Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD Large Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

by Sigma

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 3.4 x 3.4 inches ; 2.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003HC8VA4
• Item model number: 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikon
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 1, 2010

Product Description

Style: Nikon Digital DSLR Camera

Designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras. May also be used with smaller APS-c size sensors with a corresponding effective increase in focal length to about 100 to 300mm with most cameras 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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 70-200 2.8 lens, but not perfect., December 17, 2010

By 

TxJava "TxJava" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD Large Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera (Electronics)

Actual score: 4.5 stars

12/15/2011 - Update. I've had this lens a whole year now and still love it - more every day. It is solid, fast and accurate. I'm kind of sorry I seem to have started quite a stir in my description of the Stabilization sound. It really is not bad at all. It was more of a first impression. No regrets on this lens.

I also have a TOKINA 11-16 f2.8, and a Canon 17-55 f2.8 These three lenses are all I need for quality shooting from ultrawide to telephoto. -TXJAVA

2/1/11 - update. Official price drop. New price now $1399 - that's more like it... If you have been on the fence with this lens, time to give it another look. I still love this lens. -TXJAVA

12/15/11 My apologies in advance for a long review. There are not a whole lot of reviews out there for this lens so I'm hoping I can help some others make a good decision. Summary: It is a great Lens, but perhaps not for everyone.

I have been watching this one since it was announced. I tried it out at the local Camera shop and fell in love with it. I decided at that moment, I was going to own this lens.
The initial drawback was always price. At $1699 (sixteen-ninety-nine) it seems a bit high. Yes, this is a quality lens with a 2.8 constant aperture throughout the zoom range and a very good OS optical stabilization (IS in Canon's terminology) but at that price it is only a few hundred less than the highly rated excellent Canon 70-200 2.8 IS ii. So I've been waiting patiently for the price to move.

Well one day, quite unexpectedly, the price at the "B" Camera vendor was $350 (three-fifty) less. Suddenly, at $1349 (thirteen-forty-nine) it was near my strike price (I think the lens should sell for $1200 or so). So I watched to see if the "A" internet vendors would match. They did not. I knew this was less that wholesale for the lens, so I ordered one from the "B" vendor. (The next day the two "A" vendors matched the price - Sorry Amazon, you were not fast enough). The lens arrived a couple days later, VERY well packed. With Amazon, packing can be a bit hit or miss. By the time the lens arrived, all the vendors were priced at the original $1699 (sixteen-ninety-nine). Hmmm, maybe it had been a price mistake.

So enough of that - What do I think of the lens? I still love it; however, there was something that I had not noticed in the store. When the OS system started up (1/2 press of the shutter key), it made a fairly loud click and then the Gyros sounded like very distant fire truck sirens. I literally though that there was a fire truck outside. But it turned out to be coming from the lens. Mind you, it was not loud, but it was disconcerting. I own the excellent Canon EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS and the IS system on that is near silent. I've been spoiled by that lens. I went down to the camera shop to see if their copy had the same sound. It did have some OS sound, but I had not noticed before above the ambient sound in the store. The store model did not sound like my copy. So I called the "B" Vendor and they quickly sent me a new lens.

The new lens arrived today and it too had the OS sound but not as noticeable as the first copy of the lens (I was able to compare side by side). Is the sound bad? No not really, but it is different than the low level "whurl" of the Canon IS system.

That said, the OS system does work very well. It is especially nice at the tele- end of the zoom. You can really see that camera shake through the viewfinder, and then you press the shutter release ½ way and suddenly it locks into place. Very nice, very cool. I have been able to take nice sharp pictures as low as ¼ second - and that is at the long end of the zoom. Impressive!

The rest of the build quality is very good. Both the focus and the zoom rings operate very smoothly and with just the right amount of resistance.

The lens is heavy (over 3 pounds). The rebel series cameras will benefit from the extra holding power that the extra battery grip offers. It comes with a tripod collar so you can use it on a monopod. A lens hood included (wish Canon would include hoods with all their lenses) there is even an extender for APS-c crop sensor cameras. However, I don't intend to use it.

The pictures I have taken have all been great. It is a bit soft at 2.8 (as many lenses are), but still within my tolerances. The 2.8 aperture really helps for indoor shots. It is great because you can sit across the room and shoot away without bothering those in the room. F4.0 lenses just do not give you enough light for indoor shooting, especially sports. Seems like it would be a great lens for weddings and other indoor events. As for picture quality, I've seen some web reviews that compare this with the Canon and the Sigma comes out pretty good. I do not see any CA at all on my copy. Focus is fast and accurate with no front or back focusing - it is spot on. It is not as fast or quiet as the canon, but still focus motor is still very good. You also have full time manual focus override. So for those of us who are mere enthusiasts or hobbyists this is a great lens to have for the all-important 70-200 tele- range. Pros might want to stick to the Canon version.

All and all, this lens is a keeper. It takes great pics, the OS is very effective (although a bit loud) and the nice 2.8 aperture really shines. Lastly, one of the real reasons I got this is because it is black. You are already conspicuous when you have 8" of lens hanging off the end of your camera at your son's basketball game, or your daughter's rehearsal. You really start to look ridiculous when you have 8"s of a white and black striped Canon lens. (I know I have lost some of my credibility with that last statement, but I just prefer black lenses...)

So the choice is yours. If you are looking for a lens in the 70-200 or 75-300 range, save your money up for a fast 2.8 version with stabilization, you will not be sorry. Those less expensive f3.2-5.6 or lower lenses are just not as practical as a good 2.8 lens. If you can afford the Canon and don't mind the black and white stripes, by all means get it, otherwise, get this one, you will be very pleased that you did.

One of these days, i'll upload some pics.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only 9 reviews? No way..., April 22, 2011

By 

amagad - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD Large Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera (Electronics)

I caught the photography bug (again). I have a Canon 60D body and slowly regaining my collection of lenses. I have a Sigma 50mm which I got due to the great reviews. Initially I was skeptical on the Sigma brand but now I feel more confident with Sigma so I ordered the Sigma 70-200 I also have a Canon 100mm macro and a tokina 11-24. I've been hunting around recently on craigslist waiting for the opportunity to get my hands on one of these lenses but everyone is saturating the market with the non OS version of this lens. I had to pick up this lens, I've had it in my amazon shopping cart for a couple weeks already just waiting for amazon to carry the lens so I can take advantage of the awesome 3.99 1 day shipping (I LOVE AMAZON PRIME.)


Here are my thoughts on this lens after extensive shooting throughout the day.

Bokeh : 5 Stars

This lens has incredible bokeh, at 9 aperture blades, it really blows the background quite nicely with beautiful bokeh balls. I love how it really brings out my subject.


Construction Quality: 4 Stars

The construction quality on this lens is good but not excellent. The overall feel is solid, the barrel of the lens is made of hard plastic. The focus and zoom rings have the same textured feel of the O.G sigma brand. It looks a bit awkward but unique at the same time. Even though the construction of the lens is made of plastic, it feels durable and not something you have to baby.



Optical Stabilization: 3 Stars

This is too bad. For the extra amount you are paying for this lens vs the non OS version, I really don't think the extra 400 dllrs is really worth it. I tried both modes and none of them really make you say OH WOW! I've had some image stabilized lenses made by Canon and I did not get that excitement as I had with those lenses. Let's just say for comparisons sake, the "Optical Stabilization" is half of that in a IS in a L lens, still useful to a certain degree though.



Auto Focus: 5 Stars

The first thing I did with the lens is test the auto focus, I wanted to make sure that it is in sync with the auto focusing points of my Canon body. It kept up quite nicely and it didn't search for my focus points even during low light conditions within reason. I really enjoy the focusing mechanism on this lens albeit a bit on the loud side.



Image Quality: 5 Stars

For the cost of the lens, the elements within it provide a great end result on your images. Sure, there's some miniscule CA in some focal ranges but you really need to blow the image up to see such artifacting. The images that I have taken thus far are great and I have no complaints in this category. Sharp images, great contrast along with the bokeh at 2.8 and it will make you smile.



This is my short review of the lens, take it for what its worth and I hope to see this lens in the hands of those who are skeptical on the Sigma brand. Be a pioneer, this lens will be a great additional to the serious amateur, not for the professional though - stay with your white lenses and red rings.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sigma does it again, April 13, 2011

By 

D. Bowers "Kestrel Hawk" (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD Large Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera (Electronics)

I have had the opportunity to use the Sigma 70-200MM F2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS lens for awhile and feel good enough about it to do a review.
The main reason I bought the new OS version was the stabilizer, in which I'm happy to say works great. I took a group of photos at 1/15 of a second shutter speed and was very pleased with the number of keepers. All I hear is a click of the stabilizer and thats it. On my Nikon 70-200mm VR1 I would hear a chick and a sound like running water. Some say the Sigma stabilizer makes all kinds of sounds, but I find that is not the case. Its quiet, in fact I was wondering if it was working before I made my tests.

Now lets move on to what is on most peoples mind when they buy a new lens. OPTICS! How does it stand up to the challenge to get a great photo.
I did a side by side comparison with the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8, Sigma 70-200mm II, and the new Sigma 70-200mm OS version. I wish I still had my Nikon 70-200mm VR I, but sold it, for I was not happy with picture quality at 200mm.

My test showed these results. I will rank them as follows. 1 the sharpest, down to 3. I think you know what I mean. The test was done with the Nikon D300.

At 70mm, center sharpness 1 Sigma OS version, 2 Sigma series II, 3 Tamron.
Edge sharpness, 1 Sigma OS, 2 Tamron, 3 Sigma II .

At 130mm, Center, 1 Sigma OS, 2 Tamron, 3 Sigma II.
Edge 1 Sigma OS, 2 Tamron, 3 Sigma II.

At 200mm, Center, 1 Sigma OS, 2 Sigma II, 3 Tamron.
Edge 1 Sigma OS, 2 Sigma II, 3 Tamron.

It should be noted the the difference between the Tamron and the Sigma II was not that much, but the difference between the Sigma OS and the other two lenses was very visible.
What you lose is, not as close focus distance (I use a Macro for this type of work) and a little less magnification at the 200mm end of the zoom. What do you gain? Stabilization, better optics, and the new OS version works better when used with the Sigma 1.4x and 2x EX DG teleconverters than the older Series II lens, the results is sharper and has more contrast.
My conclusion is all three lenses are very good. If you can't afford the New OS version, the two non stabilized versions will do you well. If you can justify an extra $400 or more I would definitely go for the Sigma OS version.

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