| Latest Review Posted | Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro HSM (Contemporary)
This is my everyday walkaround lens for my K-5 IIs. For that task, it is wonderfully adept, although this lens tends to be more for "picture-taking" than artsy photography, as I describe in the bokeh section.
First, the breakdown of the minimum f stops is:
f/2.8: 17-21mm
f/3.5: 22-45mm
f/4.0: 46-70mm
Sharpness: Fantastic at f/5.6 onward, quite good wide open. You won't be disappointed here. The lens hits its peak at 35mm, where it is stunningly sharp. Keep this lens in the 30-40 range and you'll be very pleased with the results.
Aberrations: There is visible barrel distortion at 17mm that vanishes quickly past the minimum focal length. The issues can be corrected in processing easily but 17mm is definitely more than usable. I recommend staying north of 20mm for the best results, however. Haven't observed CA but I'm not good at looking for them. I haven't personally observed pincushion distortion at high focal lengths, but I don't usually use this lens past 50mm. When I do, it's usually of an object that won't display the distortion.
Bokeh: The bokeh is pleasing when you can get it, but the lens is just not fast enough to allow for those cool creamy bokeh shots in general. You just won't get super blurry backgrounds unless you can make use of its limited macro capability (focus close). You can do bokeh shots for small objects. Anything larger than a stack of books, though, won't be the subject of a super blurry background shot with this lens. But thi... |
