Sigma 17-70

Hi all,

I am thinking about buying the Sigma 17-70 to replace my current kit lens. I have read both positive and negative reviews and I really want to hear from owners, past and present. I have read about issues at 17mm and that not having constant 2.8 is a draw back. I like the idea of a bit more length for a walk around lense though.

How sharp is it, are there better alternatives at similar prices. Love to hear what you all think.

Cheers

I replaced my Canon 24-85 USM with the Sigma 17-70, and noticed an immediate improvement in sharpness. The Sigma 17-70 is a very nice all around lens and will be a major improvement from your 18-55 kit lens. For me it is a reasonably fast, good all-around lens, with good reach, and great macro.

There are other options out there but there are always compromises. The Tamron 17-50 2.8 and Sigma 18-50 2.8 are great lenses but you lose a bit at the long end.

The Canon 17-85 IS has great range but most say it is not so great at the wide end. It is a slower lens, but it has IS.

The Canon 17-55 IS is almost perfect, but is pricey and doesn't have much reach.

My advice is don't get it.
My reasoning is that the quality of service available from C. R. Kennedy, the sole Sigma agent in Australasia, is appalling. I sent my 17-70 to them for a quote to fix a back-focus problem (a frequent failing on this lens). Nine weeks later, despite calls and emails, all that had happened was that the local branch had sent it to Australia where it was sitting on a shelf. I asked for it to be returned and sold it with full disclosure of the history.

I'm now more than happy with my 18-55 IS, and I spent less on it.

My advice is: get it. I've had nothing but good experiences with mine up till I passed it and my 40D on to my wife when I bought a 1DMKIII. It's a very nice walkaround lens.

Here are some samples I took with it:

For a kit lens replacement, the Sigma 17-70mm lens is excellent!! The lens copy that I have is very sharp and easy to use. It is true that you only have the f2.8 at the bottom end, but right now, that's not a big worry for me. You'll be amazed by how small the minimum focal distance is. I've been able to focus in properly on objects that were literally almost touching the front element!! For its price and abillity, it's a great walk around lens I think.

......Oh ya, and with a mag. of 1:2, isn't to shabby at macro shots too.

I also agree that it is a great lens. It is my primary "walk around" lens.

I really enjoyed my 17-70 when I had it; for me it was an excellent walk-about lens, and the only reason I sold it was my need for constant f/2.8. Superb lens - if only they'd give it HSM like the Nikon variant!

Awesome lens but I compared it to my 18-50 F2.8 and the 50-70 was not that big of deal. Couldn't tell a difference as I wanted the extra reach but it was blah. The F2.8 throughout is awesome though and just great!