Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 II APO EX DC HSM A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#40968 date: Nov-14-2017 | |
|---|---|
| sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
|
| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony DT 18-135 F3.5-5.6 SAM Minolta AF 35-105 F3.5-4.5 (original) Minolta AF 28-135 F4-4.5 Sigma AF 35-135 F3.5-4.5 Minolta MD 50-135 F3.5 Sony DT 55-200 F4-5.6 SAM Vivitar 70-150 F3.8 Kino & Tokina Sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Sigma AF 70-200 F2.8 EX DG APO Vivitar S1 70-210 F3.5 I & II Minolta AF 70-210 F4 Minolta MD 70-210 F4 + Lens Turbo II Tokina 80-200mm F2.8 AT-X Pro |
| price paid: | 356 USD (used) |
| positive: | Internal zoom and focus Moderate size Large control grips Focus clutch 3X zoom range |
| negative: | Chromatic aberration Field curvature Massive focus breathing Non functional focus on LA-EA1 (A6000) Pink color cast Dim: T3.2 @ 50 mm, T3.5 @ 150 mm |
| comment: | I first purchased a clean copy with original retail packaging from another Dyxum user. I purchased a second similar copy Buy-It-Now for $356 from a Japanese eBay company. These are somewhat rare in the used market though there are generally several used copies available for around $500 from Japan. Sigma replaced this lens in 2012 with a much larger, optically stabilized zoom that supposedly had much better image quality but was never available in A-mount. "LENS MADE IN JAPAN" This lens has internal focus and internal zoom. Neither the front nor the rear lens element moves at all. The HSM focusing is fairly quiet and fast. I was hoping this lens would be a good match for the Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM, but it looks like Sigma hadn't figured out image quality by 2008. This lens performs similar to the older, larger 70-200mm EX DG APO. Both have decent center sharpness, though perhaps not by autofocus. The first copy has some issues which really show in the top right corner. The second copy is much more consistent across the frame. The Minolta zooms have much flatter focus planes. The field curvature is even a bit worse than the Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM. The first copy worked pretty well for tracking moving cars with the A68, and the image quality was acceptable at F2.8. The axial CA seems to be better controlled than the Minolta lenses. I feel like this lens is a bit overrated, but it is a decent enough compromise. |
; 24MPrating summary
- total reviews: 26
- sharpness: 4.58
- color: 4.46
- build: 4.85
- distortion: 4.65
- flare control: 4.62
- overall: 4.63