Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 tests. is it a good copy?

Just got the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 DG MACRO lens.

Focusing is accurate. but Its soft at f/2.8. i know its common thing with any zoom lense wide open. at f/6.3 its so sharp

but other user of this lens or the experts of this forum can tell better that if its extra soft at 2.8 or is it just a fine copy?

So below are the tests with diffrent apertures @ 70mm. 100% crop, mirror locked, tripid used, but Sigma EX uv filter was on though.

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Any sharpening added? If not, looks about right.

No sharpening or no PP done, Large JPG straight out of camera.

Yeah, that looks good.

It looks greeat at f/6.3. Although f/2.8 and I'd want to make sure my copy of photoshop is working

Is that centre or corner crop? Either way it looks good to me

Looks about typical as most of these f/2.8 zooms are a little soft wide open.

You see how it sharpens up at f4 and then it gets even better at f5.6. That's how it should be. At 2.8 any zoom will be a little soft. Again, it's normal.

Mine seems to be sharpest at f/8, looks very similar to yours wide open. I think you have a keeper!

Was that bar code straight on? or was it on an angle?

and where did you focus?

Its center crop.

Yes thats right, i liked the MF ring pull/push system, hehe i didnot know about this push/pull focus ring before, and i was trying to MF without pulling the ring to MF zone. and got panic because ring was at AF zone so focus wasn't changing at all . but i quickly realized the game.

Now i like its build quality and it feels nice balanced on 350D just like you always mention.

The motor sound is diffrent than the other lenses i have. its a bit high pitch sound. cheeeeeen cheeeen instead of zoooon zooon . but the focus motor is accurate i felt and it is better then the Sigma 70-300 lens motor thats for sure.

trippinbillies40 wrote:
I think you have a keeper!

I liked that line
yes f/8 is the sharpest on this lens.

Bar code was almost straight on may be tripod was a bit higher then bar code. and The focus was right on the bar code through center AF point.

http://www.sigmaphoto.​com …s.asp?id=3261&n​avigator=2

MTF would confirm that this lens is VERY sharp at f8 in center performance, which is not unexpected. Edge performance is better at the tele end than the wide end. My best copy was sharpest at f4.5 (not f8), but VERY good even wide open.

pretty spot on compared to mine, which I love by the way. I love the EX line.....especially for the price