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Overall the Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM is a very good lens, especially as a kit lens replacement. This Sigma 17-50mm has a constant aperture of f/2.8, whereas kit lenses drop to f/5.6 at 50mm. Sigma have given this lens an EX designation, which means the company considers this a superior product. DC means this lens was made for APS-C digital sensors, HSM means Hyper Sonic Motor, which quietly focuses the lens. There is no OS (Optical Stabilizer) in this made-for-Sony copy, the camera body does the image stabilisation, and it seems to work adequately with this lens. Physically this lens is mostly plastic, but it still seems strong. The focus ring is very smooth, but it has a very short throw. The zoom ring is stiff enough that it doesn't need the zoom lock (active at 17mm). It uses 77mm filters, the front element doesn't rotate during focus. Similar lenses from other manufacturers have smaller filter sizes, I guess the designers gave away some of the benefit of a smaller front element in exchange for a better optical package. The lens hood is excellent, except I wish they put corrugations on the inside of it. It has markings to help align the hood, either forward or reversed. On the other end of the lens, the mount is metal. The lens weights 565g according to Sigma's website. Sharpness: Wide open images are sharp in the centre and a bit soft in the corners. Lights in the corner of the frame at f/2.8 show a fair bit of coma (shaped like bat wings), but for real world use I don't see this as a problem. The corners are much better at f/4, and f/5.6 is near perfect. Vignetting: Wide open at 17mm has very strong vignetting (1.5 stops), but ACR fixes it. Correcting barrel distortion removes a lot of the corners too, to the point where vignetting is not much of a problem at 17mm. Vignetting isn't really an issue at other focal lengths. Bokeh: At 50mm f/2.8 the bokeh is good, bokeh balls fade away nicely. It's hard to judge other settings because the bokeh size is small, especially at 17mm, but the bokeh effect is still pleasing. See the 2nd picture for some bokeh samples. LCA (Lateral Colour Aberration): The lens displays some red/cyan (or maybe magenta/green) fringing at 17mm and 24mm, very slight CA at 35mm and none at 50mm. Your choice of RAW converter should fix this easily. Flair: I found a bit of rainbow coloured flair at 17mm, but that was with the sun in the frame so it's unlikely to be an issue. Operation: You must switch to MF to manually focus this lens. Turn off the lock switch to zoom. In conclusion the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 can provide the performance of professional lenses without the expence, but you have to work around small issues.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I am thrilled with this Lens! I Shoot with a 60D body and previously had an 18-135mm STM and then a 24-105L f/4. Both of those lenses are solid and i do sometimes miss the reach of the 18-135 as a one lens to do it all solution. The 24-105 is a thing of engineering beauty but 24mm isn't really wide enough for my needs as a day to day lens. This Sigma at under $500 is a true bargain. Brilliant fast aperture makes it a low light king and optically i can't fault it. Obviously it doesn't have features and build quality of an L series lens. Build quality is actually very good and the lens is both sturdy and smooth in action. The only negatives to my mind are : 1) The lack of FTM...don't try and adjust focus without first switching it from AF to MF and 2) The focus scale is only printed on the outer barrel so could potentially wear. Both minor complaints and i think perfectly acceptable for a lens in this price range. Canon's 17-55 addresses both of these issues but is twice the price...i guess you pay your money and make your choice!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
It misses the autofocus sometimes and often back focuses. There's also rattling noises sometimes and the AF can be noisy. Lens is also quite heavy. Apart from this it's extremely good value and produces really sharp pictures that have great contrast and colour. The bokeh is not bad either
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This lens is very sharp and clean. It is my go to lens as it covers a good focal length. Highly recommend
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A great affordable constant f2.8 aperture lens I did have to repair the zoom mechanism on mine, It works so well now.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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