construction?

comment:

Very good sharpness from f5.6 to f11, a bit soft fully open. CA well controlled and nice bokeh. Just got my lens repaired as AF died two weeks ago. Good exterior build but what about the internals? Are the rumours about too strong torque on the A700 focus motor true?
UPDATE September 8th: So the AF broke again after 4 months use. This time it started with terrible noise each time camera started. Mostly it still could focus but many times it did not. OK, let's see how long it works after beeing fixed this time...

sharpness: 5 

color: 4 

build: 2 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: jbtwin   review date: April-28-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

24-105 MINOLTA 75-300 MINOLTA 105 MACRO SIGMA

price paid:

419 USD NEW

positive:

CONSTANT APRATURE. GOOD WIDE. SHARP LENS EVEN WIDE OPEN.

negative:

REVERSE ZOOM.

comment:

THE ONLY NEGATIVE ABOUT THIS LENS IS THE REVERSE ZOOM. OTHER THAN THE LENS IS GREAT. FAST FOCUS ON A-700, AND SHAP. AUTO FOCUS JUST DIED, I THINK THE GEARS ARE STRIPPED. Awaiting word from SIGMA. **UPDATE** Sigma would not ship to an APO AE address although B&H and many others will. So I bought the Tamron 17-50. I will continue to fight Sigma when I return to the America. Great lens horrific customer service.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 4 

build: 2 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: SPtheALIEN   review date: April-24-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sigma 10-20
Minolta 75-300

price paid:

430

positive:

Bright and fast. At f5 and higher, really sharp all around.

negative:

Man, I went through two of these lenses with the same sad outcome. After a week on the first lens and three days on the second lens, they both lost the ability to autofocus. When I'd power up the camera or when it would try to autofocus, you could hear a motor continuously motoring inside the lens, but no change in focus.

comment:

I really wish that the lens would have worked. The external build quality is nice--nicer looking than the Tamron build. But, alas, the internals broke. And that's what really counts. When it did work, it's focus was quick and the bokeh was creamy. I am not sure if it's a bad batch, but two lenses back to back breaking in exactly the same way...sad.

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: carldan   review date: January-22-08  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Sony DT 18-70 3.5-5.6

price paid:

4000 kr

positive:

f/2.8
Build

negative:

Slow AF on my A100

comment:

Very nice lens

sharpness: 4.5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Wakaluba   review date: November-18-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Tamron - SP AF 28-75 F2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF,
Sigma - 28-70 F2.8 EX DG,
Sony - AF DT 18-70 F3.5-5.6

positive:

- f 2.8 overall aperture
- good build quality

negative:

- vignetting is visible in some reasons

comment:

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Rush2112   review date: August-04-07  

tested on film camera:

tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:; 16MP:; 24MP:

tested on full frame:24MP

compared to:

Zeiss 16-80
Tamron 17-50

price paid:

$399.99

positive:

1:3 Magnification, constant 2.8 Aperture, great bokeh, SUPER SHARP f5.6-f11, and very sharp under, Great build quality, wide angle

negative:

at f5.6 and below vignetting is visible on lighter subjects but not too bad

comment:

After much research and ado in this class of lens, I came to the conclusion to purchase this one. I decided on this lens in the class of the Zeiss 16-80, Tamron 17-50, Sigma 17-70 DC Macro, and the Sigma 18-50 DC Aspherical (not to be confused with this lens, or it's predecessor).

Optical Impressions: The resolution figures (sharpness) are really eyepopping from f5.6 to f11 throughout the zoom range (with only the Zeiss besting the max resolution), and really very good under f5.6 in real every day shots. The magnification ratio of 1:3 and the EXCELLENT bokeh, make this a lens that does equally well on flowers and stills, as it does at landscapes (since it is also extremely sharp from f5.6-f11). CA is well controlled as is flare, however you will notice some (personally I like a little flare) but it is managed very well. You will also notice some vignetting (darkening of the image corners)at small apertures at 18mm to 24mm, but again, it isn't that bad and it is less noticeable than the Zeiss. Only a minor problem if you live in that range, and don't know how to remove it via CS2 or other software programs and even then it isn't that bad. The color on this lens is absolutely excellent. I run my A100 on the 0 setting on the standard color setting, as I do contrast, saturation, and sharpness. And get near perfect color when white balance is spot on. I think this lens, and my other Sigma (the beloved and affordable 70-300 APO DG Macro 1:2) have the best color of the lenses i've owned or used to date. I think color is a matter of preference to some however, but if you like natural looking color with good contrast, this lens delivers (it does very very good with natural skin tones on the settings i've outlined). The DOF of this lens is also impressive, finding sharpness throughout the foreground to background range at 5.6 (while standing) focused 1/3rd into the frame. There is some typical distortion at 18mm for it's class (correctable on software, but runs dry at 24mm and above. Optically, probably the second best zoom offered for the Alpha (in this class) to date in my opinion.

Build features: This lens has a zoom lock that works at 18mm, but I find the tolerances so tight that the lens doesn't move on me, but it's still nice thing to have. I find the zoom ring to be a tad tight, but it gives you the impression that with time it will loosen up a bit and wear in, like a good pair of Levi's. The focus ring is very precise and smooth, and feels slightly geared inside. If you listen closely, you can hear each tick as you rotate it, helping you find that precise sharp spot in manual focusing. Auto focus works very very fast, who needs an internal focus motor on this one? Not a lot to move inside, so it works prompt! The front lens element (of 72mm) does not rotate during focus (making it a great lens for filters), but the focus ring does.. it is not decoupled from the drive. I'm used to it and personally it doesn't make any difference to me. For this price that would be simply asking too much. The weight is a bit hefty, but perfectly fine for carrying all day on long hiking excursions etc. I happen to like heftier lenses, they help stabilize the camera and give you a quality long lasting feel. The appearance of the lens is typical EX (Excellent) quality with the soft rubberized crinkle finish many Sigma fans adore.

Overall: Could this lens go a bit wider? MMMM I guess, but i'm happy living in the range of 27-75mm equivalent. Some will still want more, but not me. I'll just carry anther lens or two if needed to compliment it. But for most applications this lens will do most of what you ask of it. Overall I am very impressed with this lens' versatility and optical quality. Sigma makes a very nice lens in the EX class, and for Alpha owners it is a perfect match with the resolution figures (at some combinations of settings) besting the sensor's max performance. I highly recommend it.

Cheers, Carl
www.carlgarrardphotography.com