| Author: | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2018 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 66 | | Review Date: April 6, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fixed f/2.8 Aperture, Colors, Versatile, Sturdy Feeling, Competent Macro | | Cons: | Soft on the Telephoto End, Heavy & Large, Zoom Creep when Unlocked | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-3 II
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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I purchased my copy used in Excellent condition, at a low price around Christmas time. This was intended to be my replacement to the kit lens my K-3II came with. I was immediately annoyed with it and sought to find a good, general, walk around lens. This met my needs. There's certainly better lenses on the market but I'm quite satisfied with its performance.
I use this mostly when I'm trolling around the city and I want to get some good architecture shots. I have been able to use it for portraits on the fly but that's not where it excels. It's noticeably softer on the telephoto end than the wide end. Actually, I don't think this lens excels at anything, it's just good and well rounded. It has noticeably better IQ than your DAL kit lens though. The fixed aperture helps its case a lot. I have been able to use this for handheld night shots and indoor concerts with great success. I enjoy this lens' flexibility. As long as my subject doesn't require a longer focal length, this lens can admirably perform. I have been able to get some sharp photos with this. My copy is reasonably sharp in the center at f/2.8 but you'll see large improvements in this area if you stop down. I typically have it at f/5.6 or so if the lighting/subject permits. Its bokeh is average, IMO. I wouldn't describe it as butter smooth like some prime but it's not ugly by any means. Its color rendering is one of its strongest points in my opinion. Vibrant colors pop well with this lens. Contrast is okay but if more is needed, there's always PP. Autofocus isn't silent but it's not intrusive. It occasionally hunts in low light but is overall consistent and reliable.
It's got its flaws of course. I actually don't think this is a con personally, but it is heavy. A lot of people will not enjoy carrying around something like this all day so I list it as a con. Its on the large side but that's one of the prices you pay with a fixed aperture zoom. On the bright side, it feels sturdy and tough. The lens does tend to creep in the vertical position if you don't lock it and that can get annoying. And as mentioned before, its weaker at the long end.
Considering I paid much less than normal, I got a great value here and I really enjoy the lens. I believe if I had paid closer to the norm, I'd rate it an 8. But for what I paid for it, its get a solid 9. It's one of my walkaround lens when I only want to bring one and it's done quite well there. If you see this for a low price and you're looking to upgrade your kit lens, I'd say its worth a go. I don't think it stands out from its competition to where its a must have. But it can definitely be a great value for shrewd consumer.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 3 | | Review Date: October 18, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Near limit 20cm | | Cons: | Heavy. Fuzzy @2.8. | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 6
Value: 7
Camera Used: K-30
Autofocus: 7
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I've owned this lens and the Pentax 16-45 F4.0 at the same time, and I prefer the Pentax lens even though it's slower. The Sigma is not sharp at F2.8, but sharpens up at F4. The Pentax is sharp right from F4. Rendering and bokeh is nicer from the Pentax. Sigma is heavy and has zoom creep when in vertical position and not locked. One extra, fuzzy f-stop isn't worth the clunkiness, not a fun lens to shoot with, makes taking pics cumbersome. Would of course take it any day over the kit 18-55 though if I had to choose.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: Hamburg Posts: 2 | | Review Date: April 11, 2016 | Not Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Generally solid Build, a good step up from the Kit Lens | | Cons: | Takes in dust quite willingly, performance degraded quickly | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 9
Value: 7
Camera Used: K200D and K-5 II
Autofocus: 7
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This was my first standard zoom after the original kit lens.
As such, it did a great job - it's a marked step up in pretty much all respects over the kit lens that came with my K200D.
However, it's degraded a good bit in the five years that I've had it for.
Firstly, the inner part that extends as you zoom is surprisingly wobbly, and isn't really sealed very well - at times it feels like you're pumping dust into the lens while zooming.
I've also found the lens to be incredibly prone to flare - and while images were fine on my K200D at the time, looking at results on my K-5 II now, the Sigma 18-50's sharpness leaves something to be desired.
Add to that that its focusing abilities in low light really degrade quite quickly and barrel distortion is quite noticable almost all the way up to 50mm.
So overall - it kind of did the job at the time (of replacing the kit lens) and if you can get a good used copy for cheap you're not going wrong. But overall, it's not that great.
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 8
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | 2.8 throughout, sharp across the image | | Cons: | Heavy; 50mm sometimes is a bit short; lack of something special | |
The lens replaces the kitlens with approximately the same zoom range. However, it is much, much heavier. It does have very good optical qualities, though. The images are sharp, equally lit (center and corners are equally bright). The constant aperture of 2.8 allows for zooming without the risk that the aperture reduces. And an aperture of 2.8 gives quite some light compared to the standard kit lens.
This is objectively speaking a very good lens. However, I never feel delighted to take the lens - and that's a feeling I cannot capture in words or quality of the lens. It does the job more than adequate, but does not sparkle. If you need a tool, that's great. If you'd like to love a lens, it's a different story.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 197
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
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I do nightime / low-light action photography (urban structure fire scenes)
so it's always set at f2.8 and I'm using mostly the wide end of the range.
After almost a year with my Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC MACRO I decided to purchase
the Tamron equivalent, the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2,8 XR Di II LD (IF) and do some testing.
Online reviews often give the advantage to the Tamron as the 'sharper wide open' of the two.
Well, right away you appreciate that the Sigma has a much better feel,
overall better build quality/ less 'plastic' feeling while handling.
The copy I got of the Tamron had bad front focus issues so I returned it,
I really didn't want to start doing back and forth trips to the camera store
to hopefully get a good copy so gave up on it.
The extra 1mm (x1.5) at the wide end of the Tamron was noticeable and could of been
useful but not enough to make me put aside my Sigma for it.
The Sigma on the other hand was fine right out of the box,
the sharpness is 'not bad' at 18mm/f2.8 and becomes very sharp by 20mm / f3.5.
As mentionned in a previous review, this lens often make yellows 'pop'
but the overall colours are cooler than the Tamron.
The Sigma is perhaps a little more expensive but in my opinion
is a better value than the Tamron for build quality, and unlike the the DA*16-50mm f2.8
it has no SDM to malfunction!
Michel
update, Dec 25th 2011
While my Sigma was out for calibration/adjustments, I purchased another Tamron to temporarely replace it, and got a decent copy this time, focused well and very sharp. But, after a few months in use, some build quality issues occured. The focus ring is loose and out of time with the zoom mechanism.. So now I'm back to using the Sigma while the Tamron is away.
2nd udpate, Oct. 23rd 2012,
The Tamron is long gone by now, tests proved my Sigma was just as sharp and focusses accurately thru the whole zoom range.
Tamron build quality and inconsistency focus (FF/BF) was just not up to par.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2008 Location: Mölnlycke Posts: 98 | | Review Date: December 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $570.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, "macro" ability, a lot of bang for the buck | | Cons: | Bokeh, CA | |
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.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 317 | | Review Date: October 6, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $268.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Marco Features, Good Price. | | Cons: | Hunts AF A LOT!, Bokeh is not a prime, Seriously Bad Low Light Performance. | |
Its a pretty decent lens if you can get your hands on a good sharp copy; which I have. The AF is decent but it does like to hunt around a lot (it doesn't get a strong lock and stay there). My friend had a very good Pentax 16-50 copy that produced much better images however. It will confuse a Pentax flash in terms of exposer; look out for that.
If you are looking anything in low light, avoid this like the plague. It simply just doesn't function under low light conditions. Its a cheap starter lens, something nice to start out on before you move on to something more expensive/better.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 176 | | Review Date: January 16, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $419.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness | | Cons: | Bokeh | |
This was my first upgrade from the kit lens on my k100d.
Obviously a 2.8 lens is going to be much heavier than the kit, and it was quite imbalanced on my k100d.
I later upgraded to a k20d with grip, and it was a nice fit for that body.
After buying a 50-135, I loved SDM and weather sealing so much, I bought a 16-50 and sold my Sigma.
Compared to the DA* 16-50:
I feel the sharpness is the same.
The Pentax has better bokeh.
The Sigma's colors seem much "cooler"
This is not a bad lens at all, I just prefer SDM, weather sealing, and the lack of focusing noise with the Pentax.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: October, 2007 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 78
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 11, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $399.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | solid build, excellent color, high contrast even w/o hood | | Cons: | weight, contrasty, slightly soft wide open, purple fringing in high contrast situations | |
I've had my copy for 2 1/2 years now and love it just as much now as I did when I got it. I bought it as a replacement for the kit lens and, wow, what a difference. In no particular order I will run down what I feel are qualities to consider.
The colors are rich, but of a different hue than Pentax. (In certain light, the view through the viewfinder takes on a browner tone, like a CPL is attached.)
The images come out very contrasty --- your preference determines if that is good or bad. In my case, auto modes tend to really underexpose with this lens.
Has 7 aperture blades
and close-focusing ability (the "macro" in its name).
Can make some ridiculously OOF bokeh with the right setup.
f4.0 at 29mm
Natural color setting, all sliders at 0.
(Originally taken in B&W mode, bokeh areas almost impossible to make out.)
Also, my copy was -- to me -- somewhat soft wide-open, but not terribly so. YMMV.
f2.8 at 50mm, close focus circumstances
Natural color setting, all sliders at 0.
It is relatively heavy compared to the kit lens -- something like 1lb.
72mm filter thread. Big.
All in all, I would definitely recommend the lens to someone looking to replace or upgrade from the kit lens.
2-days-later edit:
Hilarious. I finally get around to reviewing -- and even praising -- this lens, then today I hear rattling inside the lens and I can't "zoom" past 35mm. When I finally do, I can't zoom out from 50mm. Some part of the "teeth" inside broke. Make sure you send in your extended warranty card if available to you!
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Shoreline CT Posts: 86 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2009 Location: Wandering the Streets Posts: 1,411 | | Review Date: December 21, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fast zoom, great IQ, solid build, good autofocus | | Cons: | Very slight yellow tint to the pictures | |
About a week after getting this lens I sold my Pentax kit zoom to prevent it from gathering dust in the closet. This lens has become my number 1 walk around lens and it is with me all the time, even if it isn't actually on my K200d. I love the constant aperture and, even if I don't always need it, it is nice to know that I have f/2.8 when it is necessary. Now that the kit lens is gone I'm beginning to wonder if I actually need my primes in this focal range. I certainly haven't needed them in the last month.
The pictures I get are sharp and clear and I've found that the extra weight makes it easier to get good handheld shots at lower shutter speeds then I could with my old 18-55. This lens is solid and built like a tank. It does not have HSM but the focus is quick and spot on, even in relatively low light situations inside the house.
Sigma calls this a macro but, at 1:3, it really isn't a macro. However, for a walk-around zoom, it does give some very nice close-focus shots. This justs adds to the versatility of this fine zoom.
For some reason I have noticed that this lens seems to give my pictures a very slight yellowish hue, but it is very easy to take care of in PP. I rated this lens a 9 but I would easily rate it a 9.5 if I could, deducting only for that very slight color change in my pictures.
There are a lot of good options in this category but this Sigma is near the top in my opinion.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2009 Location: Slough, UK Posts: 1 | | Review Date: September 29, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Razor sharp image | | Cons: | - | |
I purchased this lens 48 hrs ago for my K200D. The images so far have been impressive. It is wonderful for indoor shots such as portraits and outdoor shots (macro). It can cover some good wide shots too.
Considering the amount of money which I have spent on this lens, I guess it is worth it. | | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 180 | | Review Date: September 5, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp pictures | Nice weight and feel | F2.8 constant | Fast AF | | Cons: | CA at 18-22mm but only noticeable if you pixel peep | |
I bought this lens not long after purchasing my Pentax K10D. Immediately I was impressed with the performance of this lens especially considering the price (and the alternatives).
I cannot believe how close you can get to your subject with this lens and still take a crystal clear shot.
There is slight CA at the 18-22mm range especially with high contrast situations and this would be my only complaint about this lens.
f2.8 is a little bit on the soft side but from f5.6 onwards it is razor sharp. f8 seems to be the optimum aperture.
I have had this lens over 18 months now and it has been my primary walk about lens. In fact, it's spent most of it's time permanently attached to the K10D.
Highly recommend it for the money, especially considering IQ and build quality.
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2009 Location: Oxford, MS Posts: 1 | | Review Date: June 29, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $425.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Unbelievably sharp, fast auto-focus, bokeh great! Appears sharp throughout entire range. | | Cons: | Cap falls off at times. Heavier than kit lense | |
Purchased the Sigma due to cost savings over other "fast" short zooms on the market. Surprised at the quality and overall "quality" feel of the lens. I found it to be sharp throughout the entire range with no apparent vignetting when wide open. This lens, along with a good quality polarizer and ND filter, has become my primary "scenic" lens. I have had no problems on my K200D, K10D, and lately my K20D. Highly recommend!
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: November, 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 188 | | Review Date: January 15, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $459.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Constant F2.8, good range, sharp all the way down to 2.8, non-slippery finish, non-rotating front, 4yrs warranty | | Cons: | heavier and bigger than kit lens, terrible back cap | |
The lens balances well with K10D. Has wide zoom ring and adequate manual focusing ring. Both rings are rubberized and have ribs. My copy was good (got lucky again  ), but I hear that in case of problems Sigma most of the times sends a new lens as oppose to fixing and sending it back (I wonder what do they do with the fixed ones  ).
Sharpness is very good , but not quite like a prime lens. The good thing is that sharpness is constant all the way to wide open (I haven't tested it at smallest opening).
Not having to worry about how close are you to the subject is very nice.
Considering problems with both Pentax own walk-around fast zooms, this one is hard to beat. EX series Sigmas are built solidly and Sigma is said to have good service record. | | |
