Buy Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR CamerasSigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Product Description:
- Large aperture of f2.8 throughout the entire zoom range
- Minimum focusing distance of 8" & a maximum magnification factor of 1 to 3
- Aspherical lenses offer compact and lightweight construction
- SLD and ELD glasses offer excellent correction of color aberrations
- Designed to fit Canon digital SLR cameras
Product Description
The Sigma Super Wide Angle Zoom 18-50mm lens offers a large aperture of F2.8 over its entire range of focal lengths and its large depth of field offers greater freedom of creative expression. This lens is perfectly suited for low light conditions indoors or at dusk. It covers wide angle to medium telephoto and is ideally suited to a wide range of subjects. It is an ideal large aperture standard zoom lens for digital SLR cameras featuring APS-C size image sensor.The characteristics of digital SLR cameras were taken into consideration when designing the lens power layout. A Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass lens element provides effective compensation for lateral chromatic aberration, which is likely to occur with digital SLR cameras. The use of two aspherical lens elements provides correction for various aberrations and makes high quality images a reality throughout the entire zoom range.A Special Low Dispersion (SLD) lens and two aspherical lens elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The design produces a compact and lightweight, yet robust, construction with an overall length of 84.1mm (3.3in.) and maximum diameter of 74.1mm (2.9in.) and weight of 445g (15.7oz).Super Multi Layer (SML) coating gives the best color balance and reduces flare and ghosting from which digital cameras tend to suffer. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 28cm (11 in.) throughout the entire zoom range which is very convenient for close-up photography. The lens is equipped with an inner focusing system. The non-rotating front lens element makes the lens suitable for using its petal-type lens hood and circular polarizing filters. This lens has excellent correction for vignetting which is a common problem of large aperture lenses. Its new design ensures superior peripheral brightness.Features: Large aperture zoom lens designed specifically for use with digital SLR cameras EX lens series denotes excellence of engineering and new tec...
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
156 of 162 people found the following review helpful.
Versus Tamron 17-50, Canon 17-55 [is], Canon 17-85[is], Canon 18-55[is]
By Peter Yang
I own the best Canon 17-55 F/2.8, but it is also heavy and expensive for risky environments like windy beaches to packed clubhouses. I need an affordable F/2.8 backup, so I bought this Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 Macro. Having read many account of sigma lens front/back focusing, I have a very low expectation for my lens. Luckily, my fear proves to be unfounded, as my 18-50mm f/2.8 macro is free from rear/front focusing.[ Biggest Surprise ] = Fast + Silent + Reliable focusing. Even without HSM/USM motor, the AF speed is fast & comparable to my canon 17-55 f/2.8 usm in dim light. Under the same setting, my tamron 17-50 f/2.8's banshee-like micro-motor scream loudly yet failed to find focus after 1 minutes.+ The build quality is near "L", better than my expensive Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS+ Size is very small compare to my gigantic canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS+ Fantastic MACRO lens on the run[Disappointment] 18mm F/2.8 "wide open" is softer than Tamron 17-50mm.- Canon 17-55 f/2.8 @f/2.8 is sharper than sigma 18mm @f/5.6 (no joke!)- Field of view is closer to 18.5mm or 19mm.Since I had previously own the tamron 17-50 f/2.8, a canon 17-85is, and a canon 18-55is, here how they compare against one another:...................................................[ Landscape Sharpness ][1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__amazing sharpess even @f/2.8 wide open[2] Canon 18-55 IS ______ sharp corners, mild barrel distortion + ca[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8____sharp "when focused", problematic AF, field curvature[4] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8_____softer wide open than tamron, 18mm behave like 19mm[5] Canon 17-85 IS_______strong C_A + barrel distortion, soft corners...................................................[ Bokeh / Out of Focused Highlight ][1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ big round circular highlight, no cat's eyed footballs[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ some cat's eyed football highlight on the edge[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ some visible double contours highlight[4] Canon 17-85 IS______ small f/5.6, 85 has an edge over 55mm in highlight size[5] Canon 18-55 IS ______ small f/5.6 = smallest highlight, boring photos...................................................[ Construction Quality ][1] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ impressive build even at such a low price[2] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ [tied] build should have been better for a $1000 lens[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______[tied] exactly the same build as 17-55 f/2.8 IS[3] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ decent, plasticky, not as good as others above[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ plastic mount, front barrel rotate makes cpl difficult...................................................[ AF Speed in Low Light + Reliability ][1] Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS__ USM + IS + F/2.8 = ultimate[2] Canon 17-85 IS_______USM + IS, F/5.6 seem to focus just as fast as F/2.8[3] Sigma 18-50 f/2.8____ Silent, Fast, and Decisive AF even in low light[4] Canon 18-55 IS ______ silent image stabilization, but louder AF[5] Tamron 17-50 f/2.8___ loudest motor, indecisive AF in low light-------------------------------------[ in conclusion ]-------------------------Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 Macro is jack-of-all-trade, master of none. While tamron is sharper @17mm f/2.8 than sigma is @18mm f/2.8 "when in focused", sigma has superior AF motor that is far more reliable under any circumstance. Sigma is a pleasure to use in real life ownership, free from fousing-worrying that plagued my tamron. Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 is a combination between the reliable yet so-so IQ of canon 17-85is + tamron 17-50's superior IQ, but poor autofocusing mechanics. Highly Recommended!$429.95 [Canon 17-85IS] poor 17mm IQ, but fantastic AF mechanic + IS$443.41 [Tamron 17-50] great 17mm IQ, but poor AF mechanic-----------------------------------------------------------------------$375.00 [Sigma 18-50mc] decent 18mm IQ + fantastic AF mechanic (no BUT)Sigma did their homework. Sig18-50 retained good quality from its competitors while shredding the bad, yet it is offer at the lowest price. Competition is wonderful, I'm very happy with my purchased
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
A versatile lens for a great price
By J. Kim
Just another vote of confidence for this lens. (I posted this same review at another online retailer, but since I bought it from Amazon, I decided to post it here, too.)After learning to love prime lenses, it was time to replace the underwhelming kit lens of my Rebel XT with better quality glass. I looked long and hard for a fast zoom that covered the wide-to-medium range despite the XT's crop factor, and finally settled on the Sigma.Although I haven't laid my hands on the competition (including a similar 17-55mm f2.8 EF-S from Canon for more than *twice* as much, and the slower 17-40mm f4L), I don't regret my purchase at all. I was a bit wary at first about buying a non-Canon lens, especially after reading a few complaints online about bad samples, but the lens turned out to be just fine.Edge-to-edge sharpness looks great to me, even wide open, and vignetting doesn't seem to be a problem. I'm not a professional, and don't own any L-series glass, but this is far more than I expected for the price.The macro ability is also a nice bonus, as is the lens hood and case included in the package. I wouldn't call the lens "lightweight" (since I still prefer small primes when I don't need the versatility), but it's still a reasonable fit on the diminutive XT body.I'm not crazy about the slight sparkle in the powder coat, but hey, that's hardly a complaint. All in all, I couldn't be happier!Update: Four years later, I've upgraded to a Rebel T2i, and this is still one of my most trusted, go-to lenses!
34 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
Be wary of quality control
By J. Mackey
I went through two copies of this lens. The first copy had a front-focus problem approaching 20mm. I sent sample shots to Sigma, and they directed me to simply return the lens to Amazon rather than have it serviced. So, I exchanged it (big points to Amazon for making that so easy!), and the second copy front-focussed by approximately 8mm. That's not nearly as bad, of course, but for close-up photography, it meant few keepers. (I bought this lens for the macro capabilities, as I intended to use it in restaurants, taking pictures of my plate without moving away from the table.) The focus problem was in both my Canon XTi and my Canon 40D. None of my Canon lenses have any focus problems whatsoever; this issue was limited to the Sigma lens.I sent the lens to Sigma for service, and three weeks later, received my lens back in even worse condition than it started. It still front-focusses by 8mm, and now, even what is "in focus" is much softer than before. I contacted Sigma repeatedly to ask them what I should do, and they ignored my emails.I have seen many good shots from this lens from people who had good copies. When I shot at f/5.6 or above, I would catch my intended focus point (since the depth of field was increased), but that made shots in lower-light too blurry due to the slower shutter speeds.This lens can be very good -- if you get a good copy from the start. If you read comments on the photography forums, you'll see story after story of quality control problems from Sigma, and the need for repeated service attempts before a lens will be correctly calibrated. (Several people even report having to send the lens WITH their camera body so the lens could be matched -- even though their camera was correctly calibrated to Canon spec -- being without their camera entirely for several weeks.) If you luck out with a good copy (which is not as likely as it should be), you'll enjoy the lens. If you don't, return it immediately rather than dealing with Sigma service.The price is low, but the risk is high.
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