Customer Reviews

Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC HSM Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon D90, D80, D70, D60, D50, D40, D40X, D5000, D3000, D700, D300, D200, & D3 Digital SLRs *

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I couldn't believe this lens was under 100 dlls. I've also got one in the 55-200mm range and it's just as good as this one.
I bought it because a friend of mine dropped the camera with the original nikon on it and it broke the support. I chose it because I like a lot the other one I have. This one autofocuses just as or faster than the nikon that comes standard with the camera.
Personally I prefer this one because it feels sturdier and the finish makes it look less toy-like. It also has a metal attaching ring, not like the nikon that has thin plastic one.

11/22/2008

When I purchased this lens, I was not 100% convinced that it would work with my Nikon D40's autofocus mechanism. It does. I purchased this as a replacement for for my 18-55mm lens that came with my D40. The autofocus had stopped working on that lens. Since I often used it when shooting casual pictures of family and friends, the autofocus was very important.

I rated this lens a four because it focuses somewhat more slowly than the Nikon lens it replaced. The performance is not significantly different from the Nikon lens.

Given the option between purchasing this lens or paying the half again as much for the Nikon lens, I would go with the Sigma lens. The difference in performance is not significant enough to dissuade me from Sigma.

2/27/2010

I have upgraded to the Nikon D90 camera and am unhappy with the performance of this lens. For the low price, I would still have purchased it. Today I am in the market for something a little higher in quality.

This Sigma lens works spectacular with the Nikon D40X. It's a great deal for a great price. With the Nikon D40X you have to have a lens that has AF because there is no motor for it in the Nikon. This is why I purchased this lens in particular. I've been able to take some amazing close ups. I took a photo of a rose and the detail in the rose was amazing! You could see the veins in the petals with vivid detail. I would recommend this lens to anyone with a digital camera for which it fits, especially those cameras without AF motors, owned by people who would like to have (AF) auto focus and fantastic photos.

IT's one of the better lens that doesnt get much prop., it works great with my D5000.
- take great picture, (little under expose indoor but D-lighting always adjust, outdoor create smooth and very soft bokeh)
- decent focus and great close up and good wide-angle shot.
- cant beat the price for this value comparing to the kit lense, save that money for the Nikon-55-200m or the Nikon 35mm 1.8 AF-S.
- Made from Japan!
Cant go wrong with this lens, oh make sure to add the Hoya HMC 58mm UV protection with the extra $ saved. only about 22$!

I bought this lens mainly to go with my little Nikon D60, and I've been pleasantly surprised by it. For the roughly $100 I paid for it, it's turned out to be quite a good lens. I originally bought this lens because of it's tiny size. I also own the Nikon 18-55 VR which is a nice lens, but it was just large enough to be extremely difficult to wedge into or pry out of the small case area I have for it, so I thought I would try this lens out. It's enough smaller than the Nikon lens that it fits about perfectly into the case I wanted to carry it in.

Pros:
- the lens feels better constructed than the Nikon 18-55 VR. It's not so much that the Nikon 18-55 is horrible(at least in comparison to other similar lenses), but this lens does feel a bit more solid and above average. Does it matter? Not much to me, although the metal bayonet mount is really nice to find in this price range.
- I can't see any difference in sharpness between this lens and the Nikon 18-55 VR. I'm not saying there isn't any difference, there might be, but I haven't been able to see it. This a good thing, since the Nikon 18-55 that this lens supplanted has been a sharp lens. That's not to imply that this lens is as good as a $1200 pro lens, but in comparison to the other similar lenses I've tried, this little Sigma isn't lacking in the sharpness department.
- it's tiny. It's barely larger than most prime normal lenses.
- focusing seems really fast and precise, more so than the Nikon 18-55 that I own.
- inexpensive.

Cons:
- like all inexpensive, small sized lenses, it has a fairly small maximum aperture, f3.5 at 18mm to f5.6 at 50mm. Not a problem for me, and not really a con, it's a trade-off to get the size down and keep the price reasonable.
- Sadly, no OS. Again, I can live with it the way it is, since VR would make the lens larger, and maybe a little more expensive.

The more I use this little semi-precious gem the more I like it, and the more convinced I am of it's excellent value.

If you have never owned a sigma they are every bit as good as a Nikon for all but the most demanding professional photographs. I'm sure the expert photographer can tell the difference but my dad (who teaches photography at a local college) swears they are every bit as good for a fraction of the price

Considering the price this thing is awesome. For wide angle scenic pictures this thing does a better job than my 700$ dollar Nikor 18-200 VR lens. I would suggest getting this for close up pictures of family/friends and also for the good wide angle scenic stuff. For close-ups/zooming and high end stuff you will want something with more zoom but I dont necessarily thing a better brand will do much more than lighten your wallet. I use a Nikon D90 camera with this as well.

This is a better alternative to the kit lens you get with your Nikon, this lens is better built. This lens is more durable, and it can take photos in lower light which makes it faster.

While this is a basic wide angle zoom, lacking features like super-fast aperture or image stabilization, it performs better than it's price class indicates. The build quality is solid, the controls are obvious and easy to use, and the images taken with this lens are superb. Unless you know that you will be shooting in extreme low light -- like a moonlit night -- I find no reason to spring for a faster lens in this format. A faster telephoto is very valuable, but for a wide angle zoom, this is my workhorse.

I am preferring this lens to the kit 18-110 that came with my Nikon D90. It's fast, it's quiet, it's compact, and it gets wonderful results (looks as good as the Nikon to me so far!) highly recommended - great job Sigma!