Customer Reviews

Sigma APO 50-150mm f/2.8 II EX DC HSM Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

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

 

 

I use this lens on a Canon 50D and it works flawlessly. Focusing was fast and accurate and the images were outstanding. I also have a Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L IS, which is one of the best lenses money can buy. I use it a lot in studio and more controlled conditions, but the weight makes it very difficult for a long day of tourist-type walking and shooting. I used the Sigma lens extensively on a recent trip to Paris, indoors and out, It was great in the many museums where photos were allowed but only without flash. I highly recommend this lens for anyone who has not moved up to a full frame DSLR.

I bought it over Amazon to match my Canon 40D. Didn't realize the front focus problem is very serious. Now I sent it to Sigma service center for re-calibration.

Other than that, I like it very much: light weight, nice bokeh, and quiet and fast AF.

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Update 10/07/08:

Sigma sent it back to me today and it is as sharp as it can be. I am very happy now.

I did a side-by-side comparison of the lens and my favorite canon lens 24mm-105mm - both on a tripod and handheld. This sigma 50-150 mm performed almost as well as my expensive canon lens at f4.5 to f22. But below f4.0 it did not focus at the correct depth. Of course the reason to buy this lens is for the wide f2.8 light-gathering ability; unfortunately this is where the lens focuses poorly. I am sending it back.

With the acquisition of the 18MP Canon 60D I knew I needed to upgrade my lenses and had vowed to stick to Canon this time. Hwever, they don't make a lens like the Sigma 50-150mm - it has the zoom range I'm looking for with a constant f/2.8 aperture, without weighing a ton and the reviews are great.

BUT... The first one front-focussed so badly that I could not use it on Auto Focus unless the aperture was small enough that the discrpancy didn't matter. Since I want to use this lens in low light on moving subjects this made it unusable for me. If my lovely new 60D had the micro-adjustment feature, that would probably have sorted the problem as the lens front-focussed all the way from 50mm to 150mm and the one adjustment might well have done the trick - good news for those with 50Ds and 7Ds.

Since I had bought it from Norman Camera (through Amazon), I could take it in and try another copy. They were extemely helpful - and patient - while I put 2 more copies through their paces at their Grand Rapids store and yet a third copy at their Kalamazoo store. All of the copies of this lens had exactly the same behavior. I couldn't see one that was any better than the others. It was almost as if they had been designed for another camera. And no, it isn't my camera, as none of my other lenses have this problem including my new Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L which would surely show it if it was there.

I know I could have returned the lens to Sigma and get them to adjust it to fit my camera but I decided instead to return it and see if I could learn to manage with a couple of primes instead. This decision was made easier by the fact that though the images from the Sigma were beautifully sharp (when they were in focus) there was a surprising amount of chromatic aberration in high contrast edges in the just-out-of-focus areas - pink/red in the nearer areas and green/blue further away. I know I can deal with this in PhotoShop but it is always easier not to have to.

If I am still hankering after this focal length/aperture/weight combination next yaer, I suspect that I will buy again in the hopes that all these copies came from a bad batch...

This lens received a 9 in overall rating at POPPHOTO.com, leading the pack in this zoom range for a while when it came out in terms of sharpness and versatility.
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Of course as has been mentioned, the close focusing issue is subjective to your particular lens. I've had no issues thus far on a new Canon T3i; sharpness is spot on, AF is quick and quiet, and its weight/package is ideal. Great lens for cropped sensor cams.

I really wanted this lens to be good because it looks pretty great on paper. Unfortunately when it arrived the autofocus didn't really work at all. I ended up sending it back to Amazon.

I bought this product for its constant 2.8 aperture. My ideal zoom range would be 24-200 or 28-200 with the same 2.8 aperture. I know you can not have it all.
All in all this lens has given me some great short focus results.