Sigma 18-35 1.8 vs 17-50 2.8 for general purpose lens

how would this lens perform on the rebel series? specifically the t2i

supremeguyx wrote in post #16736763
how would this lens perform on the rebel series? specifically the t2i

Its should work fine, but results will vary because each body and each lens has varying tolerances which is the main reason one person may be happy with a given body/lens combination and another is not. My copy works great on my 60D but others have said that their copy on the same body has focus issues. I just tried my copy on my T2i and there were definitely focus issues with that body, but on your specific T2i my copy or a different copy of this lens could be just fine. The tolerances of the rebel bodies may also be lower and therefore to get them to work their best with 3rd party lenses may be more of an issue. Sigma does sell a USB Dock which allow you to make focus adjustments at 4 distances and for 4 focal lengths so this might correct the issues I see with my T2i, or it might not. The other alternative is to take or send the lens and body to SIgma for calibration. The bottom line is I can't give you a definitive answer.

mwsilver wrote in post #16736227
Completely agree. I also manually focus with the aid of a Katz-Eye split prism focus screen. It's expensive and there are some caveats when using it with slower lenses but it really makes manual focusing much easier. There, of course, is also Live View which uses the sensor for focusing and is more consistent than AF through the viewfinder. Like you, I also absolutely love my 18-35!

Hi mwsilver,
Have you tested this lens with t3i. Does it work perform properly like more expensive cameras. I am also assuming that, AF will work with new canon duel pixel auto focus cameras (70d and future ones).
My options are buy 18-35 for $700 and sell 30mm 1.4 or buy sigma 17-50 ($350-Gray market) / 18-55 ($120) is stm and keep 30mm 1.4. I am leaning towards 17-50 IS which will help taking videos.
Thanks

khwaja wrote in post #16737017
Hi mwsilver,
Have you tested this lens with t3i. Does it work perform properly like more expensive cameras. I am also assuming that, AF will work with new canon duel pixel auto focus cameras (70d and future ones).
My options are buy 18-35 for $700 and sell 30mm 1.4 or buy sigma 17-50 ($350-Gray market) / 18-55 ($120) is stm and keep 30mm 1.4. I am leaning towards 17-50 IS which will help taking videos.
Thanks

Just tried it on my copy of a T3i. The results were much better than on my T2i but still not nearly as good as on the 60D. I've noticed some softness on my Rebels with others lenses especially 3rd party ones in the past. Its difficult to say how it will perform on your body.

mwsilver wrote in post #16737059
Just tried it on my copy of a T3i. The results were much better than on my T2i but still not nearly as good as on the 60D. I've noticed some softness on my Rebels with others lenses especially 3rd party ones in the past. Its difficult to say how it will perform on your body.

I was thinking about selling my 30mm
to get the 18-35. However because I have a rebel XS it is pretty outdated so I don't know how the performance would be on rebel bodies hence I asked. I've noticed on that many reviews consists of using the lens on a 60d. I've always wanted to upgrade to a 40d but I find myself wanting video although I may not use it a lot, it's nice to have. I'm nearly set on purchasing this lens however this leads back to the body, should I upgrade to a newer rebel ie t2i/t3i or a 60d. The all the rebel series are virtually the same and between the 60d and the rebels, besides the extra features and bigger in size , thry all kinda seem the same. My question is what body should I upgrade to. I really want to upgrade to a xxD because I want a bigger feel for my hands but I don't mind sticking to the rebels.

khwaja wrote in post #16735169
Did you notice any focus issues with 18-35 and 60D. Not sure if Rebels can keep up with 18-35 focus requirements. My sigma 30mm 1.4 (old) one has front focusing issue.

Was all good for me mate.
I went from the Sigma 30mm as well, and am happy with both copies.
Now, im also not the person to lie up batteries and shoot them 100 times, but in general shooting i am yet to see an issue!

Quality lens, worth every penny.

gall551 wrote in post #16737105
Was all good for me mate.
I went from the Sigma 30mm as well, and am happy with both copies.
Now, im also not the person to lie up batteries and shoot them 100 times, but in general shooting i am yet to see an issue!

Quality lens, worth every penny.

I believe he meant the 600D (Rebel T3i)

mwsilver wrote in post #16737119
I believe he meant the 600D (Rebel T3i)

I mean t3i. Thanks for the correction. Do you use this lens for any casual video shooting. Do you miss IS in this case?
Thanks

khwaja wrote in post #16737574
I mean t3i. Thanks for the correction. Do you use this lens for any casual video shooting. Do you miss IS in this case?
Thanks

I haven't used it for video yet, but I only take videos on a tripod so OS( Sigma's IS) probably won't be an issue.

I will say this about the Sigma 18-35. It misses focus on a Rebel no more frequently than my old 35L did. The latter on some shots below f/2 simply was out for lunch. I will tell you one more thing. The Sigma is staggeringly sharp wide open, sharper at f1.8 than all APS-C zoom lenses at f2.8. You are all missing one huge party by sticking to range or IS with other lenses over the Sigma. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the party. Ciao, suckas...

Abu Mahendra wrote in post #16745004
I will say this about the Sigma 18-35. It misses focus on a Rebel no more frequently than my old 35L did. The latter on some shots below f/2 simply was out for lunch. I will tell you one more thing. The Sigma is staggeringly sharp wide open, sharper at f1.8 than all APS-C zoom lenses at f2.8. You are all missing one huge party by sticking to range or IS with other lenses over the Sigma. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the party. Ciao, suckas...

Hi Abu,
Thanks for your suggestions. Your reply is little late. I already placed order for sigma 17-50. I already have 30mm 1.4 old version. Sigma 17-50 and 30mm 1.4 combo works out cheaper than 18-35 1.8 and covers more situations. Based on my photography interest and improvement, I will plan for sigma 18-35 to replace 30mm 1.4 in future.

17-50mm zooms at 2.8 are pretty similar to sigma 18-35 at 1.8. They can match with 18-35 in center even at similar aperture. Actually Canon 17-55mm is pretty close to sigma 18-35mm at similar apertures.

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=T3UfbsdfUu8

When I got my SD1 I chose the 17-70, on the grounds that it is a good zoom range, quite a wide aperture, can focus closely, and (which I thought most useful) it has Image Stabilisation (OS in Sigma-speak). I should have realised that, at the price, it could not be perfect, and it is not. For many photographers the 17-70 will be just fine. When you know it well you can use its strengths and work around its one weakness. But it is not for me.

It is a very versatile and convenient lens, but it does not achieve what I wanted from the SD1 - highly detailed images with corner to corner sharpness. And that is the only reason that I have an SD1. It is all that makes the sluggish operation (slow AF, slow write times), limited battery life and horrendous post-processing workflow tolerable. For everything else a Canon DSLR with fewer pixels, and even less captured detail, is far more convenient but still delivers good enough image quality. In fact it is more than good enough. The corner to corner sharpness from my Canon wide angle prime lenses make the 8 Mp files from my EOS 1D ii N nicer than the 15 Mp files (even with their full colour information) from the SD1 with the 17-70 f/2.8-4 DC OS HSM Macro (!!) ... at least up to A4-size prints. And from the look of those A4 prints and what I see on my monitor, they would probably print nicely at even larger sizes.

The corners in wide-angle shots from the 17-70 are not only soft, but appear to be smeared as well. The trouble is that the centre is very sharp, and the amazing centre detail captured by the Foveon sensor only accentuates the defective corners. In landscape and architecture shots it is extremely disturbing, and spoils the otherwise stunning effect of all the accurate detail elsewhere in the frame.

It is worst at the wide end. At middling apertures the problem corners are tolerable - but who buys a 17-70 zoom to use it at 35mm and f/5.6 all the time! I suppose the soft corners would not be a problem in portraits, but I don't know anyone that makes portraits at 17mm (even on APS-C) and has survived the wrath of the subject over the apparent size and length of their nose!

There is also some tendency to Chromatic Aberration (purple/orange and green/blue fringing) in the corners and to a lesser extent edges of the frame. At modest focal lengths and apertures any small amount of CA is easily removed in post-processing, but with the lens at a wide focal length, especially with a large aperture, there is too much CA to remove without introducing equally horrible grey halos.

So I plan to replace the 17-70. The remaining question is what with? It is a toss-up between the 18-35 f/1.8 and the 24mm f/1.4 Art lens (which approximates my favourite 35mm focal length in 35mm format). Whatever I choose I shall lose OS, but what use is OS if the absence of camera shake just reveals the optical shortcomings of the lens. And this time I am not going to take much notice of sites that publish lens tests nor of random opinions on the Internet. I am going to try both lenses out for myself, compare results, and only then make my choice.

In the meantime I will be using a pair of ancient Canon DSLRs a lot more often than the SD1.

1Tanker wrote in post #16735452
I find it very strange, how Sigma seem to have more AF issues with their primes, than zooms.

Not really since primes are usually faster with a thinner depth of field. The thinner depth of field, the more sensitive the focus accuracy is.

khwaja wrote in post #16737017
Hi mwsilver,
Have you tested this lens with t3i. Does it work perform properly like more expensive cameras. I am also assuming that, AF will work with new canon duel pixel auto focus cameras (70d and future ones).
My options are buy 18-35 for $700 and sell 30mm 1.4 or buy sigma 17-50 ($350-Gray market) / 18-55 ($120) is stm and keep 30mm 1.4. I am leaning towards 17-50 IS which will help taking videos.
Thanks

I use it on both a 600d and a 650d and have no focus issues at all. I love the 18-35.

I had both 17-50mm OS and 18-35mm Art
for me both of them are clearly very sharp lens.
Both of them, I believe produce sharp images, but
18-35mm Art is different level in sharpness.
distinctive and crystal clear image in all images taken.
Once you taste outstanding performance and fine sharpness,
you can not put down it regardless of range or OS.
I used Sigma 50mm art, 35mm art, and 24mm art.
But this one center sharpness is best even slightly behind
at edge or corner. Once you see impressive sharpness and
color rendition, you do not want to exchange with others.
I think this art is the best product among available zoom lenses.