Photography Reviews

Photography Equipment Review—The Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 EX OS Zoom Lens, Part 2

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In Part 1 of this PhotographyTalk.com article, the 70–200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM was revealed to be a rather good zoom lens, with its first-of-its-kind optical stabilization system. Plus, it is a cost-effective alternative for Sony and Pentax camera owners. They can acquire this type of “advanced” lens for substantially less than its more expensive Canon and Nikon counterparts. Part 2 details a few additional features of the lens and some minor issues.

Sharpness

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Sigma lens’s sharpness doesn’t match the latest Canon and Nikon 70–200mm f/2.8 lenses. That’s a function of the cost difference. The Sigma is remarkably sharp at the center, even at its widest aperture; but investigate the corners of the frame carefully and you’ll find softness and low contrast. It’s only at the mid-range apertures, f/5.6–f/8, that images become sharp in all portions of the frame.

Nikon D600 | Nikon D7100  | Nikon D800 | Canon 5D Mark III | Nikon D5200 | Canon 1D X

Auto-Focus

A significant feature of the new Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 zoom lens is that HSM acronym, or HyperSonic Motor. It is the ultrasonic driver of the auto-focus system, so the HSM is very quiet and smooth. Third-party testing has verified that the system is quick and precise during most common shooting conditions and doesn’t make any focusing mistakes. Plus, the AF is able to track speeding objects at 7 frames per second and capture excellent images in focus. Most of these values were achieved with pro-level cameras, so don’t expect a “budget” DSLR paired with the Sigma 70–200mm necessarily to match these results.

Angle of View During Focusing

The Sigma lens does come very close to the Nikon 70–200mm f/2.8 VR II lens in providing a wider angle of view at close focus. The minimum is approximately 1.1x larger in each direction, which translates to an effective focal length in the 180mm-at-4m range. Although the maximum magnification of 0.13x is acceptable, it’s still a bit too low at this price point. Unfortunately, Sigma didn’t fix a close-focusing problem that was evident on its older lens. Some images suffer from strong color fringing and focus shifts when you stop down with either the older or newer lens.

Other Minor Issues

Although Sigma includes a depth-of-field scale on the 70–200mm f/2.8 zoom lens, it’s only practical use is at 70mm; even then the scale is extremely imprecise and of virtually no value close to a subject/object.
The lens hood comes with an extender, primarily to give owners of APS-C-format DSLRs more shading. It appears to require more effort than it is worth to use it. In addition, a better design would have it locked on the lens, instead of it often being trapped inside the hood.

Upside of the Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 OS HSM Zoom Lens

  • Very sharp across the frame when stopped down.
  • Minimal color fringing/chromatic aberration of any kind.
  • Fast, silent and accurate auto-focus, with manual override.
  • Very effective image stabilization.
  • Adequate build quality.
  • Tripod mount of superior design; quickly and easily removed with the lens on the camera.

Downside of the Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 OS HSM Zoom Lens

  • Noticeable softness and low contrast at f/2.8 towards the edges, especially on full-frame cameras.
  • Can produce harsh rendition of backgrounds not in focus at longer focus distances.
  • No focus-limiter switch.
  • No weather sealing.
  • Flare can occur with direct light sources in or close to the frame.
  • Unable to operate front-positioned zoom ring when hood is reversed.
  • Depth-of-field scale inaccurate at close focus distances.

Considering how much more the Canon and Nikon lenses of this same focal length and features cost, the Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 OS HSM zoom is both a good buy and an above-average lens. Depending on the kind of photography you’ll take with this lens, some of the missing features may cause you to cross it from your list of lenses under consideration. Otherwise, Sigma’s lens should remain on the lists of most lens buyers in this price range and be positioned at or near the top.

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