Customer Reviews

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Reading reviews is a crap shoot. You know nothing about the reviewer or the use of the product. That said, I am assuming you are not a struggling professional trying to shoot a high quality, tight-budget job. You are a user looking for one lens to carry to cover a wide range of service.

I'm a pro. I have a many bodies and L lenses to use.

I carry an XSI with THIS Sigma 18-200mm non OS lens just about everywhere I go. It is a great vacation tool, where most pix are shown in a digital frame or are never going to be more than 4x6.

Yes, the MTF is not great (simply: contrast across the lens), there is some chromatic fringing and watch out! the lens hood will cause vignetting and shadows with a flash at wide angle. I've been using this lens since it was released in early '05.

It's a $300 lens. Does it compare to a $1500 L lens? Yeah - very badly. So what? The first rule of photography is get the picture. Missing the shot while changing lenses is not photography. Is this the preferred lens in my arsenal? No. But for general non-client, daylight, non-sports shooting, it's the one I'll probably be using. I prefer the non-optical stabilzed version - less complexity.

To help you weigh this review: I use five professional (5D, 1D) and several prosumer (40D, 50D, XTI, XSI) bodies and nine L lenses, plus a slew of others.

Photo tip: night shooting of foreground against backround (done a lot with this lens!): typical situation: girl on beach in front of sunset. Manually set exposure to flash shutter speed, aperature & ISO to get background. Turn flash on to expose and meter foreground. You'll get some great "how did you do that?" pix. All the MTF, abberetion and linearity issues will mean nothing, because you got a picture no one else could and th L doesn't really add anything, because you want depth of field here.

Thanks for reading my review.

I disagree with the previous poster. I think this lens is pretty great.

The quality is exceptional for a lens of this price and range.
There seems to be a controversy regarding how focal lengths of lenses are measured; from what I've read, the lens does go to 200mm if measured at infinity.

In the real world, the lens takes fine pics as long as you have enough light. The size and weight is perfect for a walk-around lens. My Rebel XT with this lens (and the Hakuba hand grip) is a perfect fit, and feels great to carry around and shoot. To get better optical quality at this range, you would need to get a few lenses that each cost a lot more. There is nothing quite like this, except for Tamaron's 18-200, which I hear doesn't compare favorably to the Sigma.

It seems that Sigma has quality control issues, so I would buy
the lens from a local dealer that has a return policy. Test the lens, and if you don't think it's up to par, return it for another.

3 stars because of:
1) soft corners at 18mm (f3.5)
2) vignetting at 18mm (f3.5)
3) lens creep (self extension of lens barrel while walking) if not retracted/lock at 18mm

This lens has the most useful range one can possibly have. It has become my only lens for short travelling trip when I don't want hassel of changing lens. I took only this lens with my Canon XT to Amsterdam (5days) without missing my other lenses at all. Here are some photos taken with this lens in my website:
http://www.theteh.com/html/london_street_.html
http://www.theteh.com/html/croatia.html
http://www.theteh.com/html/index1.html

For this price range (other than the Tamron 18-200) there is no other lenses that can compete!

I got this lens a day before taking off for an eight day trip, and shot over 1800 photos with it. Though not the fastest lens out there, it did everything I wanted it to, both in the wide angle and the telephoto. I think I put it through a pretty thorough test over that week, and have these comments:
1. If I can only take one lens, this would be it.
2. I missed not having a macro feature, but I got close enough with the telephoto to make up for it in some cases.
3. The auto focus works fine in normal and bright lighting, but in dim lighting (like in a museum) it became confused and I used the manual focus option instead.
4. This is my third Sigma lens, and I haven't had any quality control problems with any of them.
5. I have no experience with high end Canon lenses for my Canon DSLR so I can't make a comparison, but I'm fully satisfied with the optics of this lens.

Excellent value and versatility.

This lens is not perfect, but for $350 dollars it is a great bargain!
I love my L lenses but I get frustrated having to switch lens all the time.

With this lens, I only have to carry my camera. Not the heavy camera bag. I love being able to use wide angle and then immediately switch to 200mm (300mm on the Rebel XT) within a second! The lens is light and is a pleasure to carry around all day.

It has a hard time focusing in low light so it is best to use outside when you have a decent amount of light.
I don't like that you cannot override automatic focus. That is one feature I really enjoy on my L lens. If the camera isn't focusing correctly you have to switch to manual before you can manually focus.
I am very surprised on how sharp the photos are. I wasn't expecting anything great in such a low priced lens. I am pleasantly surprised. I may be carrying around this lens a lot more than my 70-200 L and 17-40 L. I have missed many good shots due to the time it takes to change lenses. Also, every time you change a lens you take a chance of adding more specs (dust) to your photos.

It is kind of slow at the long end of the zoom range. (6.3 at 200mm) But, I don't mind it when there is a decent amount of light available.
It is an excellent walk around lens. It is so nice not to be carrying around a bag full of lens all day. My shoulder is thanking me already. Since it is so light, my neck doesn't hurt at the end of the day.
If I need the utmost quality, I will of course use my L lens. But, in the mean time this lens will suffice. I am having a lot of fun with it. I will post some shots soon.
I was kind of surprised that there are only 7 sample shots available here on Amazon. I promise I will add more so people can have a better representation of what this lens can do.

Price paid: $ 420 (local equivalent).
Date bought: October 2008.
Available in the following AF-mounts: Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony/Minolta, Sigma.

For starters, anybody who expects stellar optical performance from a 400 dollar 11,1x zoom, better stop reading right now. It is not going to happen, not with this one, nor with the Nikkor, even if it costs $ 300 more.

Summary:
I got this lens in a hurry, because I needed an all-purpose lens to cover a spur-of-the-moment client event. At the time, this was the only 18-200 mm. available in Santiago.
I also took a look at the (now discontinued) 18-125 mm. f/3.5-5.6D Sigma, but decided against it because it lacked the built-in focus motor necessary on the Nikon D40, my target camera.
Tamron offers a similar lens, and so does Nikon: the AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED comes with optical stabilization (VR in Nikon speak) and a built-in Silent Wave Motor (the S in AF-S), which presently streets for about $ 700 at Amazon.
I expected this Sigma to focus slow compared to my HSM and AF-S lenses, but it's surprisingly fast on the D40, the only camera I'm using it on. Build quality is also unexpectedly good, with a metal (instead of plastic) F-Mount, a partially metal body and a nice - EX type - crinkle finish.

The AF/MF switch is placed where I need it to be, and the lens also includes an anti-creep button that locks it in the 18 mm. position for trouble-free transport.
Thanks to what Sigma calls "inner focus" the front end does not rotate, facilitating the use of a petal-shaped lens hood (included), polarizers and other orientation sensitive filters such as grads.
However, it is important to point out that this "inner focusing system" is not the same as IF, as it is slow compared to AF-S or HSM and a bit noisy, while the front end extends considerably - making it look a bit "amateur" at the long focal end (see image).

At 18 mm., this lens suffers from pronounced barrel distortion and vignetting (wide open), but produces very good to excellent center sharpness, combined with good sharpness at the extremes.
At 35 - 85 mm., the center is still very good, but the borders suffer at large (if you can call f/5.6-6.3 "large") apertures.
However, stop down just a little, and border quality reaches again very respectable levels.
From 100 mm. on, the lens is pretty good stopped down to f/8, but interestingly, testers found that resolution (MTF) starts dropping off as soon as f/11.
You'd want to be extremely carefull with your aperture selection to get optimal results.

I have found myself avoiding the 200 mm. end, where my sample is decidedly soft, even stopped down. Lay off a little, though - to 150-180 mm. - and the problem is gone.
Because of it's rather complicated optical construction, this lens suffers (as expected) from moderate chromatic aberration throughout it's focal range.
On the other hand, it's not as bad as other, even more expensive, lenses of comparable focal range.
In short, pretty decent for a budget 11,1 times zoom, which seems to reach its sweet-spot early on: only 1 to 1,5 stops down from its f/max. throughout the entire focal range.

People who have been destroying this lens (and others like it) in their critiques, seem to forget that for some purposes - like social events, weddings and general light travel - an all-purpose 11x 400-dollar-zoom-lens comes in extremely handy, and therefore, ought to be forgiven for some of its weaker points.
Lest of course, you are prepared to lose *the* shot while changing lenses back and forth (which I am not) or are planning to mount it on a 8.000 dollar D3x, which is plain out stupid.
Lets face it, this Sigma makes for a fairly campact & light package, which, combined with any half decent DSLR blows the pants (plus underwear) off of any 10x zoom P&S camera out there.

Strengths:
* Solid build quality & finish, good focus speed and accuracy.
* Overall pretty decent optical performance, except at the very long end (in my sample).
* Pretty unobtrusive internal focus, no rotating front-end. You can use petal shaped lens hoods, polarizers and grad filters without problems.
* Quite heavy, especially compared to the D40's (very good) 18-55 mm. AF-S plastic kit-lens. But, compact enough to be well balanced and not overly heavy - it is the lightest among its peers; you can use it hand-held and without penalty down to 1/125 or even 1/60 sec..
* Very flare resistant. I have not seen any in my 4.000 takes with this lens, sofar.
* Well placed AF-MF switch, useful creep-lock button for transport.

Weaknesses:
* Chromatic aberration and purple fringing on highlight edges throughout the focal range, especially wide open. This can, however, be easily corrected in post or even in-camera (select Nikon models).
* Pronounced barrel distortions at the wide end, some pin cushion in the medium to long focal ranges.
* No built-in image stabilization. Users who are prepared to pay for an expected 1-2 stop gain, might want to consider the optically stabilized OS-version. (MSRP: $ 750) Combined with one of the clean high ISO Nikons, however, one ought to very carefully balance his options. You can get as much as 3 stops (ISO 1.600) from these cameras with minimal sacrifice, while 300 bucks extra is 300 bucks you can spend elsewhere.
* Can NOT be used with the Sigma EX 1.4x and 2x tele-converters. But then, I would not recommend using a lens of this level with a TC, anyway.
* The f/max. of f/6.3 at the long end is pushing towards the very extremes of AF capability; the lens may hunt on occasion, but mostly at the long end.
* Not exactly cheap for a "consumer" or kit lens.

Those who consider this lens, might also want to take a look at the AF-S 55-200 mm. Nikkor, which - although of a more limited focal range - pairs nicely with the 18-55, and brings better optical quality, less weight plus a lower price (± $250) to the equation.

Recommended (for social events, weddings, light travel, pseudo P&S)

I just did a side by side comparison of landscape images between this lens and a canon 24-105L with a Digital Rebel XT. To my surprise there isn't much difference in image quality when you match the aperture and focal lengths. The Canon L series lens is faster at all focal lengths and has image stabilization, is sealed and comes with a lens hood, but costs about three times as much. The Sigma lens is slower to focus and noisier, but weighs quite a bit less and has almost twice the maximum focal length and is wider as well. So, if you are using a cropped image camera and have plenty of light, this lens ought to give good performance. If I had to choose between the two, I'd definitely take the Sigma for walking around or daylight landscape.

I recieved this lens as a gift for my birthday to go with the Canon SLR that I recieved for Christmas. I am extremely happy with the lens. Recently I went on a trip to italy, and this was the lens I brought along. All of my pictures turned out beautifully. I was travelling with several friends, and whenever it was time to take portraits ("take a picture of me infront of the colloseum!") my camera was the one that was requested. This lens does beautifully with portrait shots--- SO much better than the stock lens that came with the camera. Gets that nice blurred backround effect with complete ease. I also used the camera for lots of close flower shots (did you know that callalillies grow wild in north-coastal italy?), and of course countless panoramic landscape shots. All were fantastic. No complaints at all.

If you are looking for an easy to use, general purpose lens that you can pop onto your camera and not need to worry about? This is the one. GREAT bang for your buck and definitely gets the job done.

The Sigma 18-200 mm lens has enabled me to stop from switching between my Canon 18-55 and 70-300 mm lens (avoiding potential dust issues as a bonus). The primary benefit is that for sporting events or band performances I can quickly get a large field of view (say the whole band) shot, then a few seconds later zoom in on my son for a close up of him WITHOUT switching lens back and forth. Works extremely well for outside sporting goods activities. For inside basketball games my Canon Digital Rebel XTs pictures depend on the lighting in the gym. Without a flash the gym lighting needs to be fairly bright, or for me to use a wide angle shutter priority shot (low f-stop number) picture to keep the speed up to avoid bluring the shot. When I use my flash (some refs allow it :-) I can get fairly good zoomed in shots of my other son/his teammates without motion blur (I have the Canon 580 flash - another great product). I have gotten pictures I never would have been able to get without this lens. If I had to do it over again I would have bought this lens first and waited on the 70-300 lens (more for extreme close up options / nature photography).

Before buying this lens I had seen other posts that indicated (in general) these automatic lenses can have trouble finding the right focus distance automatically for a given shot. My feeling is that these out of focus pictures (some have occured for me) are due to the camera's auto focus system (typically a set of 'regions' in the auto focus system) are accidentally pointed at objects a different distance away from the camera than the subject of interest(your kid!) and that this creates some out of focus images at various times - usually when there is lots of motion (as in basketball games) and it is hard to always get the right focus. My solution has been to be aware of the cameras autofocus system (I started using a center point focus area only option on my Rebel - its helped). I also make sure that I prefocus the Canon by pushing the button down halfway with the active 'focusing region' on the basketball backboard say - then move the camera field of view down to capture an action shot and wait to squeze down on the shutter release button the rest of the way right when the player making a quick layup goes up for his shot. I've been able to get some awesome pictures of my son or a teammate in mid air making their layup this way. I also take lots of shots so a sporadic out of focus shot (where I muff the focus), bad expression, etc. can be skipped over in favor of the other really nice shots I have taken.

I was looking at going with the canon L series lenses in this range, and found a comparative site with example photos - http://www.slo-foto.net/reviews-56-page1.html comparing them. Given the difference in price, I figured had nothing to lose going with this lense - even though it doesn't have any image stabilization. The lense works well with the Canon Digital Rebel, and easy enough that my wife took the SLR to Kenya with her with only this lense (not my entire bag of tricks) - her first time using the SLR and the photos look excellent. Great lense for the money.