Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 EX APO IF HSM

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Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 EX APO IF HSM

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Reviews	Views	Date of last review
153	532304	Jan 21, 2012

Recommended By	Average Price
93% of reviewers	$709.02

Build Quality Rating

Price Rating

Overall Rating

9.05

9.36

9.1

Description:
Sigma's new Hyper Sonic Motors (H.S.M.) provide silent, responsive autofocus action with Canon, Sigma, and now Nikon AF cameras.
H.S.M. also permits manual adjustment of focus without the necessity of switching off the autofocus function.
Focus Free mechanism keeps the manual focus ring from spinning when the camera is autofocusing.
This new lens features apochromatic optical design and four elements composed of Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass for high image contrast, resolution and color saturation.
The front barrel does not rotate during focusing, due to internal focusing system.
Internal zooming mechanism allows the lens length to remain constant during zooming.

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70-200mm f2.8 EX APO IF HSM

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Patrick Wong
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Registered: Jan 28, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 494

Review Date: Mar 16, 2004

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $614.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	very sharp images, warm colors, GREAT price
Cons:	incorrect focal length

Like the other Canon 10d users here, my Sigma reports the incorrect focal length beyond 135mm. I was afraid that the lens might need to be "rechipped" like some other websites have been reporting, but my Sigma worked fabulously right out of the box. AI Servo and Focus worked just fine even with the incorrect focal length being reported.

I do not have any other experience using the L series Canon lenses. It definately is sharper than my Canon USM 28-200. At any rate, I was able to snag this lens new off Ebay for $614 shipped, which is a definate plus for someone trying to build their collection of lenses on a limited budget.

Mar 16, 2004

vince
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Registered: Mar 18, 2002
Location: China
Posts: 306

Review Date: Feb 2, 2004

Recommend? no | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 6

Pros:	Superb construction and finish, decent optics
Cons:	Flare, not so sharp wide open.

I was thinking of "upgrading" to this lens from my 70-200/4L just for the extra f/2.8 speed. I borrowed this lens and the 70-200/2.8L (old non-IS one) from my friend for a week to try out. I liked the construction of the Sigma and its AF on my EOS-3 but for some reason the AF was quite poor on my Elan-7e while the slower 70-200/4 AF'd much faster on the Elan-7e. Still not a big problem.

However on my testing, the lens produced so-so images from f/2.8 to f/4 and good, sharp images from f/4 onwards. In the end I decided that if I needed to stop down to f/4 or f/5.6 for sharp images, I might as well use my 70-200/4 which is an excellent performed even wide open.

In comparison, the Canon 70-200/2.8 was excellent wide open, and the slides showed a definite difference between the Canon and Sigma lenses, the Canon clearly having the edge. I ended up keeping my trusty old 70-200/4 in the end.

Feb 2, 2004

Unregistered
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Location: China

Review Date: Feb 2, 2004

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $900.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Great Optics, Fast & Silent AF, Excellent Color/Contrast renditions, unnoticeable degradation when using 1.4X extender, reasonably priced, great build quality.
Cons:	None so far.

First of all, I wonder how comes it says I'm unregistered, when I am!! Just for the record, I'm Carlos Chacon.

I got this lens at the local Sigma dealer and it was more or less a compulsive purchase, of which I do not have any regrets as of now. If anything, it has encouraged me to acquire other high rated Sigma lenses (105mm Macro, 50-500mm and 15mm FE). The quality of the images is simply great. Most of the images come out razor sharp from 70 to 200 on my 10D. I have an 1.4X Sigma converter and the image degradation is very hard to notice (although certainly it is there). I noticed some CA & fringing under a 'torture test setting' (midday sun, f/2.8, subject=chrome pipe in a roof) but this same scene at f/4.0 had absolutely no CA or fringing neither any flare I could notice. The included hood is of good quality and comes in quite handy. After a while of carrying this guy you might need a little rest, but that's normal for a f/2.8 like this.

A very high recommendation on my behalf.

Feb 2, 2004

TwoBoy
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Registered: Jan 10, 2004
Location: South Africa
Posts: 25

Review Date: Jan 10, 2004

Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Fast AF, sharp at f2.8, when used with an EOS10D it is excellent, tripod mount works for me, decent hood supplied and decent case, equivelent to 112~320 with the 10D and ideal for early morning, late evening game photography. Not overly heavy. Build quality excellent and all components work smoothly.
Cons:	None so far.

This lens is one of the best around in its class - I don't believe its necessary to look further.

I sold mine to get the Canon 28~300L IS USM lens which was more suited to my specific needs and the fact I wanted IS nd more versatility.

Jan 10, 2004

Richard Booth
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Registered: Oct 2, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1193

Review Date: Jan 6, 2004

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $640.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Basically works as advertised.
Cons:	None at this time.

I don't have the technical expertise to go into the detail of the other reviews. However, I am very pleased with the results seen to date. Basically, this lens works as advertised on my D1-X, which was my main concern. The colors are brilliant and the images have been crisp. If I could figure out how to post an example on this review, I would do so.
Richard Booth

Jan 6, 2004

kuyawil
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Registered: Dec 10, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 45

Review Date: Dec 29, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $740.00 | Rating: 6

Pros:	solidly built, fast HSM, quiet
Cons:	soft wide open, incorrect focal length readings beyond 100mm

I picked this lense up from Wolf Cameras and was pleasantly surprised with its feel and weight. It's not as heavy as most people have said for it to be but that's pretty much a relative issue. I've also read about the many issues regarding the softness wide open and the focusing problems it has on the 10D in particular. Well, after having it for several days, I ended up returning it. I really wanted this to work out but after looking at some of the pictures, I was utterly dissapointed with the softness I was getting at various focal lengths with maximum aperture especially with outdoor shots. And, it was front focusing badly. I was even using a tripod. Another thing that bugged me was the incorrect focal length readings I was getting in the EXIF data beyond 100mm. For example, at full zoom (200mm), I was getting 456mm. I don't know think it affected the shot but for me, it should read correctly. Anyway, I'm not sure if this was a bad copy or not but I wasn't going to risk trying for another.

Would I recommend it? By all means, if you have a good copy, keep it. For the price, it's the best value you can get with this quality of lense at f/2.8. Otherwise, it's up to you if you want to keep exchanging until you get a good copy...

Good luck!

Dec 29, 2003

Toys6
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Registered: Sep 17, 2003
Location: Austria
Posts: 3

Review Date: Dec 28, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $900.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Very good contrast, very sharp! Good handling (focusing & zoom). Good AF speed. Price. *Highly recommended*
Cons:	bit heavy to carry around all day long

I'm using this lens on an EOS50. The slides are extremely sharp and show very good and natural colors. Digital scans (10megapixels) are of top quality. APO correction is very good but not perfect in extreme conditions.
AF is very quiet and fast, could be faster. (but it is not slow, you know what I mean).
Maybe IS would be nice in low light.
When I use the 2,0x Sigma converter, picture quality is not as good. Then the quality is similar to those cheaper 100-300 lenses or so. (compared on tripod).

All in all, I think, this is a very good lens and it is hard to find a better one. Other Sigma EX are not as good, all Canon non "L" are not as good. And in my comparisons, I'm not sure, if the "L"s are better.
But buildquality of the Sigma is 4 and the Canon is a 5.
Finally I would be happy if I could find a 28-70 (or something like that) in the same high quality than this SIGMA 70-200 is.

Dec 28, 2003

petermortelman
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Registered: Dec 1, 2003
Location: China
Posts: 1

Review Date: Dec 7, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	sharpness! Very good at f/2.8, and still better at f/4, good quality hood and tripod mount supplied, strong and solid
Cons:	sharpness not at its best at 2.8, but still very good.

If you're looking for an affordable, high end, medium zoom lens that allows you to shoot hand-held (and unless you're a pro, that is what you are looking for), then this is the one. Many people debate about IS, and this lens doesn't have it, but I believe that IS comes in really handy only for 300mm and above. The rule of thumb says that shutter speed for hand-held shots should be faster than 1/focal length, so even at 200mm, 1/250 is already fast enough. Believe me,
- with digital camera's dat can change ISO settings within seconds, with excellend quality up to ISO400 or 800
- with a lens that opens up to 2.8
- with a tripod as second solution
...There will be not many situations where you can not shoot at 1/250 and can not use a tripod. Oh yes, flying birds at low light, but that's where IS doesn't help either.
Again, nothing against IS, but in this zoom range there will be very little situations where it makes a difference.

I have had this lens now for about a month, and have been limited to a few field tests in the zoo, with a canon 10D and and EOS 33/elan7. I am absolutely satisfied with this lens. The zoom is of course too short for real wild life photography, but just right for parks, buildings and portraints. (btw: Wildlife was not what I bought it for). AF works great, even when shooting under relatively low light or macro (I know, it's closest distance is 1.5m, but with a 25 mm ring, I have been able to shoot flowers and bigger insects like bees). Sharpness is very good wide open, and truly excellent at f/4 or higher.

This lens, together with the canon 100-400 L IS will replace my canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6. I need to test the new canon when I get it, but I might use my sigma with a1.4 converter, as a 280 f/4, where the biggest opening on the canon is 5 or 5.6 for that same focal lenth. Does anybody have any experience with this?
I will span the range from 19mm to 400mm with the following set of lenses:
- Tamron 19-35 (so-so, but sufficient when I need wide angle with my 10D.
- canon 28-105 f/4-5.6 (cheap and sharp)
- canon 50 f/1.8
- canon 100-400 L IS (ordered; not yet used)
- a canon 500 f/4 of Sigma 500/4.5 on my whish list

Dec 7, 2003

spartan123
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Registered: Nov 9, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 3683

Review Date: Dec 1, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $589.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Value for the dollar! Very sharp and crisp.
Cons:	Back focus ring takes a bit getting used to

For the money I have absolutely no real complaints. The pictures are so clear and crisp I could see a hairline crack in an object from a picture taken of the item from a distance of about 30 feet.

Dec 1, 2003

CyberDyne
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Registered: Oct 7, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1273

Review Date: Nov 23, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $625.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Fast focus, solid construction and comes with all the accesories (Tripod collar and hood) Works well with both 1.4 and 2X Sigma T-cons
Cons:	Some say it is heavy, but it MUCH lighter than the Canon. Autofocus gets thrown off on my unit soemtimes with a Hoya UV filter mounted.

This is a very high quality lens. The f/2.8 aperture and zoom range are perfect for what I use it for. (theatrical photos taken from back stage, wings and audience with no flash)
Ergonomics are great. Focus and zoom ring have positive control and feel. Takes a common 77mm filter size.

I haved used it very succesfully with both Sigma T-cons as well,. with the 2X you get a nice 140-400mm f/5.6 for out door nature shots. (not quite as sharp with 2X,.. but nothing ever is)
Like all Sigma EX lenses,. it is built like a tank,. and thus seems sturdier than other top shelf lenses. It is however much lighter than the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L

The negative,.. I am not sure if this is common or specific to my lens and filter combo,. but under certain light conditions I began to experience times that this lens was NOT focusing correctly at all. Some times it was spot on,. others I could see thrugh the veiwfinder clearly it was waaaay off. Upon further investigation,. I finally tried it with the Hoya UV filter I had recently mounted removed,. the focus returned to "Spot On" I only expeirienced this anomolly shooting out doors. I have not tried it with other "clear" filters yet, but I have not seen this problem using a 77mm Hoya polarizer.

On the whole, a highly recomended alternative to the much more costly Canon lenses. If you need the f/2.8 and can't go for the pricey Canon/Nikon versions, get this one as opposed to the similar priced Canon f/4

See my direct comparison to the Canon IS version here;
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=12&sort=7&thecat=27

Taken with 10D, large fine jpeg,. no post processing 800 ISO @ f/3.5 125

http://cyberdynesystemsimaging.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=544770
http://cyberdynesystemsimaging.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=544771
http://cyberdynesystemsimaging.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=1214025

Nov 23, 2003

pro67photo
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Registered: Oct 1, 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 2

Review Date: Oct 31, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	very sharp, quiet and fast focusing, well build, super priced
Cons:	none

Oct 31, 2003

SVJF1941
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Registered: Oct 14, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1

Review Date: Oct 14, 2003

Recommend? no | Price paid: $699.00 | Rating: 6

Pros:	Seems sharp, fast (Nothing to compare to, though)
Cons:	Heavy...

Just bought the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 APO EX lens. Using it on a Digital Rebel. Seemed to work fine, then tried it on AI Servo and it seemed that it 'flipped out'. Wasn't sure if it was a problem or if I just wasn't used to the autofocus moving that much glass around 'quickly'. But looking through the EXIF data on the photos, the lens is not properly communicating the focal-length to the camera! I took the camera outside and shot from 70mm all the way through 200mm and looked at the data, and after 146mm, the camera jumps to 415mm! It continues through 431, and ends at 456mm focal length when the lens is actually at 200mm. I assume that the focal length of the lens is taken into account with the focusing software? Anyway i'm sending it back, guess I'll have to wait a while and get a $canon$ lens.

Oct 14, 2003

CliffChen
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Registered: Jun 24, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 3

Review Date: Jul 26, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $597.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Sharp, Good quality, what to say?
Cons:	I've had no problems

I got mine from delta international. I must disagree with those saying it is soft wide open, I've noticed that the depth is VERY shallow at 2.8 / 200mm. I took mine to a comic convention (comic-con) and was happily snapping away pics from the back of the hall, and pics came out great, definatley hafta keep checking the focus, since as mentioned above, veyr shallow focus, at 2.8. Thing is kinda big, I need to get a new bag to hold all my junk now. I woulda liked the 70-200L IS from canon, but then again, i can buy 3 of these to 1 of those, so the decision was clear enough for me.

Jul 26, 2003

rombaft
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Registered: Jun 19, 2003
Location: Belgium
Posts: 79

Review Date: Jun 19, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: $900.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	dam sharp, fast AF, strong build, cap and tripod mount come with lens plus a nice bag, f2.8 the whole range
Cons:	bit heavy, but that's the case with f2.8 lenses

this is my favorite lens, some say here that it becomes soft wide open, well i don't know why but mine doesn't, the lens still gives great images at f2.8.
a friend off me uses the canon 70-200 f2.8 L and we compared both lenses :
my camera used (10D), picture taken on 70, 100 and 200 mm, all with f2.8, f4.5
the conclusion was; both lenses performe exactly the same, but the sigma does it for half the price.
one remark on the test, because we used my camera, a 10D, we used only the center off the lense, so i do not know how it will performe as good on a 1D(s) where you have a full frame sensor

If you have a DSLR, and you need a fast lens in this range, buy this one, do not overpay fot a canon L, unless you are 70 years old and you need IS

ps : my excuse fot the bad english, i am normaly dutch speaking

Jun 19, 2003

gavin
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Registered: Jun 7, 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 468

Review Date: Jun 15, 2003

Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 6

Pros:	Price, good wide open and good (not great) AF speed
Cons:	Not as good as the 120-300 f2.8 in low light

I used it for a long time and was happy with this lense, compared to the old Nikor 80-200 2.8. I then got a 120-300 Sigma and WOW what a differance! If only my 70-200 focused as fast worked as well in bad light. I am sure the next Sigma mid zoom will be awesome. All in all a good but not great lense. Buy a nikon, or better still get a 120-300 f2.8 and take two steps back if you have too.

Jun 15, 2003