Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon Digital SLR Cameras..

GET Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon Digital SLR Cameras By Sigma

Most helpful customer reviews

273 of 277 people found the following review helpful.
Very nice lens. New leader in the "walkaround" category
By GaryPen
I am very very pleased with this newest superzoom from Sigma, paired with my Canon 60D. Build quality is excellent. Image quality is sharp at both ends of the range. Focus is quick and quiet. OS works extremely well. It is light weight and compact compared to others in this category, which adds to its value as a "walkaround" lens. To top it all off, the price is outstanding for a lens with this feature set, build, and image quality. (It's ~$100 cheaper than the "comparable" Tamron, and ~$30 less than the shorter focal length Canon 18-200.)

I had used the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras for a while last year, when it was the "hot" 3rd party superzoom. But, the images looked a little soft to me, especially at the long end. Plus, I didn't care for the build quality and feel of the zoom/focus rings at all. (The Tamron is made in China, while this Sigma is made in Japan.) And, IIRC, the Tamron zoom ring operated in the opposite direction from Canon and Sigma, which wreaks havoc with one's muscle memory. The Tamron also suffered from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, has not.

I have been using the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras with my 60D until switching to this Sigma, and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras with my T2i before that. This Sigma lens focuses quicker, is much easier to hold and carry, and results in the same quality shots. It is much smaller and lighter than the canon 18-200. Yet, looks and feels as well made or arguably better than the Canon lenses. The AF/MF, OS, and lock buttons are positioned better than the Canon's. The Canon 18-200 also suffers from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, does not. The image quality is about the same, although the Sigma does show a little less CA, which is a plus.

There is an older version of this lens with an almost identical title, just not "Macro" Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon AF Digital SLR Cameras. But, it is larger, heavier, and slower to focus. However, if money is an issue, it's ~$120 cheaper than this one. So, it might be a viable option for you. But, not having used it, I cannot speak to its image quality, build, or operation. It does get mostly positive reviews, though.

I can, however, highly recommend *this* Sigma for your Canon EOS system body. Of course, it will not result in images as sharp as most prime lenses or almost any L series lens. But, I find it the best of the current crop of "walkaround" lenses available for the Canon APS-C sensor models. (It is not recommended for full-frame models.) I can almost guarantee it will rarely see any time not attached to yours, if you are like me and want a single lens for most of your everyday shots. Sure, there are plenty of situations that require that prime portrait or macro lens, or that long telephoto zoom. But, when you're at the dog park, or the kids' birthday party, or the family reunion, or tourist destination, etc, this is the lens.

137 of 138 people found the following review helpful.
Great lens - image stablization PLUS ultrasonic motor with 18-250mm range....
By P. Repage
I'm reading all the other reviews here saying to myself "are these folks really taking this much time and energy nit-picking over small reductions in image quality, or why this lens is not ACTUALLY 250mm but more like 239mm?!?"

Look at the facts - this lens is only $400 AND it's got a huge range, optical stabilization, an equivalent USM super-quiet motor, and capable of sharp, clean images!

Judge things on their own merits, not compared to lenses 6-8x the price. Some of these other reviews are actually akin to "I bought this Camaro for $35,000 and was duped into thinking it handled nearly as well as a Lamborghini Aventador at $375,000."

Will you get superior images from L-series glass? Every time. Is the auto-focus USM from Canon superior? You bet. Is the IS quieter than the OS from Sigma? Sure is. Is the low light performance of this lens inferior to the Canon counterparts at 3x the price? You know it.

BUT....

If you are on a budget AND are willing to compromise a tiny bit in each of these areas will you get a lens that comes very close to it's competitors for a GREAT DEAL LESS?! Of course!

Enough said. Get the lens, you'll be happy.

152 of 156 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome walkabout lens...thank you Sigma...
By arlen nercessian
I wanted a solid walkabout lens for my D5100 without breaking the bank. I had the option of buying the Nikon 18-300 for about $1000 or a 3rd party lens. I really did't want to invest too much in glass for a D series mount as I can see myself moving up to an F series in a couple of years. I was sick of changing lenses and lugging a lot of weight around and really wanted a zoom in this range.

After doing research online I decided to go with the Sigma (over the more expensive Nikon and competing Tamron). Their reviews were solid, and I have previously owned and been satisfied with Sigma lenses.

Here is the scoop:

Pros:
1. Fast, accurate, quiet autofocus (faster that the stock Nikon lenses which came with the camera (18-55 and 55-300).
2. Light weight, well built, well balanced, and ergonomically superb in every aspect.
3. Image quality is awesome (for a super zoom).
4. Image stabilizer does the job with at least 3 f stops improvement.
5. I love the internal manual focus mechanism, it is definitely an upgrade over basic Nikon lenses. Easy and fast to use.

Cons: The only thing I can say so far is there is lens creep. Actually more than creep. The front portions of the lens will extend halfway out while the camera is hanging from my neck. The good part is there is a very convenient lock that prevents this from happening when you are walking around. For me personally, lens creep is not an issue. I haven't bought this lens for tripod mounted macro photography. Be pretty sure that any such lens will have creep; If not right out of the box, sometime within a few months of usage. You can always send the lens back and they will tighten it, but the creep will again come back in time and warmer weather. It's just the nature of the superzoom beast....

Other tidbits:

***You will get a shadow using on camera flash even without a hood if you are shooting closeup with this (or any other wide/telephoto superzoom). Buy a SB400 Nikon flash and problem solved....

***I use a 72mm filter on this lense (even though the mount is 62mm). I like to do this because I don't get vigneting with a polarizer attached.

***The standard hood that comes with the camera is cute, but useless (as is the case with all hoods that come with superzooms). It covers you on the wideangle range but does nothing on the telephoto range. If you use the 72mm step up ring and filter trick, you can acually use a nice collapsible rubber hood that offers you more coverage (get Hoya's they make a nice one)...

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