Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM Optical Stabilised Telephoto Lens Nikon Fit

Product Information

Differentiating between the zoom and focus rings is easy (even with gloves on) thanks to the large space between them and the tapered slope found in the center of the substantially-sized zoom ring. Interesting is how the different minimum focus distances relate to the different maximum magnifications in this list. Regardless of the mode, if OS is switched on, the full ability of OS will be applied during image capture.

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO - Digital Cameras, Digital Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO - Digital Cameras, Digital

So the results from the test-shots are somewhat contrary to the expected performance from the MTF-charts, where the lens should perform better at 200mm than at 70mm focal length. Performance at large distances At 200mm, some softness can be seen in the closer results, but the distant results appear noticeably better.A 70-200mm lens is my most-used studio lens, working especially well for product images and many other general studio applications. Fast AF Priority seems self-explanatory and Sigma has indicated that it comes with a "... slight risk of decrease in accuracy". Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners and generally appears as a comet-like or a triangular tail of light which can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma), or toward the center of the frame (internal coma).

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports review | TechRadar

Sigma's Global Vision lenses (this is one) get a classification of "A", "C" or "S", representing a primary Sigma-intended designation of "Art", "Contemporary" and "Sports". Spherical aberration along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration, but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to look for. Rated for up to 4-stops of compensation, Sigma's OS (Optical Stabilization) adds greatly to this lens' usability versatility. This is the specific aperture required to enable the higher precision AF capabilities (most often the center AF point) in some cameras, further aiding in ideal image quality. The pictures below illustrate the focal length range from wide to telephoto, on 35mm full-frame and APS-C camera bodies:At the wide end of this range, head and shoulder portraits show a nice perspective as do any portraits captured from longer distances. The optical stabilization system is able to capture consistently blur-free handheld images at 1/30-second and the 200mm focal length. At 1/15-second it is able to remove shake from many shots, but occasionally our tests showed a result with visible motion blur. At 1/8-second I wasn't able to get a crisp handheld shot at 200mm. The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Lens has a visually attractive, very high-grade, "dust- and splash-proof" build quality that functions very well and delivers great image quality with optical stabilization aiding significantly in this regard. The points on this sample star are a bit soft and grading that result is of course subjective, but it appears decent looking.

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Review | PCMag Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Sports Review | PCMag

Distance information is relayed to the camera, so the Nikon body can do all the advanced exposure-related stuff with this lens. But this is true for all alternatives too. [+] The lenses in this series continue to impress and gain popularity – just don't limit the lens' use to its letter designation. I have also not hesitated to say that I am a fan of what Sigma is doing with the Global Vision lineup. Size (diam. x length): 86 x 198 mm (3.4×7.8 in.) compared to 87 x 206 mm (3.4 x 8.1 in.) for the Nikon. The lens-hood adds a considerable amount especially once you mount the additional APS-C extender that makes the hood more effective on bodies with APS-C or DX sensors. Mount everything on a DSLR and you’re almost at a total length of 390mm. The lens does not change length during zooming or focusing. [0] This reviewed lens showed good overall optical alignment, so the selected corners mean little aside from knowing which corner of the crop is the absolute corner of the frame.

Sharpness and contrast

A telephoto zoom is quite often the second most important lens in many photographers' camera kits (just behind a general purpose zoom lens) and the 70-200mm focal length range is ideal for a wide range of uses. That the focus ring does not smoothly transition into the barrel section in front of it seems like a missed opportunity. While it is not an inexpensive lens, when the usefulness of the 70-200 Sports lens is considered, the price tag seems very good.

Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 DG OS HSM SPORTS from CameraWorld

The focus ring is ample, occupying the front three inches or so, and has set marks at 70, 100, 135, and 200mm. The zoom is internal—there's no barrel extension or retraction as the focal length is adjusted—which is a definite plus. You're still moving quite a bit of glass around, so a good grip is required—you won't be adjusting this ring with your fingertips. On this lens, the Smooth AF Priority makes a modest, but noticeable difference, slowing AF down slightly. At 70mm f/2.8 it manages 3,817 lines on a center-weighted evaluation, a very good result, and while the edges aren't quite as crisp, they're still a strong 3,340 lines. Resolution is just shy of excellent at f/4 (3,913 lines) and levels out at f/5.6 (4,064 lines), f/8 (3,999 lines), and f/11 (4,071 lines). There's a loss of resolution starting at f/16 (3,691 lines) and continuing at the minimum f/22 aperture (3,026 lines). This is caused by diffraction, an effect that scatters light passing through a very small opening.

uses larger filters (82mm vs. 77mm) and is significantly heavier (63.5 vs. 56.3 oz, 1800 vs. 1595g w/ tripod ring). The score in the “features-department” is 0[-]/6[0]/7[+]. There are no minus-points and the big pluses are the image stabilization and the low price. The lens is even cheaper than the stabilized 70-200/4.0 zooms from Nikon and Canon! So if the lens delivers solid performance it should be a winner. Motivation Four control buttons are located ahead of the focus ring. They're placed at 90-degree increments, and their function can be set via the camera body. I set them for AF-ON when using the lens with various Nikon bodies. Weight: 1,430 g (50.4 oz.) vs. 1,540 g (3.4 lb.) of the Nikon. Together with a full frame body you’ll be schlepping 2.3kg around. [0]