Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 Contemporary DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Canon

I'm using this lens with my Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera. I previously used the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens that came with it. I also have the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Professional reviews for this lens, as well as reviews for Sigma's other new lens (35mm f/1.4 Art) helped convince me to choose this lens over the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8is, Canon 15-85mm is, Tamrom 17-50mm f/2.8 (VC and nonVC), and even Sigma's own 17-50mm f/2.8 OS. Additionally, Sigma boasts new quality control procedures and technologies they claim will drastically cut down on copy-to-copy variances. Finally, at $500, an extra 20mm of reach, and Macro capabilities, the Sigma 17-70 provides more flexibility and value than its fixed-aperture competitors. The Sigma is noticeably more compact, lighter, and less invasive looking, making it much more useful as a walk-around lens and for street photography. Pros: - Wide focal length range, maintaining excellent Image Quality - Wide aperture (2.8) at its widest focal length (17) - Provides Macro abilities - Uses Sigma's OS which provides valuable help for hand-holding in low light (comparable to Canon's IS) - Compact, light, svelte - Uses Sigma's new, upgraded materials and quality control processes - Comes with hood - Accepts popular 72mm filters - Solid construction - No lens creep - 3 year warranty vs Canon 1 year warranty Cons: - Variable aperture - 2.8-4. Meaning, at the long end (70mm), most used for portraits and sports, the lens has the narrowest aperture(4). - No weather sealing, making it the limiting factor in poor weather on my 7d, as well as on any of Canon's current Full Frame offerings - No lens bag - 3 year warranty is better than Canon's 1 year, but only half Tamron's incredible 6 year warranty I would definitely recommend this lens to anyone still using their kit lens. While it won't measure up to any decent quality prime lens, it's faster, wider, sharper, and more attractive looking than any kit lens for Canon APS-C. It's also cheaper than any of its competitors of similar image quality. Note: I did not include an IQ analysis for sharpness, flare control, or CA, as I believe the professional reviews can provide a much more in depth analysis with their formal tests

I've had this lens for about 2 months. I have a Canon Rebel XT with the older 18-55 II non IS lens. It was nearly impossible to get good pictures of my kids unless we were outside in good light. Now, that's not as much of a problem. The wider aperture allows much more light to hit the sensor giving me more keepers. The macro abilities are much better as well. With the 70mm zoom and the close focus distance, I can get great pictures of flowers and such. It's not close enough for shots of insects, but bees and dragonflies will work, if they sit still long enough. Before the 18-55 was a limiting factor in my pictures, now the Rebel is. With the older 8 megapixel sensor, it is easy to get sharp pictures right down to the pixel level. The ability to use faster shutter speeds and the addition of the OS on this lens helps. If you have the newer 18-55 is II lens, I don't know how much of an upgrade this is. But for someone like me that is still living in the dark ages of dslr photography (and will be for a while) this is a worthy upgrade. I'm not getting great vibrant colors with it, but I never did with my 18-55 either. I don't know it it's the camera, lens or just me. Pros: Feels durable/solid OS works well. Took a hand held one second shot while braced. Couldn't blow the picture up, but works for sharing. Zoom and focus rings work smooth. Image quality is great. I've had a lot of positive comments about the pictures I've taken with it. Front element does not turn during focus. Great for polerizers and gradient filters. Much improved auto focus ability over 18-55 Wider aperture allows for a brighter viewfinder. Better for composing shots in lower light. Cons: Much heaver then the non IS version of the 18-55. Not sure about the newer ones. Focus ring is right next to the zoom ring, and turns during auto focus. I had to adjust how I hold my camera. No full time focus. I have to switch to manual to adjust focus. AF/Manual focus switch is a little hard to move, could be a good thing, and I may get used to it. Lens cap doesn't snap on tightly, I have to snap it on, then screw it tight. The cons are a bit more nit picky then anything really. For anyone with an older 18-55 looking for an upgrade, this is a great choice. I can't compare this to the 18-55 IS II lens however. There are plenty of reviews comparing to other lenses. For the money, this seems like a good bet.

If there was only one lens I could chose to bring along with me anywhere, it would be this Sigma 17-70mm without a doubt! I rarely have a specific photo shoot in mind when I go anywhere. So usually I would bring two or three lenses with me just to cover all the focal lengths. But that obviously gets bulky and heavy pretty quick. This lens covers wide-angle at 17mm with f/2.8 all the way to medium/telephoto at 70mm with f/4. With that range, I don’t even need to bring anything else with me on a daily basis which is a huge deal! It’s a fast lens that still stops down enough to photograph silky waterfalls with slower shutter speeds. At the larger apertures, the out of focus areas (bokeh) are not super smooth, but still look great and not at all a deal breaker. Like other Sigmas, it’s also not as sharp at larger apertures, but still not a deal breaker. The autofocus is fast and accurate! The motor makes just a little bit of noise, but I hardly ever notice it. I enjoy photographing motocross races which are very fast paced. With the continuous autofocus set, it tracks the racers no problem. The optical stabilization also comes in handy during the races. I’m able to get blurred action shots with the racers perfectly sharp. With all the great features of the Sigma 17-70mm, coupled with the unbeatable price, it’s the perfect lens for the photography enthusiast that wants to bring versatility and range to their run-and-gun setup, but not break the bank.

Che dire, l'obiettivo in mio possesso è finalmente ciò che aspettavo da tempo. 17-70 credo che sia un'ottima escursione focale in particolare in relazione alla elevata luminosità relativa. Infatti questo obiettivo Sigma si pone a metà strada fra i luminosi (Ma con meno escursione focale) 17/18-50/55 f2.8 (Canon Sigma Tamron) e i più versatili (Ma più bui) 18-135 e 15-85 f3.5/5.6(Canon). L'ideale sarebbe stato un 15-85 f4 fisso ma ahimè ancora non esiste e sicuramente sarebbe fuori budget per le mie tasche. Parlando del Sigma devo riscontrare che rispetto alle versioni precedenti (Ho posseduto il primo 17-70 f2.8-4.5 per 5 anni e per alcuni giorni il 17-70 f2.8-4.0 OS, quest'ultimo reso per problemi di messa a fuoco...) la qualità costruttiva è sicuramente aumentata in tutti gli aspetti. La finitura del barilotto è molto gradevole e meno incline a raccogliere polvere essendo lucida. Il paraluce si aggancia in modo meno rude e gli switch per attivare lo stabilizzatore e l'autofocus sono veramente migliorativi rispetto alla precedente versione. E' scomparso il blocco alla focale di 17 mm per evitare lo "zoom creeping" (L'estendersi dello zoom se puntato verso il basso) e per ora non se ne sente la mancanza nemmeno sollevando macchina e obiettivo per il paraluce (Eos 7D quindi piuttosto pesantina...). L'obiettivo è leggero e compatto e non ha alcun gioco evidente. Non molto bello (Va a gusti...) ma sicuramente molto pratico il nuovo tappo gestibile anche con paraluce montato. La ghiera della messa a fuoco è accoppiata meccanicamente al motore e ruota durante le operazioni di focheggiamento. Il FTM (Full Time Manual focus) non è possibile e l'escursione della ghiera, che è approssimativamente di 45°, ha un funzionamento regolare ma non abbastanza frenato. Sicuramente per chi ama la messa a fuoco manuale non è l'obiettivo giusto. Il motore AF è silenziosissimo e per ora mi sembra alquanto preciso. Non è veloce come il mio Canon 85 f1.8 USM ma mi sembra che la velocità di MAF sia veramente buona. Ottimo anche il sistema OS di stabilizzazione. Per quanto riguarda la qualità delle lenti devo dire che, a parte un po' di sfocatura negli angoli a 17 mm, mi sembra utilizzabile tranquillamente a tutta apertura. Magari fotografando paesaggi a 17 mm è meglio chiudere il diaframma a f5.6 o se possibile a f8.0 . A 70 mm direi che è meglio del suo predecessore (17-70 f2.8-4.5 non OS). In un confronto pixel to pixel si equivalgono (Ero moooolto contento del vecchio obiettivo...) ma il confronto è fra 20D (8 Mp) e 7D (18Mp) quindi è sicuramente meglio il nuovo. Migliora leggermente in nitidezza passando da f4.0 a f5.6 ma è perfettamente utilizzabile a tutta apertura. Per ora non ho altro da aggiungere. Se avesse avuto un vero HSM/USM (Con FTM...) e fosse stato più nitido ai bordi a 17 mm avrei dato un 5 stelle pieno. Così è 4 stelle e mezzo. Ne ho messe 5 perchè Il miglioramento dalle vecchie versioni è tangibile. Aggiornerò la recensione più avanti dopo un po' di utilizzo.

Ottimo obiettivo tuttofare, elevata qualità ottica e meccanica. Dà una buona sensazione di robustezza e le ghiere hanno una buiona facilità di utilizzo e nessuno scorrimento.

Nikon D500 及び D7200の汎用レンズとして購入しました。 安価ですがF2.8-4 と比較的明るく画質もシャープでマクロ的な使い方もできるコストパフォーマンスの高いレンズです。 明るいので室内撮影にも重宝しています。 シンプルなデザインで造りも良く高級感があり見栄えも悪くありません。 サードパーティー製のレンズですがピンズレもなくフォーカス調整無しでガチピンでした。 以前に購入したContemporary 150-600もピンズレはなく最近のSIGMAレンズは優秀ですね。 フルタイムマニュアルフォーカスではなくAF時にフォーカスリングが動きますが動作角が小さいのでそれほど気になりません。 手頃な価格で汎用性が高い素晴らしいレンズです。

This is great lens u wil find in this price. If u want to just carry one lens wherever u go. Then this s the right choice of lens. U wil have option to go wide to zoom.

I love this for macro work - it provides an extremely robust focal length, excellent depth of field even zoomed, and the level of detail it captures is simply put STUNNING. Attached images were all shot on a Canon R - which being a fullframe unfortunately means this lens requires cropping of the sensor. Normally I really dislike cropping my sensor but given the results from this lens and the fact that it absolutely kills in close macro shots where I really don't the full image to begin with - and the 17mm focal range being basically wide angle - I really don't mind the cropping on this lens at all. Image stabilization is also a very very nice addition when you're in a weird position trying to get that cool shot, and having it in this lens for the price is just stupid value and gives this lens a permanent spot even in my full frame bags. All this being said - I don't recommend this lens as a walk around lens as some people have in other reviews. The focusing at range is simply not reliable enough for me, it lacks in both speed and accuracy especially with IS enabled. Though there is apparently a firmware update for the lens that makes it focus better with IS enabled I can't really push myself to say yeah buy the dock just for this lens to make it half workable at range over say a 24-70 f2.8 by sigma or canon - which granted is WAY more money but you'll be much happier with it. For macro work = 6 outta 5 stars, love it even with a necessary crop on full frame. For everything else = 2 outta 5 stars. It does the job but I can't help but be frustrated with it at any serious range and the image cropping is much more noticeable.