| Reviews : Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG HSM Macro Zoom Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras |
Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG HSM Macro Zoom Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras Product By SIGMA Available From 1 Sellers |
Technical Details
- Improved optical performance with a minimum focusing distance of 39.4"/100cm, and maximum magnification of 1:3.5
- Two SLD and three ELD glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations
- Super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting
- HSM ensures quiet, high speed autofocus with full time manual focusing
- Uses 77mm filters.
Product Description
This large aperture thelephoto zoom lens has a minimum focusing distance of 100cm (39.4) and maximum magnification of 1:3.5. Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) and three ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), ensuring a quiet and high speed AF and full-time manual focusing capability. An adjustable and removable tripod collar is included as a standard component.Similar Products
Customer Reviews
By Jorge Benavides (Texas)
I have two Canon lenses, 50mm and 85mm . The 85mm happens to be the sharpest lens I own but when I got the Sigma 70-200mm and compared them side by side the sharpness is excellent I had no focusing issues , which I was afraid of. The cons to this lens is that I need a tripod to hold it steady when shooting outdoors but if I want some close up shots of babies or models this lens is as good as it gets. I zommed in to 200mm on a baby face and compared it to a close up using the 85mm canon and it was excellent both images had sharp details and the eyelashes were sharp on the baby's eyes on both pictures . The color on the Sigma is Great! There is a slight exposure compensation on the Sigma that actually makes the picture darker or brighter but a little exposure adjustment that is not more than a second is all it needed. I shot a wedding with this lens and is not as fast and that is why I am here shopping for the 24-70mm Sigma to broaden my horizon in using Sigma lenses as my top lens . Great buy for the money!
By Zachary Wagner (Albuquerque, NM USA)
At this point, almost every lens I own is a Sigma, the only exception being my Tamron 17-50 2.8 (which is a very, very solid lens). I've owned the Sigma 120-300 2.8 for a handful of days (the best lens I've used), and the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR. Both were returned due to the cost that I simply couldn't stomach at this point. I had read the professional reviews for this lens, and was worried about purchasing it because they weren't exactly glowing.
Well, I'm here to tell you that from what I've read, the professional reviews for this lens are spot on. That's good and bad, as anyone who's read them will know.
The good is that the autofocus in this lens is stellar. It's very fast, and is at least as fast as the Nikkor. The zoom ring and focusing rings are smooth, and the lens seems to be very well made, like all of my other Sigma lenses. Not only is the autofocus fast, it's quiet. It's really not that heavy, either, and I find it quite comfortable to use (compared to the 120-300, this thing is light as a feather, and it's weighted much better than the Nikkor). I also find the lens to be reasonably sharp through most of the zoom range, especially stopped down (as it is for most lenses, even Nikon). Yes, I did say through most of the zoom range.
The bad rears its ugly head at the long end of the zoom (which is really too bad, considering that's where you're likely to be keeping a lens such as this most of the time). At 200mm, this lens loses a lot of sharpness, and although stopping down does help a lot, it simply shouldn't be this bad. Are the photos unuseable? I wouldn't say that, and Photoshop can almost perform miracles in most cases. But what's worse than the sharpness (or lack thereof) is the chromatic abberation. There's a LOT. I mean, a LOT at 200mm. It's got the worst CA of any lens in my collection, hands down, and the worst of any lens I've used. Perhaps this is in part due to Sigma's valiant attempt to make a macro lens out of this one, and that's really the other fairly bad part about it--the macro isn't that great either.
It also needs to be taken into consideration that I'm using this lens on a Nikon D300s, which is a DX (small) sensor camera. So your results may differ should you use a full frame.
In the end, I'll be keeping this lens for a number of reasons. One is price. At a third of the cost of the Nikkor, this lens makes up some serious ground and can be forgiven quite a bit. The second is the autofocus. Wow it's fast. And accurate. Since I'm going to be using this mainly for sports, that's very important to me. And funny though it may be, the other reason is the macro. Yes, it's not great, but I still love having a lens with this zoom range that has macro capabilities. Apparently there have been major compromises to get it there, but it is what it is. I would have given it 4 stars, simply because of the cost, but in the end I decided on 3, because if Sigma want to play with the big boys, they really need to do a little better than this showing.
So in considering this lens, you need to ask yourself exactly what your needs are as a photographer, and will the advantages of this lens be enough to outweigh the disadvantages. For me, the answer is yes... but you have to make up your own mind.
By Designed to work (On the edge.)
Very very bright lens.
No focusing issues.
Very heavy but worth it.
Case has no belt loop.
Looks good on the camera.
I feel I spent my money wisely.
By Daniel M. Mueller (Portland, Oregon)
Have had this lens for a couple of weeks now and had the opportunity to take several hundred shots with it. Like other EX series lenses, it is well built, solid, and has quality optics. Colors are excellent and auto-focusing is nearly silent and as sharp and accurate as any other lens I've used. This lens is a must-have for medium-range shots and is the perfect companion lens to the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lenses. Keep in mind that it isn't going to perform any miracles, as it has the same limitations as any other lens, but offers an improvement over other lenses (like the Sigma 50-500mm and the Pentax 18-250mm) when shooting in the 70-200mm range. It is large and somewhat heavy but just at the limit where you can carry and shoot with it without additional support. I support the lens with my right hand when walking from shot to shot and with my left hand when shooting. Another plus is that both zoom and focusing are entirely internal, meaning that the lens retains its ergonomics and form factor no matter what your doing with it.
By Larry Cooley (Michigan)
I have had the lens for slightly over one year - just long enough for the warranty to have expired - and the auto-focus no longer functions. When I took the lens to the local camera shop, I was told that I was the second person that day with this lens who experienced the failure of the auto focus function. When the auto focus did function, the lense was great for action (sports, etc.) shots. I'm going to use the lens with the manual focus for now - and consider buying Canon in the future. I really had not used the lens that much - and had always taken care when handling the lens (e.g. removal, storage, etc. were "by the book"). Very disappointing.
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