Latest Review Posted | Sigma DC Macro HSM (Contemporary) 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 After trashing a great DA 18-250 with an unfortunate stuck lock pin, I had to decide between a DA18-270 and this Sigma 18-300. The sigma seems to offer a more sophisticated and recent lens formula and a more solid built quality; it’s way cheaper and comes with enthusiastic reviews. The Pentax on the other hand provides for Pentax-feeling, in camera lens correction, while offering better and rightly handling at less weight; but the tests and opinions including those for the original Tamron 18-270 suggest a rather mediocre performance and built. If only available I would have bought another DA18-250, which would be the fourth after one found crashed, one stolen and the last one now worn out. That was really a fantastic lens, but today it’s becoming very scarce.
I didn’t do extensive brickwallframing, so the following conclusions are rather based on a few standards slides and very personal impressions and they follow the beaten path anyway confirming other’s findings:
Positive impressions:
+ very solid built;
+ accurate colours and exposure;
+ excellent and prime like sharpness in the center, at least until below 100mm;
+ tack sharp AF even in medium to low light;
+ no zoom creep present;
+ AF is fast, but it seems faster on Pentax DC lenses (like the DA16-85) and it’s not fully silent;
+ K-3 handles the lens very well in terms of exposure;
Negative impressions:
- vignetting may be present indeed, but it don’t care much for it, I had it always even in those old ... |