| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2011 Location: Brno Posts: 295 | | Review Date: February 6, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | All-in-one | | Cons: | "only 70mm" | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K20D, K5, K3
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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After many years of having Sig 17-70/2.8-4.5 I saw one 17-70/2.8-4.0 DC Macro HSM without OS, but with very nice price. And now it is mine. Shares the same type of all-in-one solution like the older one, but HSM version is quiet, focusing is a bit more reliable and optically it is lets say 10% better on K3 hi-res sensor. Apparently shares some parts with Sig17-50/2.8 as the updated body covers and rings are same. Both are very good universal lenses.
Older 17-70/2.8-4.5 on K5 & 17-70/2.8-4.0 on K3
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2019 Location: Roermond Posts: 1 | | Review Date: April 28, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $130.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Good value | | Cons: | de-centered copy | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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Got a second hand Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro for $130. Unfortunately this copy seems de-centered. The left side doesn’t get sharp at any aperture—hence my 7 points for sharpness. Center and right side are fine, giving quite sharp images. Autofocus is fine for my use but bokeh a bit restless to my taste. If it wasn’t de-centered I would give this one a 9.
Below a sharpness test and a sample photo from garden.
NOTE: Just realised that this review appears under the newer stabilised model. The lens reviewed here is the older model WITHOUT OS.
 | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: January, 2019 Posts: 1,531
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 27, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $102.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | colours, skin tones autofocus | | Cons: | it's heavy, No red dot to align when mounting on camera | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-70
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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I bought this only yesterday used on an exchange site and I have to say I really love this lens. This is the 2nd non Pentax lens I have bought (the other was Samsung d-xenon 50-200mm) so impressed I would seriously consider buying Sigma over Pentax used.
I went out today and must say that it performs brilliantly the colours are vibrant and true and where my Pentax lenses have a tendency to overexpose I find it easier to get a better exposure with this lens.
I have the Pentax 12-24mm and this lens feels heavier but also feels more solidly built. This will be my walkaround lens for the foreseeable future however maybe not an a wet damp day since it lacks WR, also I can't see it becoming my travelling go to lens because of it's weight and large filter size.
Previous reviews talk about the zoom ring turning opposite to Pentax I hadn't noticed until I read the reviews and now I'm aware of it so really not an issue, also there is a zoom lock on it however it only locks at 17mm the lens' smallest size which means that I reckon this is more designed for carrying around as opposed to stopping creep. The great thing is that unlike my kit lens the 18-50mm I can take a picture with it on the locked position. There is no red dot to help align to the camera body when attaching and this I find annoying as is the rear cap which is solid once on however a pain to line up.
For £80 this has been a brilliant buy and up until now I wasn't too bothered around Sigma dropping the K mount.Having used this I now think that we have lost a real credible alternative to Pentax glass as a new lens.
Album Link
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/117371-luckylu/albums/13343-sigm...-macro-os-hsm/ | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2010 Location: Venlo Posts: 163
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 4, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $170.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, little purple fringing and CA | | Cons: | Autofocus correction not constant over zoom range | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K5
Autofocus: 6
New Or Used: Used
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Got a good used copy for about €150 (or $170), without OS. Came without hood, unfortunately. Feels heavy and well built.
I compared the lens to my Pentax DA 4/16-45mm, because I wanted it as a longer range replacement for the Pentax lens.
I tested sharpness and CA/fringing at 17, 24, 35, 45mm for both lenses (and 70mm for the Sigma), all at f/4.0. The center sharpness is comparable, but the Sigma is definitely better than my copy of the DA16-45 in the corners. The Sigma has less CA/fringing.
The Sigma needs autofocus correction, and unfortunately the correction varies with the focus length. For ~35-70mm it is about +4, and then autofocus is excellent and consistent. But for the wide-angle range, the correction appears to be something like -2. It varies with the object distance as well. The difference is largest at infinity. It is a pity that this lens is not compatible with the Sigma USB dock, that enables corrections at different focus settings.
I do a lot of manual focussing, but this is much easier with old primes with a large throw, than with these internal focussing zoom lenses. MF is usually easier near 70mm because of the shallow DOF. On the other hand, it is less critical at the wide angle range because of the same DOF. The relatively large 2.8 max. aperture is helpful for MF at wide angle range, so I probably keep the correcton at +4 and make an extra mark on the lens for the infinity setting at 17mm.
At smaller apertures CA becomes visible. At f/11 mainly red/cyan, a little blue/yellow. Not hard to correct in pp.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: September, 2014 Location: Nelson Posts: 266
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 3, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Silent focus | | Cons: | Bulk -Inbuilt OS adds size to original version | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50, K-r
Autofocus: 9
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I have the original first version of this lens, which has produced consistently good shots. Recently I spotted a K-r on our local on-line auction site, which had the HSM + OS version of the lens attached at a bargain price. Bid, won and delivered, both camera and lens turned out to be in new condition, with a shutter count of 1100 
Interestingly the camera had a card loaded with some less than spectacular looking photos -not terribly encouraging. I also noted that both the lens OS and camera SR were enabled, which I suspect resulted in previous sub-optimal images, so I turned off the lens OS, relying on the camera to do the job. Spent yesterday trialling the K-r + lens, and am just astonished by the sharpness this is capable of producing. It's definitely a little bulkier than the earlier version, but not unmanageably so. It's typically a little soft wide open at the wide end, but a couple of stops down and it's razor sharp across the frame. Like most fast lens I think you're buying that extra light that you still have once a lens is stopped down a little, I've yet to own a lens that performs brilliantly at max aperture. During shooting yesterday I shot the same scene at 40mm with the Sigma 17-70 and my DA 40mm XS -the results are identical | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2012 Location: North-East England Posts: 73
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 7, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Now it has been "repaired" by Sigma in Japan - mega sharp and virtually silent | | Cons: | Didn't rate it until it had been back to Sigma in Japan | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K3-ii
Autofocus: 8
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When I first got the lens a few years ago (K10 era), I wasn't mega impressed with it. The reviews were saying it was supposed to be really good. It was ok at f-8 and higher, but wider than this I didn't rate it at all and it ended up as a backup lens. It also didn't like the cold - it failed on top of a mountain in Norway  . I dropped my 18-135WR so had to return that to Pentax and finally got round to sending the Sigma back to Sigma UK (who sent it back to Sigma Japan) as it now had a fault on it. What I got back was the same glass and case, but a completely different lens. Pin sharp. Really, really sharp. Really impressed with what Sigma Japan have done with the lens. I'm quite happy to use it as my main lens at the moment - its a shame its not weather sealed like the 18-135. I like the idea of it being f2.8 at the wide end and can live with the f4 at the 70mm.
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2014 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: June 27, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, handy | | Cons: | A little heavy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K10D, K20D, K-5, K-3
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Back when I was using a K10D, this was the first lens I bought to replace my 18-55 kit lens. I loved it, and still do, even though I now have an 18-135 for my walk around lens on a K-3. I still like it too much to sell it and generally keep it around as a backup. Once in a while I take it out for a spin and the general good feeling it gave me comes back.
The only negative is that it's a tad bulky and heavy, and I sometimes when using it I miss the extra reach of the 18-135.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2013 Posts: 306 | | Review Date: September 22, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, nice colors, hsm quiet and good | | Cons: | Os eat battery fast | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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I like lensmuch, tamron 17-50 very very little better only. But i hate os eating battery fast and not really use this much cos of this
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2008 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden Posts: 483
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 13, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Silent quick and precise focus | | Cons: | None so far | |
I bought this lens as a walk around lens. It's a great lens, sharp, fast and excellent build quality.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2011 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 2 | | Review Date: July 23, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $546.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Fast focus, good results under not very good light conditions. | | Cons: | Too heavy so it is changing its position while hanged on your neck. After a month of using, the ring for changing focal length went quite stiff. No dust, no sand etc.. Paining on buttons went off quite fast. | |
I bought this lens for my trip to Asia with a view to make great pictures and use its fastness, sharpness and wide range.
After a few days of using I realized that the ring for changing focal length is going to be stiffer and stiffer. It wasn't used in dusty or dirty conditions. So when you tried to change e.g. from 70 to 30, it was moving (jumping) in steps, not in a one smooth move.
Moreover I have noticed that the lens has problems to focus in two situations. When I was focusing on the nature (like green forest etc.) or when i was trying to make a portrait photo from a close range (1-2 m) for a 70mm. In these situations the lens was still focusing but with no success unless I have changed the point of focus.
Regarding the buildup quality there is another problem. The color on the button for changing of OS went off quite fast. This was surprising as I didn't see it on older lenses of other producers.
Lens is also quite heavy and is changing focal length by itself just because of gravity.
I have send the lens to the seller under warranty with a request for repair or sending back money. Lens was sent back without any explanation. I just hope it was at least cleaned...
Overall I wouldn't buy it again and I would prefer original Pentax lens.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2011 Posts: 274
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 3, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $379.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | fast and silent focus, zoom range | | Cons: | sharpness, quality control | |
I own Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 non HSM for some time and really love it. So I wish to upgrade to a newer version for faster focus. Yes, it focuses much faster and very quietly. But its sharpness is worse compare to older version. It is not expensive for this zoom range, but based on its performance, I would rate its value only 6. Maybe I got a bad copy. Anyway, I do not recommend to buy this lens. If you like a zoom range, you may try to find a used copy of old version for about $250. Or if money is not an issue, I do recommend you to buy Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 HSM for much better sharpness, great build, and fast and accurate focus.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: September, 2009 Location: Galati on Danube-Romania Posts: 33
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 1, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $485.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Construction, and optic | | Cons: | Weight, about 2 more electrical consumption than the Pentax non SDM lenses (in non OS version) | |
This is the new, non OS version like those one in the head picture. Even non OS, the electric current consumption is two times greater than the Pentax DA lenses (non SDM).
Pentax 18-55mm kit lens: "by-by!"- remain only WR in the rain
Detalied trusted test, there:
http://www.optyczne.pl/181.1-Test_obiektywu-Sigma_17-70_mm_f_2.8-4.0_DC_Macro_OS_HSM.html
Excellent resolution in 17-21mm range at f4.0, more than fix focus (prime) lenses. A little soft at 70mm (good for portraiture), but correctable in p.p. The same with the little abberations in the low domain of focus lenght. Excelent contrast in contre-jour (good optic coating) and good, non-nervous bokeh ( 7 rounded blades) for this kind of lens=zoom lens. Quiet HSM operation a little bit faster than the kit lens, a good marriage with Pentax K5 in the sound domain .
Excellent travel lens (if you can carry it) and all you need together with Pentax DA 55-300mm.
Domains (non exclusives ):
- Macro (you can crop with K5 to 1:1 scale) and close up. Try this in manual focus mode (on the lens button) and catch-in focus mode, there are good results;
- Portraiture ( moves away from the big contrast backrounds);
- Architecture (simple to correct geometry in p.p.) and street life (good for night at f2.8 in the 17-21mm domain);
- Landscapes.
And some examples, with a little p.p.
  
P.S. The first macro image is crop 100% only in my gallery ( this is reduced from 1200 to 800 pixels long size)
Another examples:
http://paunel.aminus3.com/image/2012-06-13.html
http://paunel.aminus3.com/image/2012-06-18.html
http://paunel.aminus3.com/image/2012-06-19.html
http://paunel.aminus3.com/image/2012-06-21.html | | | | | Forum Member Registered: June, 2012 Posts: 65 | | Review Date: June 11, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $419.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Solid build quality (except LC), HSM, quiet | | Cons: | Lens creep from 50mm to 35mm | |
Big solid heavy lens (in a good way). It really made my K-5 look like a serious camera. But again, looks aren't everything. I've had this camera for a week and my overall experience has been disappointing.
I really wanted to keep this camera. The build quality is pretty solid. There's a good weight to the lens. I've read the rattling is from the OS but it isn't very much different from the rattling in the K-5. So that's not an issue.
The HSM makes autofocusing very quiet. The issue came up when I couldn't produce sharp images. The autofocus would be off. I'm still new to photography so I haven't learned how to adjust for FF/BB. Even when I set the focus to the center, it would still have trouble producing sharp images at 50-70mm. I've stopped down from 5.6 to 8 and even to 11.
I did about a weeks worth of research on this lens versus the Tammy 15-70 2.8. I've read every review from Photozone, Lens Tip, to all the videos on YouTube. I thought the extra 20mm, HSM, and the "macro" feature out weighted the constant f/2.8 aperture.
It looks like this one's going back. I've ordered the Tamron and will update this review after testing that out.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2012 Posts: 165 | | Review Date: April 5, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Image quality,long enough for portraits,AF accurate | | Cons: | Heavy,OS eats battery FAST,AF slow | |
I did update Kit lens to Sigma 17-70. One thing i really hate this lens is OS=Optical stabilizer. Sigma OS is eating battery too fast, even OS switched of from lens but still something is moving all the time and battery is ampty so very quickly. Can not recomend lens like that to anybody. Newer buy another sigma with OS again...ok maybe some long tele lens OS on lens is usefull but others lens no need OS cos pentax has own SR and OS add few extra class that reduces optical quality and makes lens more heavy and bigger size. Sigma&OS no thanks for me except 200mm or longer!
First copy of this lens AF only worked in good light even normal inside lights were not enough for AF to work. HSM makes little noise and is slow. IQ is good. Little more extra on tele would be nice also. Now i would choose Pentax 18-135 instead. My Sigma max aperture is 17-21mm f2.8, 22-43mm f3.5, 44-70mm f4 so lens is really almous f4...
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: New York City Posts: 5,638
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small, quiet focusing, sharp from 17-50, nice build quality | | Cons: | not very sharp from 50-70, focusing isn't fast, hood is a bit tiny | |
I bought the Sigma 17-70 F2.8-4 OS HSM to replace my kit 18-55mm lens as my main walk-around lens. As a kit lens replacement, it's quite good. The HSM isn't fast (I thought it would be like the Canon USM, but I was very very wrong), but it certainly is quiet and does very well at minor adjustments compared to the kit lens. Also, being faster than the kit lens, it does hit focus better.
Picture Quality
To start off, let's talk about picture quality. It's definitely better than the kit lens at all apertures and focal lengths. It does have a certain weakness at 60-70mm, but the kit lens doesn't have that focal length anyways, so that's a different subject. At 17-50mm, this lens is usable wide open, especially if we're talking about web prints. My understanding is that once stopped down, the Sigma and Tamron 17-50s will beat this lens, but wide open they are about comparable.
100% center crop at 70mm F8 - This shot looks pretty sharp to me, and I can't complain since it is a zoom lens. It still can't compare to my Tamron 70-200 F2.8, but that's a mutant lens anyways.
100% center crop at 70mm F8 far focus - Not as sharp, so this lens isn't going to be great when zooming in to something far away.
100% center crop at 17mm F8 - I feel this is sharp enough for a wide angle shot. The corners aren't appreciable though, so it's best to take advantage of the better center sharpness of this lens.
So to recap, this lens is pretty sharp stopped down. I can definitely use the shots online, and I wouldn't mind printing some of the shots. Now, let's talk about that 70mm wide open:
Sorry for all the portrait oriented images - at 70mm F4, this lens produces some weird dreamy effect that comes out when there is major light contrast. It's not entirely bad (as the bokeh turns out super creamy because of it), but it's not sharp. It reminds me a little of the soft focus lenses that some people use for portraiture. I don't know if this is typical of this lens or if there's something wrong with mine, but it doesn't bother me (I like to use it at this setting) so I'm not returning this lens.
Autofocus
This lens comes with the HSM (HyperSonic Motor?) focusing that the newer Sigma lenses come with. My initial expectation was for it to be similar to the Canon USMs or the Nikon SWM (silent wave) or rather, like the Pentax screw drive without the sound (which is what the silent wave focus is like). I was pretty wrong on that expectation. I can't really explain how the HSM in this lens is like, except that it focuses in bursts. When focusing, you can feel the lens move in stops to get to the right focus point, almost like little thuds. The lens is extremely quiet (not as quiet as the Silent Wave focus though) and is impossible to hear in practically all conditions. The speed is pretty slow though, slower than the screw drive. I attribute this to the "stuttering" of the focusing motor, which assists it in the minor focusing adjustments that my kit lens was terrible at.
So to summarize - 17-70 HSM, quiet, weird, different, better than the screw drive when it comes down to noise and minor adjustment accuracy, but I haven't tried it on moving subjects.
Handling/Build
This lens is the newer version of the 17-70s, so it has the sparkly matte finish on the lens. I am not entirely fond of the sparkly bits, but I do like the matte finish (the older shiny plastic finish felt terrible to the touch). The lens is noticeably heavy, but it is small. Those two attributes make it feel quite good to hold. The zoom ring is very well damped - I adore the tightness of it. After using this lens for a bit, it makes my Tamron 70-200 F2.8's zoom ring feel terrible. Focus ring is pretty smooth, but a focus throw of about 40 degrees or so makes manual focusing a nightmare.
The OS and HSM switches are nice and solid, and the zoom lock switch is pretty redundant except to keep the lens from zooming out when you pull out the lens from the bag. The zoom is damped enough so that you will never have zoom creep from pointing the lens downwards. It has a non-rotating front element, which is very important to me. The zoom isn't internal, and the lens increases length by about 70% at full zoom. The hood is pretty tiny (I guess because of the 17mm), so some people may want to throw on a UV filter for safety. The front element is pretty fat and huge, which looks nice.
Some bad stuff about the build - the zoom rotation is opposite of most lenses. It's tremendously annoying because since the zoom ring is huge, I usually grab onto that part while putting it on the camera. So while screwing it onto the camera, the lens zooms out. The clip on hood sometimes doesn't clip on very well - this is true for another Sigma lens of mine, so I don't know if it's just their design or what (My Tamron 70-200's hood clips on well everytime). Filter size is 72mm, which may save money for some people, but definitely sucks for me because my 10-20 and my 70-200 are both 77mm. I know that the Sigma 17-50 is 77mm too, so bleh.
Overall
As a walkaround lens, this lens is great. As an indoor lens, this lens is pretty good in the 17-50mm range. As a kit lens replacement, this lens is awesome. It's sharp and quiet, hits a good focal length range that I need, and has pretty good bokeh. I would highly recommend this lens to anyone who wants a quiet alternative to the Tamron 17-50/28-75 or who wants a cheaper alternative to the Sigma 17-50/24-70 or the DA*16-50.
Sample Pictures
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