Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera

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This lens is everything I imagined! It is a great all around lens with a wide range of capabilities! I took this on my most recent backpacking trip and its great for (almost) everything: soft water, astrophotography, portraits, landscapes! The lens has a nice weight to it and sturdy build! The auto focus is fast and if I do say so myself I think this is an absolutely georgeous lens! If youre looking for a high quality all around good lens, then I would highly recommend this!

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I bought this lens to use with a new Nikon D7200. As with all third-party lenses, you take the risk of compatibility issues and I seem to have run into a small one here. However, it is not really a deal breaker. The lens itself is nice and sharp. The AF is decently fast and the fast f2.8 aperture is welcome when shooting indoors. Optically, I am very happy with this lens. The OS (optical stabilizer) seems to be working fine. When using the lens, you have to be aware that this is a slightly older model, and the focus ring rotates during autofocus. In addition, you have to move the switch to manual focus if you want to manual focus. You cannot override the AF by just turning the focus ring. This also results in a somewhat irritating situation if you happen to have your fingers on the focus ring during autofocus. Since the ring turns, youll hear a whine when it fights your fingers. So, try to keep your fingers off the focus ring when using AF. Next, the image metadata from my Nikon D7200 does not correctly note if the image stabilization is on or off. This is a minor thing, but is one of those compatibility things you should be aware of. Ive saved the biggest compatibility issue for last. The OS system of the lens stays awake for a full minute, keeping the camera from going into standby for a whole minute (I have mine set for 6 seconds). I have yet to shoot through a whole day using the lens so I cannot provide an accurate number regarding how much this affects battery life. However, from other sources I have read, this can reduce effective battery life by 10-20%. My workaround is to turn off the camera when I have completed a sequence of shots. I have read that a Sigma service center can update the firmware on the lens to deal with this issue. I have not tried that yet. My overall thoughts? This lens is great optically. It is also much more affordable than the comparable Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras , which costs over twice as much. The compatibility issues are relatively minor, and if you carry a spare battery or two with you on long shoots, will not result in major issues. I am happy with the lens because it gives me good optical quality at an affordable price. Im removing a star because of the compatibility issues, but that is not going to stop me from using the lens.

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I am an aspiring concert photographer, and this is generally my go-to lens. Its basically the crop sensor equivalent of the 24-70mm 2.8 lens that I would love to have but at a fraction of the price. Im sure the other is a much nicer, sharper lens, but this one gets the job done. Its a great lens for the money! It sometimes has difficulty autofocusing in the super dark venues, but it does very well as long as there is even a little bit of light on my focal point.

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The nice thing about modern DSLRs is that they come with a kit lens that covers most of the focal lengths you would typically need. The bad thing is that these kit lenses arent very good unless you shoot jpegs in Auto. My trusty Sony Rx100 m2 had fallen into disuse, so I opted to sell it back to Amazon recently. I think it makes more sense to focus on a single camera when you want to improve your fundamentals, and at any rate, my S7 is light-years ahead of my old iPhone in terms of the camera, so I was reaching for the RX100 less and less. The plan was to acquire a new lens for my Nikon D5500 that would be versatile enough for portraits of my daughter and landscapes as well as walking around Chicago or Madison, and I was considering a few. The most important feature was a constant aperture, followed by image stabilization. Nikons own 16-80mm is prohibitively expensive for someone who isnt a professional photographer. I suppose I could have bitten the bullet, but all of the reviews said the same thing: decent image quality, but not a good value proposition. If Im gonna spend $1000, it had better be a GREAT value. Tamron offers a 17-50mm f/2.8, but again, the reviews put me off. Everyone seemed to prefer the older model for IQ; not what you want to hear for a $500 lens. So I looked into the Sigma 17-50mm. In terms of IQ, it beats both the Nikkor 16-80 and the Tamron. Its just over 1/3 of the price of the Nikkor, and at the time I was shopping it was about $100 less than the Tamron. Every review singled out its stellar build quality, and IQ was very good to great at all focal lengths. When I got the package I was surprised at how heavy it was. This lens is HEAVY. Its a bit unbalanced on my D5500, but I expect to upgrade to a more advanced DX body in the next year or so, and I imagine a larger body will solve that issue. In terms of IQ, the only lens I have that can beat it is my Nikkor 50mm AF-S F/1.8. If I owned a full-frame camera I would probably never use another lens. That being said, a 50mm FX lens (75mm equivalent on a DX body) is not very versatile. Ditto my Nikkor AF-S 35mm F/1.8; phenomenal IQ, but not all that versatile on vacation or a day trip. I would highly recommend this lens for anyone who wants an upgrade over their kit lens. It performs well at all focal lengths, its fixed f/2.8 aperture makes it extremely versatile, and in terms of value for your money, I dont think you can find a better option.

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I do photography for both business and pleasure. I bought this lens for weddings and social events. I have Canon L series lenses which are amazing and this lens performs right up there and for half the price. I researched this lens and Ive seen the pros and cons. If your that concerned about any of the cons this lens may have then your better off using a prime lens rather than any telephoto lens as they all have cons. Nature of the beast. Great lens, great price!!

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I was, at first, pleased with the quality, build and condition of the lens but focusing problems worsened with each use. The background would be sharp but subjects were always soft and lacking detail. I did not realize the extent until it was too late to return and had no luck with anyone being able to calibrate. Hands down the worst lens I have ever owned, my first and last Sigma lens. Costly mistake for basically low res cell phone quality photos. From other reviews, this is a very common problem with this lens so buyer beware. Amazon also no longer offers any trade-in credit for this product so you will be, unfortunately, stuck with a lemon should your model begin to have issues. Canon and Tamron models are both much more reliable in terms of focusing.

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**UPDATE** 5/12/16 - as mentioned below, the lens does in fact require a firmware update. SIGMA will do this for free. Now that the lens has been updated, its functioning flawlessly with my Canon T6i! The lens is sharp and well built. Just consider this when buying used or old stock off the shelf. Budget in time and shipping costs. Otherwise, shop confidently! I have not had an opportunity to use the exact copy of this lens that I have purchased. Though once I get to, Im sure Ill love it as much as the one I sampled before, leading to this purchase. Now, for the problem Im in the middle of resolving... If the copy you buy is used, or something less than recently manufactured, you may end up with a lens that does not have Sigmas most recent firmware update on it. This firmware update makes this lens compatible with newer models of Canon cameras, primarily the Rebel series, as I understand. The firmware update is free, performed by Sigma, or authorized Sigma dealers. I have received confirmation from both Sigma and my local authorized Sigma dealer that the firmware update can be provided to fix the issue Im having with my copy of this lens. Now, for the issue Im having... The issue is that the Sigma lens, when coupled with my Canon T6i, will not allow for any sort of Live View functions whatsoever. Furthermore, when I switch back to the Viewfinder, I can see, and focus manually of course, but cannot take a actuate the shutter via the shutter button, or auto focus even. Sigma released a notice Mid 2015 saying as much. However, when buying used through a local retailer, private party or even through Amazon, as I did, no one will make you aware of this. As most people likely do not know.. The Amazon store that I purchased my copy through made no mention of it, there is no information detailing this on the description page of the lens itself, and likewise, I found no reviews describing this either. I even went as far as to "ask a question" about the lens via Amazons "Answered Questions" page, and no one could provide an answer to this. So, I hope this helps. I will update my review as soon as this is resolved. To be clear, I do not blame Sigma for this, and I am not upset with Amazon, nor am I un-proud of the lens itself, I just need to get the information out there, as it will be an increasing problem among used lens buyers with new-ish cameras. If you have an older model camera, 60D, T3i, T4i, 7D... You likely will not have this problem. Likewise, if you buy your lens brand new from the factory and not from off a shelf somewhere, you likely will also avoid this problem, as Sigma is releasing all new lenses with current firmware. Also, all lenses with current firmware will have a white round sticker in the lower corner of the box housing the lens. Good luck. I will update review very soon.

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Id give this 4.5 starts if I could. This is a really nice lens. I use it with a Nikon d5600 as a "walking around" lens to supplement a 35mm f/1.8 prime, 50mm f/1.8 prime, and an 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 telephoto kit lens. I got it to photograph indoor events, including dress rehearsals for theater performances, parties, receptions, student events, etc. The color and image are both really sharp. Its also relatively quiet and focuses quickly. It performs well in low light, though you need to check your focus periodically if youre in very dark conditions. I havent tried it yet with indoor action (kids, dogs, sports, etc.), but I imagine it would perform reasonably well. There are a few quirks. The build seems solid, but the focus ring actually moves when in autofocus, which makes it a little awkward to grip. If you hold the lens near the ring, it will move under your hand. Also, in manual focus, the ring only moves about 45 degrees, so it doesnt seem well suited to fine focusing. Overall, Im satisfied with it. I dont think itll revolutionize my photography, but itll be good for low light or indoor events for which I purchased it. And if youre thinking of updating from a kit lens, or if your kit lens was the excellent 18-140 f/3.5-5.6 and you want a shorter, low light zoom to bring on vacation, this is a good second lens, especially at the price.

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I purchased this lense in May. Has worked well until this week. I started to remove the lense from the camera and the bottom section of the lens came apart from the body with no way to put it back together. Appears to be a manufacturing defect. I have purchased several Sigma lenses in the past and never had any issues at all. I contacted the seller and received this answerfrom the seller: Please note that our offices will be closed on: We will be closed September 19th reopen and Sept 20th. We will be closed September 23 through October 2. Returning October 3rd. We will be responding to emails during these time. Today is September 12th. I am leaving on an overseas vacation 9/26 and will need a lense of this size. Very poor customer service on a 300.00 plus order. Sellers answer makes no sense!

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So far this has been a great lens for my D7200. The pictures are crystal clear. The auto-focus is very accurate. (no front/back focus issues) I wanted to use this as my primary video lens, because of the constant aperture. As mentioned by other reviewers, the auto-focus motor is quite a bit louder than my other lenss (all Nikon). Although, it isnt as loud as I thought it would be. Others have said that you cant shoot video without hearing the motor, and as such returned it. I am giving this lens a chance because of the pictures it takes. When I do use it for video, I mount my external mic at least 5 to 6 inches away from the camera, and you cant hear it. You pick up the sound the worst with the internal Mic. The only other issue is the AF ring moves with the AF. That does take some getting used to. I constantly have to be reminded of it (physically) every time I use it. All in all, I "WON"T" be returning this lens. Its a great compliment to my arsenal of glass.

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