Sigma 583306 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC HSM Optical Stabilized lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras with APS-C Sensors

This lense is, in a word, incredible. For a fraction of the price of an L range lense, you get beautiful, crisp, vibrant shots. The stabilization is second to none in my experience. The zoom is fairly smooth (not L smooth, as that is a luxury you well and truly pay for), the lens itself is very quiet and easy to use. The zoom and focus to go in the opposite direction of what I'm used to but I have gotten use to it so quickly that I don't think about it. I am by no means a professional, I am an enthusiastic amateur with enough knowledge to get by. I have had the standard 18-55 kit lens and the 'Nifty 50' lens too, but since buying this lens, I don't even carry them around with me anymore. It's simply the best lens for all round shooting I could hope for. It is heavy, be warned. But I think that it makes it feel sturdy as well. The lens cap is great too. I love the idea of gripping the centre of the cap rather than the edges and risk smothering the lens. Again, if you are used to something like the 50mm 1.8 lens, then this is going to be a steep learning curve, but ultimately worth it. If you have the luxury of affording an L lens, then by all means, they are the best out there. But if you want something that is practically the equivalent, for a minute price, then this is the best lens. It's a brilliant all-rounder and will step up the quality of your shots ten-fold.

I must say, it worth every single penny. I've had the sigma 17-70 (brilliant lens as well) in the same time, but this one is just so much better. Insanely sharp, better contrast and colours. Actually is the sharpest lens I have at the moment. Used on a 70D I found it the perfect lens for day by day use and the constant f2.8 plus the image stabilisation makes it a nice lens for indoors photography. I am still using the 50 f1.8 for portrait but I took some nice ones with this sigma as well. If you are planning to do video (I do occasionally), well... Not The Best I'm afraid. On a 70d or 100d body, the focus during video is pretty loud and a bit heratic. I would definitely go for an STM lens for video. Canon 18-135 IS STM is the best I've used so far for video. But for still photography is probably the best lens you can put on crop sensor body. Some people will probably say that you can't beat an L lens from Canon, but.... Try it first. You might be surprised, as I was. I hope this helped. Have a nice day.

From the lenses I used as standard zoom lenses, this is the one I like most and I am satisfied with. It does loose from sharpness when you get to corners, but most lenses have this in this conditions. Optical Stabilizer works fine and is a welcome add on. Colors are warm, specific sigma. The issue with hood being lose and easily unmounting as others have described in reviews, is not present any longer - or at least on my lens. My sample is bought from amazon in Q1 of 2013. I'm not sure which lot/suit is from to know when was produced but seems like Sigma fixed this tiny detail reported at lenses sold initially when model was released. Amazon services on time as always - I ordered next day delivery and got sms confirmation of delivery. Will upload few photos for you to see some samples.

This is a good quality, fast lens that I use primarily for video work (occasionally photography) so my review is based on this, paired with a Canon 700D. The lens has quickly become my 'daily driver' over the Tamron lenses (with a similar spec sheet) that they replace, for a number of reasons. 1. Image quality: this lens is noticeably sharper than the Tamron f/2.8 aspherical lens especially at lower apertures. f/2.8 is sometimes a struggle as focusing becomes a challenge, but shooting at f/3.2 to f/4 has been great, with no focus issues. 2. Build quality: The lens is heavier, but has a higher quality feel to it, with the optics also being larger than the Tamron. At the same price range I wasn't expecting this, but It's impressed me. 3. Stabilisation: The optical image stabilisation makes handheld/gimbal and tripod shots clearer and smoother. Even when used with a tripod the motion for close up moving shots is smoother and is more forgiving if I knock the lens slightly. A couple of things to bear in mind when buying this (or DSLR lenses for video work). Focus throw is very short, especially at f/4 and below, meaning a slight tweak to the focus dial can easily throw your focus out. Using a higher f-stop makes things easier. The aperture isn't de-clicked, standard with photography lenses. Not an issue for the work I do. Overall and after a few shoots, indoors and outdoors I've been really impressed with this lens at this price point. We'd buy again if we intend to stick with APS-C cameras. Thanks Sigma!

I bought the lens as a replacement for my 18-55mm kit lens which came with my EOS 550D. This was after deciding what sort of spec I wanted, reading a few reviews, and realising that reviews for this lens were generally as good as the equivalent Canon which costs about £260 more. The lens has good build quality and comes with a lens hood and a zip-up case. Some reviews suggest that the lens hood tended to fall off: but I thought the fitting was good and positive. Mine never fell off in use. At first use the lens seems really heavy, and the zoom ring turns the other way to canon lenses - but I soon got used to this. Focus is fast and quiet, and the image stabilisation seems to work OK. I only had the lens for a couple of days, and didn't get a chance to experiment before we went away on holiday: during which the lens was hardly off the camera. My issues with the lens started when we came home, and I started to examine the photos on a PC. I am not a professional photographer, nor a gifted amateur, I don't spend ages reading about photography, and I'm not sure of all the terminology: but I think I do know a quality image. The images with this lens are pleasing with great contrast, brilliant faithful colours, even brightness right to the edges: but they are all oh so soft. I thought maybe it was a focus issue, so I examined closely a lot of the images I had taken. A few taken in bright sunlight at f18 or f22 and ISO 100 or 200 should have had at least some areas in sharp focus. So I don't think it is a simple focus problem. Others at f2.8 had the same degree of softness. I thought it was me being fussy: but I looked at some images that I had taken with my canon 55-250 f4-5.6 zoom which, in comparison are pin-sharp. So now I feel wholly disappointed in this lens. For the price it should make me feel good about the images. But now I know they are all so soft, and the lens is going back to Amazon. Now I have spent time reading many reviews of this lens, and there are suggestions that some copies do have softness problems. I can't justify the extra £260 easily for the Canon: so when I get the refund I will probably order another copy of the Sigma and start again. In summary, I think this ought to be a great lens: if you get a good one. I'll update or rewrite a review when I get another copy.

This is a fantastic lens to replace standard kit lenses, the image quality is significantly improves and with a wide aperture across the zoom range images are light with little or no discernible vignetting. The autofocus is fast and responsive although it doesn't have full time manual override, so if you are using the autofocus the front focussing ring locks, not a deal breaker but manual override can be useful. I have been adding Sigma lenses to my kit for some time now and I cannot fault them, this lens included. The quality of build and imaging are in my opinion up there with the Canon redline professional range but for a fraction of the cost. A very worthwhile investment for any photographer.

I purchased this lens due to my kit lens being old and not working anymore, i thought this would be a good upgrade too. The delivery was good and just a few days before my holiday where i will need it for. I have just received the item today and I first noticed the sigma box within the packaging box was worn and damaged. As I brought the lens out I could hear something rolling around inside the lens, maybe this is normal but it sounds like loose parts inside. However the main point to this review is the fact that it doesn't work. The lens is set to autofocus but will not focus correctly at all through the viewfinder. However if I focus looking through the screen it does focus but slowly. I hope there is a solution to this otherwise I won't have a working lens now for my holiday.

Bought this as a secondhand item.for a reduced price. The condition was excellent. Fully boxed and as new. The lens is brilliant. Super sharp even wide open at f2.8. I bought this as an upgrade to my canon 18-55mm kit lens and wow. What an upgrade! The sigma is heavier and larger than the canon but I quite like that feeling of extra weight. I'm a little disappointed with the focus ring that moves when acquiring focus which is a little old fashioned but overall I am very happy with the lens. Great value (even at full price) and would definitely recommend. The seller was great. Good communication through and the item was as described. Excellent all round. If you're looking for an upgrade to your kit lens for less than £300 get this!

Ein sehr guter Standardzoom mit durchgängiger Lichtstärke f/2.8 und einem Bildstabilisator für APS-C-Kameras wie der 70D oder auch den dreistelligen Canons, z.B. 700D, 750D etc. und ist damit NICHT für Vollformat-Kameras geeignet. Äußerlich gibt es keinen Grund zur Kritik. Das Bajonett schließt gut ab (das Objektiv ist nicht spritzwasser- oder staubgeschützt), der Zoom-Ring läuft problemlos, der Fokus-Ring ist jedoch nicht gedämpft und bietet nur einen sehr kurzen Weg womit manuelles Einstellen zur Geduldsprobe wird. Es gibt einen Lock-Schalter gegen unbeabsichtigtes Ausfahren des Tubus. Zwei Schalter: jeweils zum Aus/Einschalten des AF bzw. des Bildstabilisators. Das Design stammt noch aus der Zeit vor Sigmas "Global Vision" Design, daher passt es mit goldener Schrift und goldenem Ring - Eigenschaften der "EX" Serie - eher zu Nikon. Lediglich im ausgeschalteten Zustand klackert das Objektiv im Inneren bei leichter Bewegung schon bedenklich. Ich vermute, dass das Stabilisator-Element keine Parkposition kennt und daher im stromlosen Betrieb lose ist. Das hört sich tatsächlich im ersten Moment nach einem defekten Objektiv an, scheint aber normal zu sein. Prüfen kann man es nur insofern, als dass das Klackern aufhört, sobald das Objektiv an der Kamera montiert und diese eingeschaltet und auch aktiv ist. Altmodisch finde ich den Zoom-Ring, der sich manuell nur dann bewegen lässt, wenn der AF ausgeschaltet ist. Schlimmer ist jedoch, dass dieser Ring sich beim fokussieren mitdreht, und da das Objektiv eigentlich angenehm kurz ist, quittiert der Ultraschall-Motor Blockaden des Fokus-Rings z.B. durch Finger beim halten mit einem hohen pfeifen. Das Objektiv bietet also keinen Full-Time-Manual-Fokus wie alle Objektive von Canon mit USM- oder auch STM-Antrieb. Das sind jedoch die einzigen Kritikpunkte, die ich habe. Andererseits ist die Bildqualität absolut in Ordnung, lediglich zum Rand lässt sie nach, insbesondere bei Offenblende. Dennoch kann man auch bei f/2.8 sehr gute Fotos machen, solange bildwichtige Elemente eben nicht am Rand positioniert werden. Mein Exemplar war richtig eingestellt, getestet im Feld, mit Charts sowie später mit Reikan Focal Pro. Einen Vergleich zum Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II VC kann ich nicht machen, jedoch bewog mich der schnellere und vor allem leisere Ultraschall-Motor des Sigmas eben zum Sigma. Im Vergleich zum Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM "Art" schneidet das 18-35 in allen Punkten besser ab (Haptik spitze, 1 1/3 Blenden lichtstärker, Bildqualität exzellent, Full-Time-Manual-Fokus), bietet aber keinen Bildstabilisator, hat einen kleineren Brennweitenbereich, wiegt deutlich mehr, ist größer, und kostet über das doppelte. Ich verwende beide Objektive gerne je nach Situation, es sticht also meiner Meinung nach nicht eines das andere aus. Das 17-50 ist ein wunderbares Immerdrauf, das 18-35 ist schon eher ein Spezialist, wenn es um Freistellung oder Available Light Situationen geht. Unterm Strich bin ich mit diesem Objektiv äußerst zufrieden und an die beiden Kritikpunkte (Klackern des OS im stromlosen Zustand und kein Full-Time-Manual-Fokusring) gewöhnt man sich. Im APS-C Bereich kann man mit diesem Objektiv für etwas über 300€ einen lichtstarken Standard-Zoom erwerben, der sich sehen lassen kann. Definitiv eine Kaufempfehlung mit 5 Sternen. Wichtig: Sigma bietet eine Verlängerung der Garantie auf drei Jahre an, sofern das Objektiv von Sigma Deutschland "in Verkehr gebracht" wurde. Bei meinem Exemplar, das ich über Amazon erhielt ("verkauft und versand durch Amazon"), war das NICHT möglich; vermutlich auch, weil das Objektiv zwar aus der EU, aber eben nicht von Sigma Deutschland stammte. Ob man an dieser Stelle auf Amazon oder Sigma schimpfen soll, überlasse ich dem Leser. Interessanterweise ist es Tamron bzgl. seiner 5-Jahres-Garantie hingegen egal, aus welchem Teil der EU ein Objektiv stammt. Wer daher auf die 3 Jahre Garantieverlängerung von Sigma Wert legt, einfach innerhalb der 30-Tage Rückgaberecht bei Sigma telefonisch die Nummer prüfen lassen und im Problemfall das Objektiv zurücksenden - oder mit nur einem Jahr Garantie leben. Update 25.02.2020: nach knapp 4 Jahren kann ich sagen, dass das Objektiv noch immer sehr gut funktioniert und mich bisher nicht im Stich gelassen hat. Es klingt ausgeschaltet immer noch nach "Cola-Dose", aber der Fokus trifft nach wie vor zuverlässig und der Zoom-Ring lässt sich gut drehen (noch immer an der gleichen Canon 70D wie beim Kauf). Von daher eine gute und günstige Alternative zu Canon-APSC-Objektiven in diesem Zoombereich und mit gleicher, durchgängiger Lichtstärke von f2.8.

Still waiting for my new camera body so I'm not able to test the features such as image quality and AF speed before I write this review. But I will just talk about the service I received from the seller and the build quality of the actual lens delivered to me. First, the shipping is amazingly fast! It took just seven days from the lens shipped from Japan to it was delivered to me in Canada (shipped two days after order placed), while Amazon gave an estimated delivery time of one and a half month! Great seller and shipping! So, here's the lens I received. The lens's is brand new and the box nicely wrapped with bubbles to protect it from damage. The box contains the user guide, warranty and the actual lens (with lens hood) contained in the sigma lens bag specially designed for this 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD lens. The lens looks nice and tough, although made of plastic. The outstanding gold ring, which is the symbol of Sigma EX class lens, gives it the feeling of professional, and the large front glass (77mm filter size) looks handsome as well. A good news of this lens is that Sigma has already changed its old skin-feel lens coating (complained to drop easily) to the new coating, and the problem that lens hood being too loose on some old versions of this lens has been fixed. Now comes to the rings and switches. The zoom ring is designed with a good feeling with smooth zooming operations. However, this does not mean that you can enjoy zooming with this lens: the zoom ring is relatively tight compared to original Canon lenses. Same thing appears on many other Sigma lenses. It is not a problem, but it does impact users' experience using this lens. So I will remove 2 marks out of 100 from here. Focus ring is fairly smooth when focusing manually, and is not so tight as zoom ring, which is good. The AF is driven by an HSM motor, which provide fast and quiet auto focusing. It is easy to see from the focus ring that it only covers less than 45 dgrees to focus from minimum distance to infinity. And as I said I don't have my new camera body here so I can't test whether it is quiet with auto focusing, but I guess it can be very fast. One thing that disappointed me is that although an HSM is installed, the lens doesn't employ full-time manual focusing, which means you can't turn the ring to change focus status while AF is on. I will take 5 marks from here. The lens has an AF-MF switch and an OS ON-OFF switch, and they work well. There's another switch beside the zoom ring, saying "lock" on it. In many other reviews it was called the "zooming lock", which I would disagree, because this switch can only be used at the 17mm point, and protect the inner tube of the lens from coming out when travelling. It cannot be locked at any other focal lengths, nor can it keep the lens in a fixed focal length when shooting, so personally I regard this switch as not quite necessary. 2 marks taken from here. One of the biggest issue that other reviewers talked about this lens is the cracking noise when you shake it. I guess that must be part of the Optical Stablizer. I don't think it's a big problem. Nobody shake the lens when shooting anyway. So I only take 2 marks here. Overall the lens results 89% in build quality, which still reaches a five-star. If you would like to know the image quality of this lens you can refer to other reviewers' writings, and I look to test it as soon as possible.

Me encantó, muy práctico para foto y video. La apertura a 2.8 se preserva en todo el rango de Zoom, por lo que es una muy buena adquisición, así te evitas comprar otros lentes como el 24, 35 o 40 mm que son 2.8. Tiene estabilización óptica, por lo que es ideal para vídeo. La única desventaja es que solo es para sensores recortados, así que si cambias a full frame habrá que cambiar de lente.

This is a very versatile lens with low and fixed aperture, the seller is excellent and very professional they take care of every detail till the lens reaches you.

After purchasing this lens I had to join the chorus of praise heaped on it. I had all the intentions of getting the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS to go with my new Canon EOS 60D . However the recent January-March price drop of $60 sealed the deal. I figured it was worth the gamble, or as I've often seen it referred to "the Sigma lottery". The reviews on this lens have been in for a long time, and most of them are quite positive. Some even rate this lens better than the venerable Canon EF-S 17-55. However, there is also the black cloud that seems to hang over Sigma's head - that of variable quality control. You'll see the bitter reviews of folks with bad experiences right here. If you hang around the camera forums, this can get to be even more depressing. People going through all kinds of tests for their lenses, constantly trading them back in for better copies. Or, claiming after going through 2 or three or five copies finally giving up. The brand that usually seems to pop up most often is Sigma. Perhaps because they (more than others) have a range of lenses that go toe-to-toe with the big boys. In some cases they're just as pricey as Canon or Nikkor. The 17-50 is claimed by some to be as sharp, and even sharper than the 17-55 at above f4. For almost half the price I figured it was worth a shot, and this seems to be one of those rare cases where I really feel I got my monies worth. There are some trade-offs in features, but not quality. One thing I'll mention right away that I've seen mentioned elsewhere, and that's a "rattling" noise the OS makes when you shake the lens. Now, it never occurred to me to shake my lens. But I guess I'm odd that way! So, now than I finally have the thing I shook it. You know what? I don't hear it. I mean, I can hear a bit of movement, but nothing like my EF-S 17-85 for instance. Take that for what it's worth! I decided to first test the lens on my "I know how it works and I know it's working" XTi Rebel. The first shots looked promising, and further tests showed it to be sharper than many reviews I've seen. I've posted a photo of the lens center and extreme corner at 17mm f2.8, where the lens is purported to be at its worst. It only gets better from there! After pairing to my 60D, well, keep reading! Fit and finish: This new Sigma no longer uses their matt crinkle sort of rubberized finish. While I liked the old finish, it showed marks, collected dirt and is very hard to clean. The new matt finish is smooth and nice, perhaps nicer than the speckled finish of the Canon EF-S series. The lens feels as of-a-piece, there's not a hollow spot or loose fitting anything anywhere. One complaint I see popping up regards the lens hood fit. At first I was all there with the "it barely hangs on" thing. Jeez, what's up with that? Oh. Duh. You rotate it a bit harder and it snaps in place. A firm "click". Nice. It's not going anywhere. This is very different from past Sigmas and the Canon EF-S lens hoods, which while nicely finished are still flimsy and don't fit all that great. The interior is not ribbed like old Sigmas, nor flocked like Canons, just a simple matte finish. At least it didn't cost $35! Other than that you'll find a zoom lock, AF/Manual and OS On/Off switches. One bizarre characteristic can be seen when viewing the mount and back element. If you zoom the lens out and the element travels inward, the camera's electronics are exposed! I found this weird enough to check my other lenses, and no, this is unique. I guess just don't check it out in a rainstorm and you're good to go. My final comment is that there is no distance scale window (just a distance scale on the barrel), an obvious price cutting issue. I don't really use the scale for a lens this size, but miss the little jewel like window all the same. Function: It is extremely solid and operates smoothly. The zoom is nice and smooth with a good amount of equal resistance in both directions. There is zero creep, and even still there's a zoom lock. This can't be said for the EF-S 17-55. The biggest issue I've got as others have mentioned is the overly thin rotating focus ring and short focus rotation of about 45 degrees (!) with hard stop. This is not a big issue for me in still photography, but it seems this could be a problem with video and somebody as ham-fisted as I am. The feel of the focus ring while smooth offers almost no resistance. In comparison, my other lenses are far superior in feel. Again if manual focus is a priority then this should be a consideration. The switches are a huge improvement over some past Sigmas, and each snaps quickly and firmly with identical feels. The zoom lock is quite small and there's no chance of accidentally hitting it, but it's large enough and has a positive enough feel to find and engage with confidence. Performance: The AF is fast, as fast as any lens I've got. Perhaps it's so fast because of the short focus ring distance? It's not at all noisy. No hunting, no hesitation. Even in low contrast conditions it's just bang on. Considering the horror stories I've heard about the AF, this is another one for the mystery files. OS is another thing - while I've got a pretty steady hand (at certain times of the day, depending on barometric pressure and planet alignment) I'll assume it's doing its job. All the low-light shots with slow shutter speeds I've taken look great - consistent down to 1/10. 1/6 not so much. They claim 4 stops worth so I'll assume it's 3 and call it good! The OS is not at all noisy either, it was enough to concern me at first! I had to put my ear up to it and depress the shutter to confirm its operation when I first started. Summary, AF and OS are everything they should be and more. IQ: It's incredibly sharp across the board. At 17mm and f2.8 is tack sharp center, with a slight softening in the corners - and I do mean slight. at 28mm and above it's mind-boggling. Seriously, I simply can't believe how sharp this thing is wide open. I'd have to say if there's a sweet spot it's around 5.6, but it really is wonderful up to about f/11. Typically, pixel peeping at 100% can be a depressing thing on a Canon APS-C camera. Now I just giggle! Vignetting is quite apparent at the shortest focal length as would be expected, but very evenly gradated. CA is evident in extreme corners at all ranges, most notably distant high contrast objects. On my copy it only seems to be red fringing towards the outside, highly controllable in PP. Barrel distortion is pronounced at 17mm both vertically and horizontally. In comparison, my Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 has almost no vertical distortion at 10mm. Distortion is pretty much gone by around 24 up. Really nothing unusual for this type of lens. I've actually found my distortion problems go away after owning a lens for a few weeks anyway! Why? I tend to stop shooting brick walls and start shooting other things instead. Of course, the vignetting and distortion are easily fixed as is CA using Lightroom, Photoshop, DxO or a host of other applications. Contrast is another place this lens really shines, as what I would expect from an L series lens. Colors are deep and rich if slightly on the warm side. Flare seems well controlled, I've shot pretty much into the sun with no issues. Bokeh? Meh. It's good, pleasing actually, but nothing I'd call creamy or recommend the lens for. Bright objects do tend to have outlines, but no real fringing, odd shapes, holes or halos. You'll be able to find lots of samples both here and in reviews at lenstip dot com or photozone dot de. Pros - Great fit and finish - Excellent size and weight - Fast, accurate AF - F2.8 is better than usable! - Sharp, great contrast - Better than advertized corner sharpness - Low CA - Image Stabilization - 60% the price of the EF-S 17-55 - Comes with case - Comes with lens hood - Center pinch and edge pinch lens cap like most "modern" lens manufacturers (hello Canon?) - Great warranty Cons - Skinny focus ring - Rotating focus ring - Manual focus turn only 45° - Focus ring hard stop - Mediocre focus ring feel and resistance - No full time manual focus - Vignetting at lower focal lengths - No distance scale window - Short focal length - Possible QC issues - Always run the risk of future EOS body incompatibility with third party lenses If you need an f2.8 type lens, I highly recommend giving Sigma a look. If you're looking to replace your kit lens, or are really only going to have 1 lens you may consider something with more of a focal length like the EF-S 15-85 f3.5-5.6. Basically in this category of lenses there are only about 4 choices. The Canon EF-S 17-55, the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP , the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 SP XR Di II VC and this. IMHO, the Tamron lenses are out of the running for either being sharp with no VC, or not sharp with VC. Tamron build quality is good but not great IMO. The Canon is top notch IQ but not top notch build, and then (are you listening Canon?) you still have to pony up for a mandatory and potentially lens-saving hood. All I can say is this is a perfect "specialized" walk-around for crop bodies as others have mentioned. For indoor shooting it's a winner. You've got f2.8 in a small well built package that's razor sharp at f4 and above. See my chart test for opinions on f2.8. When introduced this was a pricey lens and it was hard to not consider just spending the extra $200 for an EF-S 17-55. But slowly the price has come down. At its current street price of around $650, it's a deal. Buy it, test it and if you do get a defective copy, then you've been fortunate enough to buy it from Amazon, right? Send it back and get another one, it's just that easy. And speaking of easy, this one is an easy 5 stars.