Look for Sigma’s new line of Art lenses to continue to shake up the DSLR industry. A f/1.8 aperture zoom at this price cannot be ignored. Sigma has achieved something no other manufacture has achieved to date. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens is truly a revolutionary lens. (And that generally applies to all photo gear you purchase…) But if that kind of thing scares you off, just make sure you buy from a reputable vendor (like B&H) who you know will accept returns for defective products. It happens to all manufacturers and I personally own a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 that’s probably eight or nine years old now and still focuses great. They sent a second copy and it appeared to focus fine. I sent the lens back to Sigma and their engineers could not repeat my experiences (even though I encountered the issue on both a 60D and a Rebel SL1). I’ve read personal reviews from a couple other users that have experienced similar issues with their Sigma 18-35mm lenses. The lens dock is a great tool for these new breed of Sigma lenses however, the focus calibration can take a few short minutes to several hours depending on whether you need to set and test all focal lengths at all distance ranges. When I got the first lens, it was way off at 18mm and a little off at 24mm and 35mm. One area of concern, which some of you will recall if you have been following my coverage of this lens, is a focusing issue with the first review sample that I received. And then consider how it stacks up against prime lenses along its focal length range – delivering a DxOMark Score of 27, while Canon primes within its zoom range garner a score of 25 and 22 when all are shot on the Canon 70D. It roasts other lenses that you might compare in the “fast zoom” category. The thing about the Sigma f/1.8 is that the image quality backs up the bag-o-primes analogy. While this analogy can be drawn for practically any zoom lens (and it’s a great tool to use to force yourself to work the scene rather than work the lens), you can’t get a f/1.8 aperture across these focal lengths on any other single lens in the world. It’s like carrying a 28mm f/1.8, a 35mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.8 lens in your bag (taking into account the crop factor) without ever needing to remove the lens. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens becomes more like a bag of prime lenses than a do-it-all zoom lens. The decreased size of the APS-C sensor allowed Sigma to build a f/1.8 zoom lens without the penalty of making a monster of lens that would be required to cover a full frame sensor. I equate the feel close to the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens. At 1.78 lbs, the lens is not quite a bear however, you’ll definitely notice an increase and size and weight from other variable aperture zoom lenses built for APS-C cameras (e.g., Canon’s EF-S 18-135mm IS STM and Nikon’s 18-105mm VR). The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens is built for APS-C format cameras, providing a 27-52.5mm equivalent full frame field of view.
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