| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2015 Posts: 33
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 17, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Best Buy | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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So, I bought the SIGMA 17-50 f2.8. Honestly is the best zoom I ever used since I own a Pentax... and I have owned a few (Pentax 18-55 and 18-55 AL II, Tamron 18-200, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4.5, Pentax 16-50* f2.8).
This lens is sharp straight from 2.8. CA are showing only at f2.8 depending on the light source. Starting with f4 is razor sharp... In the past I have owned Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and Pentax 16-50* 2.8.
The comparison with tamron is pointless. Tamron is a noisy lens that hesitates to focus in many cases.
Compared to the Pentax 16-50 *, the HSM engine is a bit noisier, but nothing to be afraid of. Optically, I think that SIGMA is superior to Pentax 16-50 * f2.8 lens. The Pentax starts to be sharp after f4, and CA are until f5.6... Or perhaps I have owned a bad copy. Regarding the colours, well... I don't know what to say... The star lens 16-50 from Pentax, has something of the Pentax flavour compared to Sigma...
In my opinion this SIGMA worth his price and does a great job mounted on an APS-C camera. Can wait the summer holiday to take some amazing shots with this lens....until then..I leave two photos taken with this lens mounted on my k3 shot at f2.8 and f4 (the one with the sun's rays is at f4).
 | | | | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2018 Location: Tartu Posts: 82
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 18, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, build quality, quiet AF | | Cons: | no weather sealing; manual focus might be tricky | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: Used
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It's well built, feels like a premium lens.
The AF is fast, accurate and almost soundless.
IQ is great and it's sharp.
Manual focus might be tricky due to short focus ring rotation distance.
I like this lens more than the Tamron 17-50.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2017 Posts: 61
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 31, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $220.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Great sharpness, focus, super in low light, versatility | | Cons: | A bit heavy, not WR | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-S2
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: Used
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I have had this lens for over a year, purchased used, and feel comfortable posting a recommendation here after hundreds of shots. It is my "go-to" lens, paired with a K-S2 for general travel and street-photography, including low-light sunrise and sunset landscapes up to the 50mm range, but particularly when I need a bit of width . The more I have used it, the more I have appreciated its sharpness, versatility, and handling.
Photo's are sharp, end-to-end; colors are excellent. As a non-pro enthusiast, for the money I get so close to what I would consider near-pro output that I could not be more pleased. This seems fairly consistent with the feedback from other posts here. Wish it were WR but can't have it all--with a rain hood have used on many hikes, wet and dusty conditions--no problems.
A great upgrade and highly recommended!
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2015 Location: Istanbul Posts: 2
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 15, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Excellent sharpness | | Cons: | bit heavy, 77mm | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: New
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Trees by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Fisherman by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Back to Home by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Kackar Mountains by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
HillSide by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Sunset Malaga by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Cyclops by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Street Views by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr
Jesus by Yemen Ozan Gündoğan, on Flickr | | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Michigan Posts: 29 | | Review Date: October 23, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp images, speed (f/2.8), good ergonomics | | Cons: | About the only is mounting the lens hood on to the lens for storage | |
This is my "go-to" lens for my K-5. Worth every penny paid. One of my very best lenses. For most travel ventures I take this lens along with the DA*50-135mm f/2.8 along with my Tamron 1.4x TC and I am covered for most anything I photograph.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: Queens, New York Posts: 608
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 18, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $399.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, silent and accurate autofocus | | Cons: | Heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-01, K-50
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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I was very satisfied with my Pentax DA16-45, but started thinking that having a similar range zoom with an f2.8 aperture would help with some indoor shots, so I began looking around, and noticed this Sigma.
This lens is noticeably sharper than the Pentax to the point that you have to soften almost every shot in Lightroom or other post processing software. The contrast is also higher than the Pentax, and the colors are not Pentax colors.
Not really something to complain about, but you should be aware of this before buying this lens.
On the pro side, the auto focus is accurate and silent, this lens' best virtue.
On the con side, it is heavy.
I think it is an excellent all-around, walk-around lens, because of its range and the silent auto focus.
I recommend this lens highly.
Mike Bokeh  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2011 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 187
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 8, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $360.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Amazing value and great results | | Cons: | Fairly heavy | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5 - K-3II
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: New
| |
My DA 16-45mm F4 was my 'go to' lens as it is a particularly good example but this is in another league.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2015 Location: Texas Posts: 558
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 17, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Accurate Color Reproduction, Fast Aperture (For A Zoom) | | Cons: | Big, Heavy, bokeh is a bit busy. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-3
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: New
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This was my first "High End" lens. Its an amazing lens at that. The colors it produces are very accurate and lend themselves well to post processing either in camera or later with Photoshop or similar. It focuses fast and is very quiet, it does not hunt much if at all.
It is a big heavy lens. Its not a lens that I would consider a good walk around lens just due to the size and weight. However, when I know that I need to get the shot and won't have time for trial and error, or I have the opportunity to stage the shot properly prior to taking the picture this is my go to lens.
I personally feel the bokeh is a bit busy, however, its not horrible by any stretch, and hasn't caused me to "miss" a shot yet.
Overall this is a stellar lens and I highly recommend it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2013 Posts: 731
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 11, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | SHARP!, easy of use, good range, fast aperture 2.8, Quiet auto focus | | Cons: | Lens zoom is reverse of pentax lenses, a little big, a little heavy, moderate speed on auto focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5-ii, K-5iis
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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I was able to pick my copy up from ebay used less than a year. WOW! it is sharp and will likely be my favorite lens of all time. Just take a look at the photos attached to this post. It really is like having a bag of primes in one lens. I can say, center sharpness is wonderful through the range and 50mm this lens really shines. You will really love this lens.
UPDATE: 03/28/16
The love continues....
The more I use this lens, the more I love it. I consistently get sharp results with contrast and pleasing color. I find the focal range of 17-50mm is Very Very Useful. It is so handy, it makes it difficult for me to break out my primes.
The colors in this lens seem to be a bit more even and natural, where my DA lenses produce more saturated blues and greens. This may be a + or - depending on what you like. Me, I love it since I use this lens for people photos most of the time.
My copy on my K-5ii has a small bit of play in the mount, not enough to cause any issues. When attached to my K-5iis it seems to fit better. Who knows, but I still love this lens.
Update 05/23/16
I still love this lens! Very very very sharp. I typically stop down to f4-6.3 for group shots and I can see so much detail. This lens is by far my favorite I own. My typical portrait kit is Sigma 17-50, Pentax 50-135, Pentax 10-17, Pentax 50mm 1.8. I normally only end up using the 17-50 and the 50-135.
Believe me for Pentax zooms, it doesn't get much better than this lens. I am constantly blown away at what details I can see in my images. I can't say I feel the same way with the rest of my glass. Perhaps this lens simply tugs on my creative side in a way others do not. At any rate, I can't speak highly enough about it.
If you find one in good shape, just buy it.
   | | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2014 Location: Zagreb Posts: 73
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $500.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp, great bokeh, silent, fast AF | | Cons: | flare prone | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-500
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
| |
This is basically the best standard zoom lens for Pentax APS-C cameras.
Compared to the other two f2.8 zooms, the Tamron doesn't have silent AF and the build quality is not as good, the Pentax is the not as sharp, has the SDM AF and suffers from CA.
This lens is sharp wide open from 17-50mm, getting tack sharp at f4, has beautiful bokeh, and very fast and silent AF. If it was WR it would be perfect. The only issue I can think of is slight flaring when shooting into the sun.
Great workhorse lens,perfect for everything from portrait (creamy bokeh at 50mm f2.8), to landscape photography (tack sharp corners at 17mm f4 and above).
Here's a few shots I've taken with the lens:
For more examples, go to my Flickr page
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2013 Posts: 109
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 24, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, 2.8, nice zoom ring, AF | | Cons: | if WR it's the best! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-3
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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My workhorse lens. Let the images talk.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 103 | | Review Date: June 3, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $469.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, constant aperture | | Cons: | No red dot to assist mounting, a little vignetting | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-30
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
| |
One lens to rule them all
One lens to find them
One lens to...
... Oh alright, I'll stop the silly Lord of the Rings references. But hey, if I were stuck on a deserted island with only one lens, I would pick this one!
Over a year ago I started my quest for the best kit lens replacement. Along the way I've bought and sold several good and some not so good zoom lenses (and accumulated a decent stable of primes too). I think my quest is over and this Sigma is the one I'll be sticking with.
Sharpness is top notch, for a zoom anyway... sure, my primes are still a little bit sharper, but it's not a fair comparison. And besides, at certain focal lengths and apertures the Siggy nearly matches those primes anyway. CA is well controlled - again, not quite prime-like, but close. There is definitely some distortion at 17mm, but it is within acceptable limits for a zoom. It will flare if you shoot into the sun, but rather than washing out and ruining the whole picture, the flare will appear as a distinct rainbow artifact which is not unpleasant and may even be removable in post processing.
IQ-wise, the only bugaboo seems to be pronounced vignetting, but it only really sets in when you're close to 50mm AND using a wide aperture at the same time. And vignetting is the least objectionable of all lens flaws in my opinion, so this is not a big deal to me. It's only really noticeable when there's a lot of open sky or other mono tone background in the corners.
The lens is very heavy and built like a tank. I only have 2 minor gripes:
1) There is no red dot on the mount. I don't know if the guy who paints red dots was asleep the day my lens was built or if they all come from the factory like that, but the absence of a red dot makes mounting the lens a bit tricky. I'll probably make some extremely small mark on it somehow to compensate.
2) The lens cap is hard to get on sometimes, especially with the hood on and facing forward. I can't quite figure out why, but getting the cap on seems to be a fiddly procedure for me and it has popped off twice already when I though it was on. I may replace it with a screw-on cap.
All in all, it's an outstanding lens. Handling is wonderfully smooth. HSM autofocus is silent, fast, and never seems to fail. I thought the AF/MF switch on the side of the lens was redundant considering there is already a switch on the camera that does the same thing, but the one on the lens is actually easier to reach, so this is a plus. Constant aperture F/2.8 is awesome - this doesn't mean that it can ONLY shoot at F/2.8... of course it offers higher apertures too. It just means that 2.8 is widest it will go, at ALL focal lengths. This is different from most other zooms which offer the widest aperture only at the shortest focal length. This means I can get 2.8 at 50mm, which is something the kit lens cannot do.
 _IGP2453 by Jimmy_Buzzard, on Flickr
 _IGP2381 by Jimmy_Buzzard, on Flickr
 _IGP2479 by Jimmy_Buzzard, on Flickr
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: egypt Posts: 435 | | Review Date: April 25, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp, quick and silent HSM | | Cons: | may be heavy some how | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: k 3
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
| |
This lens is very sharp. It has a quick and silent HSM works perfectly with k3.
all in all.I have many prime lenses in this range/15.31.43.50.77/since I put this sigma on the k3 all these prime are now sleeping on my bag.the fa 31 is an exeption.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: New Berlin, WI Posts: 528 | | Review Date: February 14, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp even wide open (on K-3), robust, very reliable, silent AF. | | Cons: | Soft wide open on the K-5, not weather sealed, flare. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-3
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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I bought this lens a couple of years ago, I used it extensively on over 20 weddings, as a walk around, for everything really. This is the lens I can count on.
Here's the trick with this very accurate lens. You need the best camera body to fully take advantage of it. I used it on a k-5 until very recently and I really thought this lens was unreliable when used wide open. Everything wider than f/4 was inconsistent. At f/4 and up though it worked like a dream.
Well now try this lens on a K-3... Absolutely amazing! You can shoot wide open ALL - DAY - LONG. It's in perfect focus every time with great sharpness. I'm discovering this Sigma 17-50 all over again.
HSM is a nice feature, very quiet. I just wish it was weather sealed...
Conclusion: if you own a K-5 it will work amazingly at f/4 and up. Stunning prime like at f5.6. If you own a K-3 (maybe even a K-5II), it will work amazingly period.
I also find the bokeh to be quite good, smoother than the Pentax 16-50.
For a zoom and considering the price tag it's a 10.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2011 Posts: 274
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 3, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $619.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, fast and accurate auto focus, great built quality | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
| |
Pro:
1. Great range
2. sharpness. Stopped down to f/3.5 above, image quality as excellent as primes I own: DA 35mm and Sigma 50mm f/1.4
3. fast and accurate auto focus, no front or back focus observed.
4. great saturation color.
5. great lens built, giving good feeling with holding the lens in hand.
Cons: slightly bad corner sharpness at 17-24mm at f/2.8-4.0 but great images as stopped down. Considering this is a zoom, I may forgive this weakness.
I strongly recommend this zoom lens over Tamron 17-50mm and DA 16-50mm.
Note: 47st.photo on ebay has lowest price for most Sigma lenses, I bought this lens from them for $619. But be careful if you wish to buy from 47st.photo. For whatever reason such as you change you mind or defective lens, you want to return a lens, they would charge you 15% restocking fee despite their 14 days return policy indicated in the listing. In this case, you have to work with ebay staff to get your full refund back. So it is better to stay away from this seller, and go with BHphoto.
HIEP3875 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3869 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3850 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3836 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3833 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3824 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
HIEP3786 by ngnhuhiep, on Flickr
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