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Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art) Review RSS Feed

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)

Sharpness 
 9.7
Aberrations 
 9.1
Bokeh 
 8.6
Handling 
 8.3
Value 
 8.6
Autofocus 
 6.7
Reviews Views Date of last review
34 122,230 Mon February 12, 2024
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
94% of reviewers $747.32 8.84
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)
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Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)
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Description:

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 is the world's first F1.8 zoom lens for the APS-C image format.  It started shipping in late 2013 with Canon and Nikon mounts.  The Pentax version hit the shelves in July, 2014.

This lens incorporates a wide glass molded aspherical lens with Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass to compensate for aberrations and curvature at the widest field of view. The lens has internal focusing as well as internal zooming. The 18-35mm is ideal for landscape photography, snap shots and casual photography. The lens has a built-in HSM autofocus motor and no provision for screw-drive autofocus.


Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
APS-C
Lens Mount
Pentax K
Aperture Ring
No
Diaphragm
Automatic, 9 blades (rounded)
Optics
17 elements, 12 groups
Mount Variant
KAF3
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F1.8
Min. Aperture
F16
Focusing
AF (in-lens motor)
HSM
Quick-shift
No
Min. Focus
28 cm
Max. Magnification
0.23x
Filter Size
72 mm
Internal Focus
Yes
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 76.5-44.2 ° / 66.7-37.4 °
Hood
Included
Case
Lens Cap
Included
Coating
Multi-coated
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
AF/MF Switch
Diam x Length
78x121 mm (3.07x4.76 in.)
Weight
811 g (28.6 oz.)
Production Years
2014 to 21
Pricing
USD current price
Reviews
User reviews
In-depth review

Buy Lens: Buy the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art)
In-Depth Review: Read our Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM (Art) in-depth review!
Price: $799
Mount Type: Pentax KAF3 (in-lens AF only)
Price History:



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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 34
New Member

Registered: March, 2009
Location: Bucharest
Posts: 17
Review Date: February 12, 2024 Recommended | Price: $1,000.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: incredible image and build quality, relative low price
Cons: AF is practically unusable
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: k10 / k5 / k3    Autofocus: 5    New Or Used: New   

I've had this lens since it came out. It's the first of only 2 lenses I ever bought new and i was able to do it because for how revolutionary it was at that time it was still a reasonable price. I may have been the firs to own one with the K mount in Romania. I remember preordering it and when I picked it up from the store the sales person told me that in the few days it stood on the shelf he had to turn down several requests from people wanting to try it out. It was just a few months old and it already had a stellar reputation. I'll first get out of the way the obvious points already heavily underlined by the people before me. The AF is terrible. I've used it on a K10,K5 and K3II. With calibration i can only get somewhat reliable AF at 35mm. Sharpness is incredible at any aperture. The rest of the IQ parameters are well above average.
Now to a point that maybe not many people realize and were able to "test".
The build quality is incredible. I had it in my backpack on my K10 while skiing and took a very bad fall with a tumble and a landing on my back. After that incident I noticed a shift in the image plane. I was convinced it was the lens and I had it sent to Sigma Germany for a checkup. It came back with a clean bill of health. In the end it turned out it was the cameras' sensor that had shifted.
It is my main lens. I've had it with me in my backpack or in my motorcycle bag in temperatures from -10 C in snow to 45 C on beaches. I try not to abuse it but apart form a quality UV filter mounted from day 1 and not using it in the rain i have never been preoccupied with protecting it. And it still works just like new.
I will never part with this lens. I still hope someone some day will be able to hack the AF algorithm of this lens and somehow fix the problem but until then I'm still happy using it as mainly an MF lens with a split prism because live view and EVFs are not for me.
   
Forum Member

Registered: December, 2015
Location: Charleroi (Belgium)
Posts: 60
Review Date: March 16, 2023 Recommended | Price: $615.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Great pictures in low-light, the F1.8 is a killer feature
Cons: The AF is slow, 18mm has a little too much distortion
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 7    Value: 8    Camera Used: K50    Autofocus: 7    New Or Used: Used   

Incredible lens that I'm really happy to have bought. The pictures it can take are really amazing, especially in low light and interiors. The portraits and natural lights also have a really great result. The AF, however, is slow (slower than the Pentax 18-135mm WR lens) and there is a little too much distortion for my taste at 18mm (on APS-C). But I dont regret having it, and am looking forward to play more with it.
   
Senior Member

Registered: February, 2011
Location: Brno
Posts: 295

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 26, 2020 Recommended | Price: $650.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Resolution, F1.8, range
Cons: Size, weight
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 9    Camera Used: K20D, K5, K3    Autofocus: 9    New Or Used: Used   

Lens I have was already used. AF surprised me. On K5 it sometimes misses, but nothing unexpected on that camera. With K3 it nails it all the time without any corrections.

Lens is fast and almost as good as my Sigma 35/1.4 ART. It can focus close and provides plenty of detail. Perfect for low light photography or even for shooting night sky. You don't need to stop it down, it is sharp right from being wide open.

It obliterates my FA*24/2 and FA35/2.

Even the mighty Sigma 17-50/2.8 needs about F4 to come close the image output level provided by Sigma 18-35/1.8 at F2.8



Definitely recommended! Just check how AF works with your unit on your body.

   
Senior Member

Registered: December, 2018
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Posts: 113

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: May 8, 2019 Recommended | Price: $650.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: It's SHARP !
Cons: Horrendous AF, very heavy
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 8    Camera Used: K5-II and K3-II    Autofocus: 2    New Or Used: New   

This lens is a case of love and hate.

It's extremely sharp IF you have it properly focused.


It works reasonably well with my K5-II but awfully bad AF with my K3-II, the success ratio is something like 30% when using PDAF but works well with CDAF.


I use it mostly in manual focus, with a manual focusing screen in my K3-II what is ridiculous.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2010
Location: Somewhere in the Southern US
Posts: 12,285

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 1, 2018 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Constant f1.8, close min focus, sharpness, built quality
Cons: Weight & Size, AF sometimes
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Camera Used: K-3 and K-5iis    Autofocus: 8    New Or Used: Used   

I wanted this lens for two main reasons - its constant f1.8 and its relatively close focus at less than 12in (which is far closer than several of my Pentax macro lenses). I saw it in a package deal here on the Marketplace and jumped on it. My copy is in good shape but came without a hood (which is $22 from B&H). Yes, it's a heavy lens. Yes, it's large. But, the images that I am getting out of it are terrific and indoors in poor light the f1.8 comes in handy. As the PF review said - I'd appreciate it wider and with weather sealing but it's a solid addition IMHO. I keep reading about the AF being an issue - but for me when shooting at f1.8-2.8 nothing other than center-point AF is appropriate and so far I have had zero problems when using that AF setting. I did have to adjust focus point in the menu for it but only 2pts.

So far, this is a terrific and versatile lens that allows me greater low light ability without swapping lenses.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: September, 2015
Location: Berlin
Posts: 128

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 28, 2018 Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: overall sharpness; image quality
Cons: autofocus, heavy built

Hey,
I bought this lens used from a pentaxforums user here. It came in near mint condition.

Overall I would rate it a 9.5, so I gave a 10.

Pros:
I really like the image quality.
The lens is made for low light. You can use it for low light pictures of available light in rooms or for astro photography.
I often use it for pictures of my children (which hate the flash) and for pictures of the milky way.
Infinity is right at the marking (on my copy). Stars gave nice spots.
For Landscape its also a jewel, because of its perfect range on APS-C.

Neutral:
Yes, its heavy but in spite of 5 lenses I can take 1 with me (18, 20,24,28,35mm) that is as sharp as 5 primes.
This is why I rated handling also a 9 and not a 10.

Cons:
as described some times before.... the autofocus.
If you take center autofocus its not a problem, but in the green mode with autofocus outside the center the autofocus is getting worst.
Its sometimes quicker to focus manually....as I use it most of the time (children pics need autofocus )

All in All I really love this lens and will never sell it

Greetings,
Milka
   
Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2012
Location: Sointula, BC
Posts: 453

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 12, 2018 Recommended | Price: $500.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, virtually no CA, f1.8
Cons: A little heavy
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 8    Camera Used: Pentax K5    Autofocus: 9    New Or Used: Used   

I was a little nervous buying this lens after all the reports of poor auto-focus performance, but as my main reason for purchasing it was for astrophotography where I would be using manual focus anyway, I wasn't too concerned.

Suffice to say my copy of the lens, bought from a forum member used, has never given me any auto-focus issues at all. For astro work it performs excellently with little obvious coma and the bright f/1.8 aperture makes using live view for framing the shot a breeze.

For landscape work I love this lens. I have two K5's and it stays on one of them almost full time. It is big and a little heavy, but I have never found it to be a problem.

Overall, I am very happy with this lens. It really is like a prime lens from 18mm to 35mm.
   
Senior Member

Registered: February, 2017
Posts: 146

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 28, 2017 Recommended | Price: $470.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: The best image quality from any lens I have ever used, Unusually sharp at wide appertures, Great build quality, Great value when compared to many Pentax lenses
Cons: Autofocus unprecise when using the viewfinder (on my camera), not weather sealed, fairly big and heavy (not your typical walk-around lens)
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-70    Autofocus: 6    New Or Used: Used   

The best image quality from any lens I have ever used.

Main drawback:
(On my camera) Only Live view AF gives me (very) reliable results at wide apertures.
   
New Member

Registered: February, 2015
Posts: 6
Review Date: December 5, 2017 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros:
Cons:
New Or Used: New   

Just received my lens

It appears that used with central collimator for AF there's no AF problems with my k-50

I use central collimator as i had problems with the 18-55Wr kit lens : it was blurring 50% of the time.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2008
Location: Christchurch NZ
Posts: 12

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 31, 2017 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Set of primes
Cons: A little heavy
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: K5/KS2    Autofocus: 9    New Or Used: New   

I like to shoot with primes. Have been unable to find a good 24mm prime
This seemed to fill that spot with the bonus of having a 20 a 28 and 35 as well.
It's hardly a zoom but I didn't want that.
So far I have had little or no focussing issues. At any length or aperture.

A tip that may help.
I also have a Sigma 50-150mm MkII
Pretty similar construction with a broad focus ring at the front. And heavy!!
Had focus problems with that until I realised that because of the weight, I was supporting the lens at
the front. All too easy to either inadvertently hold the focus ring or nudge it. result --> de-focussed.

Once that lesson was learned, virtually no focussing problems.
I applied that to this 18-35mm.
Maybe I have just been lucky and have a "good" copy -- who knows?

I have used this in Fog, Rain, near darkness, pointed at buildings, mountains, close ups.
It just never seems to fail.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2017
Posts: 5

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 23, 2017 Recommended | Price: $650.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Extreme fast lens from 18 to 35mm
Cons: Autofocus
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K3II    Autofocus: 4    New Or Used: Used   

Carefull! You buy an art lens. Thats what it is! This glass is an high end construction, 1.8 overall! That gives you the possibility to cut out objects at the wide end of the glass. I do not know another zoom lens with this characteristics. And in my opinion its sharp from 1.8. And a bit stopped down, its more sharp than Pentax DA 20 - 40mm.
But because of its very own construction, it has a few problems. The main Problem is the AF. My first glass was at the sigma service center for two times. For the third time, i got a completely new one - it works. Not perfectly, but it works. Unluckily you NEED the AF. I tried to work manually, but it is nearly impossible to get sharp immages if you work with the optical view finder at 1.8 or 2.2. Live view mode works without a problem, but that is not the reason why i decided for a reflex camera!
But another big point for me is its value. If you have it in hands first time, you get a big smile in your face. Its just a dream to work with this lens. There is nothing comparable.
If you have the money, try it! If you need something reliable, leave it.
   
New Member

Registered: May, 2017
Posts: 5
Review Date: May 9, 2017 Not Recommended | Price: $660.00 | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: Described in the review
Cons: Described in the review
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 7    Value: 4    Camera Used: K-S2    Autofocus: 8    New Or Used: New   

The lens is pretty sharp overall. However at f/1.8 the lens is not sharp. The aperture should not be wider than f/2.0. At f/2.0 and above the images are sharp. I am disappointed with the aperture in this lens. It has 9 rounded blades, but the aperture hole is not round, and it is not in the center of the lens. The aperture hole has a deformed shape. I have not noticed any aberrations on this lens, which is good. The bokeh is average on this lens, mainly due to the deformed aperture. The bokeh-balls are not round with this lens. Many people have complained with the autofocus on this lens, but I have not had any major problem with its autofocus. The autofocus motor is absolutely quiet on this lens. The only problem I have with the autofocus is when I have sunlight in front of me, then the autofocus focuses in front of the subject. The lens is beautifully built on the outside. The zoom-ring is nice on this lens. The focus-ring is only for decoration in my opinion. It is not very useful; it has a short throw and it has too much friction (feels like it gildes on paper). The lens-hood and the lens-bag that comes with the lens are very nice.

The lens is good, but the price is just too high. I would have recommended it if it had a lower price. Somethings are just not acceptable at this price, like the aperture. At this price I expect more.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: December, 2011
Posts: 3,112

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 24, 2016 Recommended | Price: $800.00 | Rating: 1 

 
Pros: resolution, if ever focussed ok
Cons: autofocus is lottery, no advantage over faster, lighter prime
Sharpness: 8    Bokeh: 3    Handling: 1    Value: 2    Camera Used: K-3    Autofocus: 1    New Or Used: New   

The one pro:
  • Yes, if anybody gets the lens to ever autofocus ok the technical resolution is very good wide open.
The cons:
  • poor color rendering quality
  • low size quality
  • low weight quality
  • low plastic build quality
  • focus throw not good for manual focussing
  • short end too long for a "wide" lens, should be 16mm
  • long end too short
  • it is basically a manual focus lens, because you can't really call Sigmas implementation "autofocus". Three lenses tried, none would focus correctly more than 30% of the time.
Probably the most superfluous lens ever made.


You want a fast lens? Buy a prime which is faster, lighter, cheaper.
You want flexibility? Buy something with 3x to 5x zoom, not the limited options of this one
You want a wide lens? Buy a 24mm equivalent 16mm or less.
You want a long lens? 35mm?

You want fastness for DoF? Really? Make portraits with fat noses at 18-35mm?


It can not replace a prime.
It can not replace a kit 18-55 zoom.
It is poor for portraits.
It poor for wide angle shots.
   
Senior Member

Registered: January, 2012
Posts: 216

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 24, 2016 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharp,color,bokeh, good and stable autofocus
Cons: not very fast autofocus
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    Camera Used: 5iis    Autofocus: 9    New Or Used: Used   

I am very happy to have this lens -best choice for APC camera!! Autofocus work very good with my K-5iis ( but i have lots problem with pentax lens )
   
New Member

Registered: May, 2014
Posts: 6
Review Date: May 3, 2016 Recommended | Price: $590.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Ultra-fast aperture; crispy sharp; well build
Cons: quite heavy and big; not WR
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 9    Camera Used: K30; K3II    Autofocus: 8    New Or Used: Used   

I thought about this lens for almost a year. Especially looking forward to you it for Milky Way Photography or in low light situations without a tripod.

And finally I got it and definitely can't say I wouldn't love it. It's the lens I use most, it doesn't go off the camera very often although it's not quite universal with its only 2x zoom. But for most of the things I do that's just alright.
The open aperture of 1.8 has been the main reason for me to buy this lens. And what can I say? It's just unrivaled! Sharper than many primes and 18,20,24,28,30,35mm just in one single lens. I really love it. Not only at night, also at day it's my favorite because of the excellent sharpness.
The only thing I have to complain about a bit is the autofocus. It's perfectly fine at close distances or stopped down but open and more than 5m from the object I always have to correct the AF manually.
That's a pity but doesn't help me come away from that lens. I'm simply addicted to it!
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