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Showing all 1 reviews by retroflex

Review of: Sigma EX DC Macro 18-50mm F2.8 by retroflex on Fri December 3, 2010 | Rating: 8 View more reviews 
sigma18-50mm.jpg

Views: 57352
Reviews: 16
I bought this Sigma new three years ago and it was my sole lens for a two year period, used on a *ist DS and a K-x. It has followed me on several travels in all sorts of conditions as well as beeing used extensively at home. Although it is not the perfect lens, it's a good compromise which has served me very well. Features: Feature wise, there's nothing special with the exception of a very good close focusing distance (20cm, which translates to a maximum 1:3 magnification). Autofocus speed is decent, on par or slightly below the kit lens. It also produces some noise, but so does all screw drive lenses. The lens is shipped with a petal hood, which is always a plus. The lens cap I got was the crappy type where the release buttons are located at the outer sides. This makes it hard to remove the cap when the hood is attached. I recommend replacing it with a better cap, there are plenty of cheap options out there. Hopefully Sigma has changed this in newer revisions though. Included in the package was also a padded case, which is nice. Due to the lens size the internal flash is more or less unusable with this lens. Some bodies, like the K-5, has a flash that raises higher which probably works better, at least for certain focal lengths. Worth to check up if internal flash is important to you! Build: As part of the higher grade Sigma EX series, the lens has an above standard build and quality. The build does not feel exceptional in any way and certainly not comparable to older manual lenses or Pentax limiteds, but still ok. I've brought this lens everywhere and it still looks and performs like new, so in practise the quality is very good based on my experience. Image quality: In my opinion, image quality is generally very good. Sharpness and contrast is excellent when stopped down a little. Fully open it performs well and I never hesitate using it at 2.8 if needed. The negatives are a bit of CA (chromatic abberation) and not the most pleasing bokeh. Conclusion: The Sigma 18-50 is a very good alternative to the kit lens if you're looking for a boost in sharpness and constant 2.8 aperture for a good price. Not to forget the "macro" feature which makes it extremely versatile. If you can find it used, it's a lot of bang for the buck. As a kit upgrade, the downside is of course the bigger size and weight. My biggest gripe with the lens is the bokeh, which doesn't look good. For macro shots, the background is usually so blurred that this isn't a problem, but for portraits or other situations it can be a problem. If this isn't a big deal for you or if you can work around it, this is definately a lens to consider.



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