Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

by Sigma

• For use with smaller chip APS-c or 4/3 digital cameras only
• Offers Sigma's OS System (Optical Stabilization) allowing handheld photography even in low-light situation
• HSM (Hyper-Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet & high-speed auto focus
• FLD glass elements with performance equal to fluorite glass for compensate for color aberration
• Ultra compact with overall length of just 3.6Specifications

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 3.3 x 3.3 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003A6NU3U
• Item model number: 17-50mm f/2.8 Nikon
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 1, 2008

Product Description

Style: Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

Sigma's new 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM large-aperture standard zoom lens covers a focal length from 17mm wide angle and offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, making it ideal for many types of photography especially portraiture and landscapes. The OS, Sigma's anti shake feature offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. HSM provides fast and quiet AF. Sigma's own FLD glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite along with two glass mold and one hybrid aspherical lens, provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The Super Multi-Layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens boasts superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even at the maximum apertures. With a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches throughout the entire zoom range and a magnification ratio of 1:5. When you need to stand ready for any photo opportunity you need a fast aperture so you can shoot in low existing light or at maximum range with a flash. This Sigma lens is perfect. With its compact size and lightweight, it's a necessary addition to your camera bag.
Features Lens Construction - 17 Elements in 13 Groups Angle of View - 72.4-27.9 Number of Diaphragm Blades - 7 Miminum Aperture - f22 Minimum Focusing Distance - 28 cm / 11 in Filter Size (mm) - 77 Maximum Magnifications - 1 - 5 Dimensions (Diameter x Length) - 83.5 x 91.8 mm / 3.3 x 3.6 in.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

159 of 167 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Glass May 25, 2011

By Warner M. Smith

Style Name:Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

First, lets establish a few things about me, the reviewer, before you go on to read my review. I am a full time professional photographer. fine-art portraits, high school seniors and glamour is where I specialize. I own two Nikon cameras; D300 and D700. I own a total of 5 lenses for use on these camera bodies; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, Sigma 85mm f/1.4, Sigma 70mm Macro and this lens, Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8.

Immediately, this should tell you a few things. One, I make money doing photography -- full time. I'm a professional and as a professional, I do not take short cuts when it comes to equipment. I need quality and dependable equipment and my gear needs to work hard. My results must meet high standards for my clients. Secondly, if you look at the various lenses I own, you should be able to ascertain that I do not hold loyalties to BRANDING. Yes, I own Nikon cameras and I love Nikon; but contrary to all the fluff out there by the brand using die-hards, you can get great quality pro lenses from the likes of Sigma, Tamron and Tokina for half the price of a pro lens from Nikon. In the end, I'm a consumer who requires quality for value; not quality for the sake of a name branded onto my lens.

My first experience with this lens took place at an on location photo-shoot with another professional. During the shoot, I was using two primes; a 35mm and a 50mm, but at this one particular indoor location, I couldn't get enough separation between myself and the model for a full length view and take in some of the setting. So, my buddy, who is also a Nikon shooter, reached into his bag and handed me his Sigma 17mm-50mm. I attached the lens to my D300 and focused in at 24mm. Just the right length to bring in the scene and my model at full length.... I was so impressed with the results I was getting, that I ended up shooting the remaining session with this lens! It is solid, with a good weight to it, but not so much that it felt heavy on the camera. The auto-focus was slick and fast; unlike several other reviewers here, I did not note any abnormal noise in the auto-focus feature or the VC feature. But what really grabbed me was the amazing sharpness I got out of this lens at lengths 24mm to 50mm. I mean, this lens was tact sharp; impressive!

So, naturally, having a need for a lens like this, I went ahead and purchased one for myself. All I can say is that this is just a gorgeous piece of glass for the money you pay. I did not experience any of the issues other reviewers complained about with this lens. It is not slow, it is not noisy, no noticeable color fringing and it has amazingly fast focus. Vibration control is hard to evaluate compared to other lenses; however, the feature exists and works perfectly.

To enable this feature you need to depress the shutter button half-way. As a general rule, I tend to keep my minimal hand held shutter speeds at the direct inverse of the lens' focal length. However, for experimentation purposes and to check out the VC on this lens, I shot one of my models at 1/15s [hand-held] while at 35mm and her eyes came out crystal clear. I tried the shot again at 1/15s with my prime 35mm lens and I got no where near the same result. I mean, the image came out okay, but the eyes were not as sharp as they were with the sigma lens using VC. That tells me that the VC definitely works! I will say, that when using VC, you can hear the lens working, but it wasn't as predominant as others reviewers would seem to suggest; nothing abnormal. However, this is one notable area where Nikkor lenses with VR excel over Sigma.

The one other minor issue I had with this new lens, which went away after my third heavy photo-shoot, was with the zoom ring sticking a bit. And of course, there is some minor distortion at 17mm, but then again, show me a wide angle lens that doesn't have ANY distortion at one spectrum or the other and I'll show you a price greater than $3000.00. Again folks...value!

I can say without a doubt, that if I were to lose this lens, I would replace it in a second with the same lens. It is a pro-lens in my book and as of this writing, it has become my second favorite lens...right after the Sigma 85mm f/1.4!! BTW, I love all my lenses! Read more ›

206 of 220 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars After spending an hour with the Tamron and Canon competitors... July 27, 2010

By Cullen J Hoback

Style Name:Canon Digital DSLR Camera

So I've been bouncing back and forth between the big three competitors. If you're looking at this lens, you've probably weighed Tamron's 2.8 17-50 VC and Canon's more expensive but much beloved 2.8 18-55 IS that's been out for a few years. I finally broke down and went into a store to wrap my hands around all three, shoot some comparative video with the various IS/VC/OS, futz with the focus rings and zoom, etc. I did not run a full professional test on the image quality, but those reviews can be easily found online. In most fields the Sigma beats the Tamron, like Bokeh and low distortion. The Tamron is ever so slightly sharper at 2.8. At 2.8, I do get some easily visible circular distortion in the corners with the Sigma when pointing the camera at a window or bright source. I basically determined that image quality between the lenses was a draw. The Canon tests slightly better, but I found looking through that lens for the very first time that I was getting all sorts of unwanted flair at 2.8 indoors. I was at a pro shop in town, and I asked if other rental customers and pros had experienced unwanted flair under those conditions; they said yes. So I finally decided that the difference between all three lenses in terms of optical quality is very slight.

That left price, handle, build, and vibration control.

Price: Canon is about $1080, Tamron is about $550 with rebate, Sigma is about $640 depending on where you buy it (not including tax)

Handle: The Canon had the nicest overall handle. Since I'm primarily concerned with shooting high-end video, the range of focus is particularly important, as is how the focus ring handles (smoothness). On this front that Canon wins hands down.... The focus ring continues after you hit the edge of your range, and dampens so you know you've maxed out. Both the Tamron and Sigma have hard stops. The Canon also provides the most breathing room, so if you're tracking focus, or need to attach a follow focus, this lens is going to make life a lot easier. The Tamron had the second longest range, though only about 20% more than the Sigma. The Tamron ring got caught and was a little jerky. If I applied outward pressure, the ring wouldn't stick. The Sigma was smooth and slightly dampened. However, it's range is super tight. This is my only complaint about this lens. You better be amazing at eye-balling focus, and have some killer dexterity to pull this off. The incredible feel of the ring makes this tricky, but not impossible. I actually found it easier to hit marks with the Sigma than the Tamron, because of the quality of the ring. For video applications, auto-focus doesn't really even matter. Sure it's super silent, but if you're pro, you're probably operating this guy in manual anyway. All of this said, because the range of focus (by that I mean distance the ring turns) is so limited on the Sigma, and because I'm using this for video; I'm still contemplating paying the extra $475 for the Canon. This would be the only reason I would buy the Canon over the Sigma.

Build: Like another reviewer said, the Sigma is solid. It feels great. I actually thought the zoom ring beat the Canon head to head. It's also lighter than the Canon, but made out of more rugged materials than the Tamron. In terms of build, Sigma is the winner in my opinion.

Vibration Control: After all of my testing, it was hard for me to gauge superiority on this front. With the Canon, the VC is obvious. It's also obvious with the Tamron. For whatever reason, despite flicking that switch on and off, I have not been able to visibly see the difference. The image seems to move fluidly whether I have the darn thing turned on or off. According to the instructions, the OS kicks in when the shutter button is depressed half-way. However, when I put my ear up against the lens, I can hear the OS working round the clock. It's very quiet, but the on-camera mic might pick it up. Regardless, I'm satisfied with the smoothness of the image. With both the Tamron and the Canon you can hear the VC/IS turn on. There is no sound associated with the OS on the Sigma unless you listen really closely (similar to Canon's IS on its new lenses).

Wrap-up: The Sigma has a few tiny setbacks, and if you've got the money and video is your world, get the Canon. I like the feel of the Sigma more than the Canon, but the focus ring on the Canon makes a big difference. This guy weighs less and feels great in your hand. The Tamron feels cheap by contrast, and the focus ring is loose and gets caught. Whether I was shooting video or stills, I would choose the Sigma over the Tamron. Read more ›

76 of 81 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good lens August 18, 2010

By QWK SVT

Style Name:Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

I am a serious hobbiest, with a Nikon D90. Other lenses in my kit include the 18-105VR, 70-300VR, 300mmf4, 35mmf1.8 and 50mmf1.8. The use of the short fast primes (35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8) really opened me up to available light photography, but I don't always want to constantly switching back-and-forth, or trying to zoom with my feet (which is not always possible in the confines of a small room). There's a time and place for the primes, but I decided that it was time to pick up a fast zoom to compliment what I already had. I tried a couple of options, and was very pleasently surprised by the Sigma 17-50mm OS.

Sharpness
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Plain and simple, the lens is sharp. The image center is quite sharp throughout the zoom range, even wide open. The borders are reasonable good at f/2.8, but are noticeably less sharp than the center, when under 30mm. Realistically, I doubt I'll use f/2.8 for many shots where I require critical sharpness for the entire frame. Stopping down to f/4, the image is virtually even, across the frame. 50mm@f2.8 sharpness is comparable or better than the Nikon 50f/1.8, at the same aperture. At all similar focal lengths and apertures, this lens in notably better than the 18-105VR.

Focusing
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The Sigma is as fast focusing as any lens I've used, and other than a couple of misses at slower shutter speeds and f/2.8, focus has been bang on. Honestly, the misses could just as easily have been as a result of user errors, subject motion and/or shallow depth of field, so I'm not knocking the lens here... I also tested the Tamron 17-50VC and, overall, I'd say speed was equal, but the Sigma was far less prone to mis-focusing like the Tammy....

Other
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There is some minor distortion at 17mm, but it is pretty minimal compared to zooms with similar range, from my preliminary tests. For example, it's no where near as noticeable as the Nikon 18-105VR that I also have. Otherwise, the optics of this lens are near superb. Bright, contrasty with accurate color reproduction.

Weight is nicely balanced on the D90; the Sigma 17-50OS is about the same size as the Nikon 18-105VR, but is noticeable heavier. I wouldn't have any problems carrying the body + lens around my neck, all day long. The 17-50 range translates to 25-75 on a DX body; this is the classic "event" range, and I can see why. Strictly shooting indoors, there would be almost no need for a second lens; the range is great. In a pinch, 50mm can be used for individual portraits, which this lens does a good job at, but a longer lens would be better for this specific purpose.

The OS (optical stabilization - same as Nikon's vibration reduction) works well on this lens. I haven't put it through the rigors of heavy testing yet (only be a few days), but even with my shakey hands, I can easily handhold 1/15" shots of static subjects at 50mm. I can say with certainty that there is no way I could do that without the aid of stabilization.

I wish the Sigma had some form of weather seal, or a rubber gasket, rather than the bare metal visible when mounted; I gather this is due to the larger Canon mount this lens also accommodates. This is my first non-Nikon lens, so the zoom ring spins the wrong way, for me, and the focus ring spins while AF'ing, so I need to get used to these quirks, but these (relatively) minor nits weren't enough to scare me away from an, otherwise, very good lens. Read more ›