Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

by Sigma

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.5 x 5.2 inches ; 15.7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002P19O4
• Item model number: 580-101
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Sigma 18-50mm f2.8ex dc f/canon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like it on my 20D - compares well with Canon 28mm/2.8, November 23, 2004

By 

Henry (Newton, Morocco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I have a Canon 20D, and I have had these lenses:

Canon 50mm/1.8 (my reference standard for the best lens performance I can reasonably expect)

Canon 28-135 IS

Canon 28/2.8

Sigma 18-50/2.8

Canon 18-55 EFS

I have found that the Sigma 18-50/2.8 is the lens I keep on my camera most of the time. It has very good color, contrast, sharpness, saturation, and low distortion and aberration. By contrast to the 18-55 kit lens that came with my camera, the Sigma is in a whole different class. I would compare it favorably with my Canon 28/2.8 prime lens. I have never used a prime lens wider than 28mm, so I can't speak as to what the distortion is like at 18mm compared to a prime, but in general I am very pleased with the Sigma.

I find it has better dynamic range than the Canon 28-135 did; I can get better textures and ranges of intensity.

For the highest quality, I always go to my Canon 50/1.8, but in walking around and general shooting, I use the Sigma.

I was interested in the Canon 17-40L, but from what I have seen there is not a lot of difference in the quality from that lens and this one. Perhaps a little less distortion, but nothing you would notice unless you are taking pictures of brick walls.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Lens!, December 26, 2004

By 

MERTMAG "mertmag" (Visalia, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

This lens is soooo sharp. I returned a sigma 17-35mm EX DG HSM. The 17-35mm was a good lens with superb build. The 18-50mm f/2.8 is a great lens with good build. HSM would be nice and so would full time manual focus. Having said that. The focus is fast but not silent. However it is not loud either. And the auto focus is sharp, so I haven't had to use manual focus. It is so light that at first you think hey is the build cheap? No it isn't! It works well on my EOS 20D. If Sigma could make this lens 17-85mm they would sell a million of them. There is a lock for zoom creep but I never use it because there is no zoom creep. Oh yes the color and contrast are also great.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars F2.8 is GREAT!, September 16, 2005

By 

Andrew Blackburn (Whitesboro, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Image stabilization is the new hotness in lens design, but being an old-fashioned sort, I went on a search for a lens with a wide maximum aperture instead. Sure, IS and VR give you the ability to hand-hold week long exposures, but what if your subject is moving? Amazing what a difference that extra stop can make when you need to capture action in low light. Plus, the AF system works better, and the viewfinder is brighter.

Cost, however, is what drove me to this lens. Due to financial constraints, I could afford no more than $500 for a lens for my 300D, which knocked the Canon L-series glass out of contention. After looking at the Tokina and Sigma 28-70 F2.8 lenses, I discovered this lens was in the pipeline and held out for it.

It's not a replacement for the Canon L-Series lenses. That's the bad news. The good news is that this is possibly the PERFECT advanced amatuer lens. Good optical quality, though a little soft at F2.8. Focuses quickly, and "wanders" less than other EF-mount lenses I own (18-55mm EF-S kit lens; low-end Sigma 28-90). The wide aperture allows for auto focusing in what feel like "no light" situations.

Strengths:

Quick focus, little focus "wander", good build quality, included sunshade and case, relatively light weight and small size

Weaknesses:

Works only with APS-C image sensors, a little soft at F2.8