 Sigma 24-70 HSM opinion |
| Review Date: March 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bob in USA, USA |
I have had the new Sigma 24-7o f2.8 HSM lens for about 3 weeks now, took photos with it the last four weekends. I am happy with the performance of this lens. This lens controls flare very well( but have had a couple of photos shot directly into the sun show small flare). This lens has good contrast and no color shift. I have had no focus issues with this lens on my Nikon D700 (I did use AF Tune to adjust focus at 70mm -10). Once I adjusted the focus setting, focus point was tack sharp at f2.8. This lens is very sharp even in the corners. The one knock I will give it, is that it Vignettes a little at 70mm with f2.8-4.0 (can be removed in post process). Over f5.6 and up no vignette. I am no professional lense reviewer but I feel this is a good value for the money. I'm sure the Nikon 24-70 is a better lens and for the extra money it should be. For my uses I am very satisfied with the lens. If you want to see some photos taken with the Sigma 24-70 lens type bc1963 photos in your search engine and select my flickr photostream.
Review Update 4-15-09:
After using the lens more I wanted to update the review with my observations to date. I have had a couple photos with lens flare but it was small and shot directly into the sun. Also I have seen some vignette at f4.0. |
surpisingly good
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| Review Date: June 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Ong, |
| This lens exceeded our expectations on our D-300, and is almost as good as both the Canon 24-70f2.8L and nikkor 24-70f2.8. It is lighter (1/2 the weight) of the nikkor 24-70 f2.8 and less than half the cost. Having used both the canon 24-70L on a canon and nikkor 24-70 lens on our D-300, the Sigma compares very favorably. For a non-professional photographer, it is as good as the two other lenses. It also does not "reverse" zoom (ie shorter = 24mm, longer lens= 70mm), unlike the canon L series. We are very impressed and pleased with the results. We would definitely buy this lens again. This lens is superior to other Nikkor consumer-grade zooms. |
Best value high-end lens, a great value for Nikon shooters
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| Review Date: July 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Enche Tjin, Philadelphia, PA |
I bought this lens several months ago because I need a wide zoom lens for my full frame DSLr camera, Nikon D700. Previously I use Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 and Nikkor 35mm f/2.8, but I feel I switching lenses all the time is quite cumbersome for type of photography I like to do, event photography.
This lens is regarded as high-end lens, the one usually used by serious photographers such as professionals and advanced amateur photographers.
Nikon does not have many lens optimized for full frame camera. Nikon does offers Nikon 24-70mm AF-S f/2.8, but it is simply too expensive considering I am not full time photographer.
Fortunately, last year, Sigma launched 24-70mm f/2.8 HSM. This lens attracts my attention especially because I can use it in full frame camera or crop frame camera (Nikon D90. D300, D60, etc). Here is the list why this lens is attractive:
* Price: More than half the price compare to Nikon AF-S 24-70mm
* Size: It is compact, but the diameter is big. It takes 82mm filter.
* Built Quality: Great built quality, typical of Sigma EX (high-end lens)
* Image Quality: Sharp, good contrast, consistent result across focal length and aperture. Smooth bokeh but not as good as prime lens such as 85mm f/1.4
* Focal Length: 24mm is quite wide for many purpose although if you primarily take ultra-wide angle, consider Nikon 17-35mm or 14-24mm. 70mm is decent range, not too long and not too short.
* Auto Focus: Quiet and fast, tracks well thanks to HSM (hypersonic motor).
Despite all of above, there are couple things that I personally do not like: Sometimes, the auto focus switch automatically switch to manual focus. Until now, I don't know what trigger it. Although I like the compact size (short), but I feel the lens is not as comfortable to hold as the thinner, 77mm lens.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this lens for anybody who love "affordable" high quality lens. The lens works very well in full frame DSLR cameras, but it also works great in crop sensor camera. You can get a lot of value out of this lens even though you have crop sensor camera.
The only difference of mounting the lens on crop sensor camera will be the focal length. In crop sensor camera, it is equivalent to around 35-105mm. It might not wide enough in tight space, but looking at the positive side, you gain 35mm of extra focal length, which is great for head and shoulder portrait. I posts some photos in my blog [...] and also some related post/site that relate to this lens. Please check them out. |
Great Lens
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| Review Date: August 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Felipe Cruz Ferrero, San Jose , Costa Rica |
Recently jumped into the FX ... full frame world and bought a nikon d700, I really did want to spend $1900 on a nikkon 24-70mm so i made my homework and pretty much found out the only real challenger for the nikkor is the sigma 24-70mm.
Bought the lens, have been using it now for over 2 weeks, very sharp, im getting awesome picture, great contrast, no vignetting at least on 24-60mm range.
I simply love the lens.
Some people dont like that fact that the lens is an 82mm one, on the other hand i love it, somehow the size helps me get more stable results while grabbing the camera.
Highly recommend this lens |
Excellent
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| Review Date: July 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Saber, USA |
I've recently sold my Nikon 24-70 and bought the Sigma 24-70 HSM in its place. For me, the more compact size was the biggest reason for the switch. The Nikon is much too large for its focal range imo. What I like most about the new Sigma is the length. It fits nicely in my bag, on camera, along with my other equipment. The funny thing is, the Sigma is still quite a large lens. Mostly because of the diameter.
I've not used the new Sigma extensively yet, but imo, it is on par with the Nikon. And, I would even say that at 2.8, my copy seems a bit better than the Nikon I had.
At 24mm there is about the same distortion as the Nikon, maybe a touch more. That might be it's only slight weakness compared to the Nikon. And to be honest, I might be overanalyzing it. I am just trying my hardest to find something.
Overall, so far I am thrilled with the new lens. I would say it is equal to the Nikon in performance. But for me, the more compact size, makes it better than the Nikon. I am glad to be rid of the Nikon behemoth. Plus I got to put $700 back in my pocket. |
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