Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Reviews

I bought this lens together with my new Nikon D80 instead of the more expensive kit lens two months ago. The optical quality is very good through the whole range from 17 to 70 mm if stepped down to f 5.6 or more. The peak is at about f 10. But even wide open it's quite usable at 17 mmm and surprisingly good from 24 to 70 mm. Sharpness at 50 and 70mm is almost equal to my excellent Nikkor 85mm f1.8. Distorsion at 17 mm is heavy but easy to correct. CA is average. I can highly reccomend this lens. More than 80 % of my pictures I take with this piece of glass. Examples here:

Bought this lens as an upgrade to the canon ef-s 18-55 on my 400d. Out of the box it seem very heavy in comparison to the kit lens, nice smooth focus & zoom, and a bundled hood which is always nice. Zoomed out to 70mm and the lens extends about double its size - no movement on the double barrel though. IQ seems very good so far, good sharp images, very little CA and like above, some distortion at 17mm but thats to be expected. Some vignetting at 17mm @ f2.8. Focus fast, not annoyingly loud.

This is a great general puropse lens, ideally suited as an upgrade from the kit lens. More reach, better build & image quality and (almost) macro.

This Sigma is the lens I use in most cases. Its focal length range is almost perfect and still it offers a great picture quality. There is not much to be wanted. One of my favourite lenses and a definite recommendation!

The optical quality is quite good but color aren't: like other Sigma product this lens give brownish color and undersaturated color. Compared to Tamron 17-50mm and my old Minolta lens, the color are unnatural and fade. But I like this lens for it versatility: its zoom range, its hability to focus at very small distance.

I have bought this lens to replace the kit lens. It had significantly wider coverage and offerred more speed at every focal length. For this purpose (that is, replacing a kit lens) it is very useful and it does offer better build and image quality. So, if you can spend 3-4 times the (depending on the location and the brand name of your body) money, you should not hesitate. Its quasi-macro feature is a real bonus for amateurs and the image quality of those shots are very good for a non-dedicated macro lens.

Very handy, lightweight and good quality walkaround lens. Although I would have preferred a constant aperture to a floating aperture, I've not had any problems with it even in low light conditions. Focusing is fast, smooth and almost silent, contrast and colours look good, the lens is nice and sharp, and not very expensive. Having a zoom lock is handy when using it as a walkaround lens.