nitsch
8th of April 2005 (Fri), 15:24
Some of you may have read my recent post about me trying to find a good walkabout lens. I read some good things about the Sigma 18-125mm lens so decided I had read enough and got hold of a copy to try out. I also managed to get hold of a copy of a Canon 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM for comparison purposes.
In case anyone is interested here is a summary of my thoughts on the two lenses (on a 300D).
Cost: By the time you have bought the hood for the Canon (hood is included with the Sigma) they are virtually the same.
Size & Weight: They are almost identical in these areas.
Impressions on Quality: The Sigma is surprisingly solid, I think it looks cheap when you see it in the flesh but when you pick it up you get a nice surprise at how sturdy it really is. The zoom ring is nice and tight but I felt the focus ring was a little too loose for my liking. There is no FTM focusing. Focusing is VERY noisy (much noisier than the kit lens).
The Canon looks nice and feels good and solid. I love the feel of the zoom and focusing rings (its a bit narrow though) and FTM focus is cool. The Canon is so quiet at focusing at first I thought it wasn't working LOL! Looking at them side by side I much prefer the Canon.
AF Performance: The Sigma focuses about as quickly as the Canon (they are both pretty speedy I thought) and performs well even in low light (I haven't experienced the hunting some reviews mention), however it is really noisy. I did some basic focus accuracy tests and both seem to focus pretty much spot on, no front focusing problems with this copy of the Sigma.
Image quality: Sharpness is where the Sigma surprised me, I think it is actually a little bit sharper than the Canon, even wide open. I tested the Canon first and was quite impressed so it was a bit of a surprise when I tested the Sigma. The Sigma does become a bit soft at 125mm though, but I have nothing to compare it to at that focal length. Sadly, it's not all happy news, the Sigma suffers from vignetting quite badly. I downloaded the PTLens plugin for photoshop and this deals with it quite effectively - but I really don't want to have to do this on all my shots - I was very dissapointed with this aspect of the Sigmas performance.:(
Conclusion: It pains me to say this because I really wanted to like the Sigma, but its going back into its box and being returned. I love the wide angle to telephoto range and the sharpness of the images, but I just can't live with that vignetting, the noise of the zoom, or the "cheapness" of how it looks. On the other hand, I find myself warming to the Canon in a big way. I had originally decided that 28mm wasn't wide enough for a walkaround lens so I hadn't considered it seriously, but I find now that I really like it and of course I can still use my kit lens when I desperately need something a bit wider. I might just buy one of these. :)
Hope someone out there finds this of interest.
Cheers,
Nick
In case anyone is interested here is a summary of my thoughts on the two lenses (on a 300D).
Cost: By the time you have bought the hood for the Canon (hood is included with the Sigma) they are virtually the same.
Size & Weight: They are almost identical in these areas.
Impressions on Quality: The Sigma is surprisingly solid, I think it looks cheap when you see it in the flesh but when you pick it up you get a nice surprise at how sturdy it really is. The zoom ring is nice and tight but I felt the focus ring was a little too loose for my liking. There is no FTM focusing. Focusing is VERY noisy (much noisier than the kit lens).
The Canon looks nice and feels good and solid. I love the feel of the zoom and focusing rings (its a bit narrow though) and FTM focus is cool. The Canon is so quiet at focusing at first I thought it wasn't working LOL! Looking at them side by side I much prefer the Canon.
AF Performance: The Sigma focuses about as quickly as the Canon (they are both pretty speedy I thought) and performs well even in low light (I haven't experienced the hunting some reviews mention), however it is really noisy. I did some basic focus accuracy tests and both seem to focus pretty much spot on, no front focusing problems with this copy of the Sigma.
Image quality: Sharpness is where the Sigma surprised me, I think it is actually a little bit sharper than the Canon, even wide open. I tested the Canon first and was quite impressed so it was a bit of a surprise when I tested the Sigma. The Sigma does become a bit soft at 125mm though, but I have nothing to compare it to at that focal length. Sadly, it's not all happy news, the Sigma suffers from vignetting quite badly. I downloaded the PTLens plugin for photoshop and this deals with it quite effectively - but I really don't want to have to do this on all my shots - I was very dissapointed with this aspect of the Sigmas performance.:(
Conclusion: It pains me to say this because I really wanted to like the Sigma, but its going back into its box and being returned. I love the wide angle to telephoto range and the sharpness of the images, but I just can't live with that vignetting, the noise of the zoom, or the "cheapness" of how it looks. On the other hand, I find myself warming to the Canon in a big way. I had originally decided that 28mm wasn't wide enough for a walkaround lens so I hadn't considered it seriously, but I find now that I really like it and of course I can still use my kit lens when I desperately need something a bit wider. I might just buy one of these. :)
Hope someone out there finds this of interest.
Cheers,
Nick