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For Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM, 285 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.5.

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31.5.2020

I have been using this lens non-stop for the past 3 years for both photography and film making and I have to say for the price and performance it’s one of the best lenses to use for an APC-S camera body. I was so confident in my initial choice of the lens I bought two, which I use for different functions and it satisfied my needs during those times. Just so you are aware I use a D5500 body along with it, which is known for having 1.5 x crop factor. With that in mind here are the pros and cons.PROs:- It’s versatile as an all-round photography lens. The 17-50mm on APC-S is the focal equivalent to a 24-70 on a full frame camera. At 17mm It is awesome for landscapes/wide angle shots,whilst the 50 mm will behave quite like a 70mm prime for portraits.- Uses a 77mm thread for filter which is common for most fixed aperture lenses- Between the 35-50mm range the lens offers great bokeh for portraits.- Having a fixed f/2.8 aperture is brilliant for low light photography and filmmaking and it feels like you have multiple prime lens. It allows plenty of light onto the camera sensor to keep the ISO & shutter speed at low values.- The auto focus is fast and silent on the D5500 at all focal lengths, and the optical stabilisation is great for capturing sharp images that are stationary or moving.6. Focusing is pretty accurate on wide to medium shots and is useful for manually focussing at infinity if landscape photos are your niche.7. The addition of a lock mode is great to eliminate any breathing when in use or aiming down.8. At f/4-5.6 the images and video produced is super sharp, which is where you should be working from most of the time.CONs:1. The lens is a lot heavier and bulkier than other kit lens to compensate for the fixed aperture.2. The build quality takes a hit due to price reducing. Some people might like the finish others won’t.3. You can feel and hear the internal components move around if you shake the lens and the supplied lens hood can easily fall off.4. The zoom and focus rings are arranged opposite to normal NIKON lens, which can be jarring to new users.5. The manual focus range is extremely limited especially in close up shots, so be aware of the minimum distance you can rack focus to whether in manual or auto.6. At f/2.8 on all focal lengths you can notice the image sharpness gets a bit soft and there is a subtle vignette at the lower focal length range.7. The focal length zoom is an external rather than internally function which isn’t great for filming unless the camera is station at all times.Considering most people who are looking at this len probably are starting out with either/both the 18-55 Nikon kit lens and Tamron 70-300 VC, this of course is the natural progression to advancing your photography. Along with the NIKON 35 mm and 50mm prime lens this would be among my go to lens if I started again from scratch.As a film maker or vlogger, I will admit it might not tick all the boxes and that’s in part due to the negatives addressed. If you really are on a tight budget by all means go for it, but if you’re going to do it professionally I’d often recommend saving the money and getting the sigma art 18-35mm f1.8 and future proof the investment.Regardless of the negatives I still love this lens as it is overall a good purchase, it’s ideal for travel being an all-around lens and can produce truly stunning images with minor issue being fixable in post. I absolutely would recommend this.
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28.3.2013

I wanted a zoom lens to replace the 18-55 kit lens on my Nikon D5100. I also have the Nikon 35mm 1.8g, but in practice I tended to use the zoom lens more despite the lower image quality. I was looking for great image quality and sharpness with effective stabilisation. The wide constant aperture was a bonus rather than a necessity.This lens was recommended to me by a wedding photographer who chose it instead of a mega-expensive Nikon.I chewed over this for ages - I considered Tamron equivalent both without VC (cheap) and with (not as cheap but not as good?), also the bargain Nikon 50mm 1.8 for image quality. The Sigma is very expensive in absolute terms for an enthusiast like me,but in the end the reviews swayed me. I had some reservations about what I had heard regarding variations between samples, but I decided that I would test the lens extensively on arrival. If there were any shortcomings I would simply use Amazon's excellent return system until I found a good one. After the 30 day mark there would be Sigma's 3 year guarantee to fall back on. I am pleased to report that this has not been necessary - it's a good 'un.The lens arrived in great condition - it is solid and heavy and feels like a professional item should. In use the weight helps dampen vibrations and is a positive thing. It resembles my Sigma 10-20 EX in looks and feel.It takes good images! I have compared it in "blind" tests with my other 2 lenses at 35mm on a tripod. As expected the Sigma wins with the 35mm close behind. In particular the Sigma is much better than the 35mm at controlling CA. Although worthy, the kit lens is beaten hands down, especially towards the edges of the frame. The AF works very well, I tested this and found it was bang on - more accurate than my manual focussing skills.I would give this lens 5 stars if it was less expensive, but I guess you get what you pay for. This lens ticks all the boxes - great build and image quality so far, with stabilisation and useful zoom. I think however that if you can adapt to framing without zoom and have steady hands that a couple of Nikon prime lenses could do some of the job, possibly for less money.The Sigma gives good results at the 17mm end, which I find useful.I am very happy with this lens and would buy it again.
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24.9.2013

Lens is much better than I expected, I initially wanted the nikon version to use at weddings, however I couldn't justify the cost and was a little disappointed that I had to go for this version.After reading so many reviews and doing so much research into this lens the nikon 17-55 and the Tamron version I ended up choosing this one out of the 3.I am so glad that I did, the build quality for this lens is much better than I expected the zoom ring feels very tight and solid and the front element looks very nice.The only thing missing ergonomics wise is the old EX texture to the lens that sigma used to coat there lenses with which I was a fan of,this however doesn't impact the performance of the optics which are simply brilliant even wide open right across the focal range, its certainly an upgrade to any kit lens.I read a couple of reviews stating that is soft wide open, granted all lenses will be softer wide open however this isn't really noticeable and I certainly don't notice the difference if I'm not looking at Exif data.I would like to point out that this was based on centre sharpness.Border sharpness is slightly lower than the centre which is not an issue if you stop down, this isn't really as big a deal as some reviews/people make it out to be as in practice I only shoot portrait wide open and the boarder is usually out of focus anyway (due to depth of field effect) You would naturally stop down for landscape shots anyway thus bringing the entire frame into sharp focus including the boarders.I haven't really taken this off my D90 since buying it as the OS, coupled with the F2.8 constant aperture is very good for shallow Depth of field and low light portraits, so much so that I don't bother with my 50mm prime any more and I have sold it as a result.My only niggle is that Nikons Silent Wave autofocus system has full time manual override whereas this version of HSM doesn't as the focus ring moves on autofocus.All in all thought, this is a surprisingly very good lens which is incredibly sharp, useful low light and an excellent portrait lens I am unable to understand why the Nikon is so expensive when this is as good as it is for the cost (even comparing nikons non VR to cannons IS version threes almost 50% cost difference)
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20.6.2015

Having decided that I needed a good quality, fast portrait/landscape lens to compliment my telephoto lenses, I spent countless hours reading reviews (both user and professional) on this lens and the Pentax equivalent, the DA* 16-50mm. Whilst the Pentax came across as a 'Marmite' lens (people either loved it or hated it!) the reviews for the Sigma were very consistent ie it's a very good lens. Factor in the £520 premium you have to pay for the Pentax (ok, you do get weather resistance, 2 extra aperture blades and an extra 1mm at the wide end!) and, quite frankly, it was a no brainer.Straight from the box, this lens oozes quality. Taking it out of the padded,zipped case the weight tells you that you have a lot of good quality glass in this lens. Some people may find it a tad too heavy but it balances perfectly on my K50 (it weighs more than my Sigma 18-250mm tele lens!).Build quality seems fantastic for a lens of this price. Though it has a metal lens mount the body is made of plastic. Don't let this put you off as it feels top quality and very well nailed together. The zoom ring turns counter clockwise (not a problem for me as I have Sigma anyway) which some people may find strange but you soon get used to it. It's about a 90 degree turn from wide to tele and the zoom action is very smooth.Autofocus is very quick and accurate (especially on single point af) though as yet I haven't tested it in very low light. Don't take any notice of the minimum focussing distance, as with a bit of readjustment of the focus point and in the right light I've managed to get great quality images at half the recommended distance!When it comes to colour rendition and clarity this lens is truly astonishing. Colours are so accurately reproduced and the clarity of the test photographs that I've taken thus far is incredible. The focal point of close up images just seems to pop out at you. My time spent in PP has reduced dramatically and a lot of images just require a small amount tweaking.In summary, whilst it's early days yet this lens has blown my socks off!
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19.2.2017

'Quality glass is more important than the camera it's on' is one of those statements you hear as a budding photographer but it doesn't quite sink in until you prove it to yourself. I've done that now with this lens. It is tremendous. My first trip out and I passed a man who had been taking his goshawk for a....erm. fly! The picture is heavily cropped to get rid of his arm and the straps on the birds legs but you can see that the clarity is superb and the background is nicely blurred out. This was as the light was going and so I had bumped the ISO up to about 1000/1250 I think. If I had been using my 18-105, I may have got a couple of sharp shots when the bird was still and lots that were blurred by the restless,constantly moving creature. Also, the background would have been more distracting.It seems to be sharp across the frame at any focal length and any aperture. The O.S. seems to work as well as anything I've used (18-105VR, Tamron 28-300VC (the model before the PZD)) but I think that the constant f2.8 makes it less useful anyway. Nice to have it though.Some other random snippets... It's my first Sigma and I'm happy with the build quality. I don't need professional build quality as I don't throw my lenses at my bag from 10 yards away or whatever it is they do to need such tough gear, but it will survive sensible knocks I suspect. I've looked at photos of Sigmas and thought they look cheap and nasty but they look good in the flesh. The zoom operates in the 'wrong' direction but I am getting used to that. It is fully functional on my Nikon1 J5 via the adapter too. Not all my third party lenses are.
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25.4.2016

Fantastic lens well up to the quality that Sigma offer. After a few weeks testing I had identified that it has no front or back focusing and also that the focussing mechanism is fast and spot-on (I was surprised at this as previous older Sigma lenses I have owned have needed to go back to Sigma with my camera body before they performed this well).I am impressed with the quality of the photographs it can produce as well. Saturation and contrast are the same if not better than the Canon 17-55 which I absolutely loved while I owned one. The softer end of the lens is 50mm at f2.8 which is still sharp in my opinion and is easy to improve in post-processing of course stopping up to 4.0 results inabout as sharp as you can get bar going to a prime lens but even then there is not much in it (unless you go to the very expensive long primes). Colour is a little warmer than the Canon which is a good thing in my opinion. Weight and balance is good for my 40D so I imagine will also be good on later Canon models. The look and feel of the body is much better than the older felt style finish and will also age better, as those older lenses tended to get very battered looking when the finish came off.The stabliser works very well and seems to come on instantly rather than the half second delay I am used to in other lenses. This threw me at first as I thought it wasn't working as I didn't see it "click".In all I'm very impressed and totally happy to be back in DSLR + a high quality normal zoom country after 2 years with only a X100s which is also a great camera but doesn't have that DSLR+Sigma "look" that I love.
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27.11.2017

I have a number of lenses for Canon and, after using the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 for about my year, this is perhaps my favourite general-purpose lens. Anyone who's spent time with a few lenses will know that they each have their own feel to use and flavour to the images. This lens excels at high contrast details and vivid colour. While this isn't as fast as my primes (such as EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, EF 85mm f/1.8 USM), it rivals them for sharpness when wide open.The f/2.8 aperture is very useful and it gets good out-of-focus backgrounds, especially at the 50mm end. The autofocus is quick and accurate and while the optical stabilisation isn't the best,it does help keep things steady.The included lens hood is good - it took me a while to realise you have to click it into place though, so that might explain the odd review that has found the hood to be quite loose. The included case is good, too.As well as great quality, it's astounding value for money. A Canon lens as wide as 17mm at f/2.8 is rare at this price point. This is the equivalent of 27-80mm on full frame, so it's a slightly-wide to slightly-telephoto length. If you take it out for a wander, it'll get you everything from architecture to portraits with some nice background isolation. If you're specialising in either, you might want to go wider or longer, of course. Consider also it's a little shorter than most zooms and the standard Canon kit lens of 18-55mm. But, for general purpose and a not *too* hefty size (you'll notice the extra weight if you're upgrading from a Canon kit lens), this is a great lens to go for.
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7.1.2018

This is a good quality, fast lens that I use primarily for video work (occasionally photography) so my review is based on this, paired with a Canon 700D. The lens has quickly become my 'daily driver' over the Tamron lenses (with a similar spec sheet) that they replace, for a number of reasons.1. Image quality: this lens is noticeably sharper than the Tamron f/2.8 aspherical lens especially at lower apertures. f/2.8 is sometimes a struggle as focusing becomes a challenge, but shooting at f/3.2 to f/4 has been great, with no focus issues.2. Build quality: The lens is heavier, but has a higher quality feel to it, with the optics also being larger than the Tamron. At the same price range I wasn't expecting this,but It's impressed me.3. Stabilisation: The optical image stabilisation makes handheld/gimbal and tripod shots clearer and smoother. Even when used with a tripod the motion for close up moving shots is smoother and is more forgiving if I knock the lens slightly.A couple of things to bear in mind when buying this (or DSLR lenses for video work). Focus throw is very short, especially at f/4 and below, meaning a slight tweak to the focus dial can easily throw your focus out. Using a higher f-stop makes things easier. The aperture isn't de-clicked, standard with photography lenses. Not an issue for the work I do.Overall and after a few shoots, indoors and outdoors I've been really impressed with this lens at this price point. We'd buy again if we intend to stick with APS-C cameras. Thanks Sigma!
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19.3.2013

Been using this lens for a few months now and constantly gives great results, with a lot of high points and only slight weaknesses. The AF is very accurate and fast, which is very important and sometimes not up to scratch on Tamron lenses I've tried. The 'OS'works well, although I personally prefer to try and get round low-light issues another way, it does always give you the option of greater depth of field (small aperture) or keeping ISO down (and of course slower shutter speeds). It feels nice and sturdy in the hand and about the right size for a general use zoom, with the star attraction of excellent image quality. At the 50mm end even f2.8 is very sharp, and at 50mm f4 onwards is it's party piece I suppose,where it is up with a Nikon prime, reaching ultra sharp levels. When using the wider angles you would notice a slight fall off of sharpness at f2.8 but by f4 is tidying up a lot and back in the exceptional range.The fluorite element gives beautiful colour and contrast rendition at all zooms. A very high quality offering from Sigma and IMO the best option at this zoom range for DX owners, where it mirrors the 24-70 focal lengths of general use PRO-FX lenses, and the quality. Use this lens to its strengths and your onto a real keeper and high performer with exceptional results. With wide angle wide open aperture shots being its only slight weakness, and that's me being picky!
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6.4.2015

This lense is, in a word, incredible. For a fraction of the price of an L range lense, you get beautiful, crisp, vibrant shots. The stabilization is second to none in my experience. The zoom is fairly smooth (not L smooth, as that is a luxury you well and truly pay for), the lens itself is very quiet and easy to use. The zoom and focus to go in the opposite direction of what I'm used to but I have gotten use to it so quickly that I don't think about it.I am by no means a professional, I am an enthusiastic amateur with enough knowledge to get by. I have had the standard 18-55 kit lens and the 'Nifty 50' lens too, but since buying this lens, I don't even carry them around with me anymore.It's simply the best lens for all round shooting I could hope for.It is heavy, be warned. But I think that it makes it feel sturdy as well. The lens cap is great too. I love the idea of gripping the centre of the cap rather than the edges and risk smothering the lens. Again, if you are used to something like the 50mm 1.8 lens, then this is going to be a steep learning curve, but ultimately worth it. If you have the luxury of affording an L lens, then by all means, they are the best out there. But if you want something that is practically the equivalent, for a minute price, then this is the best lens. It's a brilliant all-rounder and will step up the quality of your shots ten-fold.
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1.10.2014

I have a Canon 600D. I also have the 17-55 kit lens from my old Digital Rebel, the plastic fantastic Canon 50mm 1.8 and the sublime Canon 85mm 1.8.The 50mm 1.8 was a huge step forward, but the 85mm 1.8 showed me just how good a good lens can make your photos. Suddenly people say "wow" rather than "hmm" when they look at my pictures, particularly if they are in them. But much as I have tried, I obviously can't use the 85mm all the time.So I looked for a wide angle (prime or zoom) up to a budget of say £400. That, I thought, was a lot of money, given the 85mm cost me much less than that and is superb. I agonised over all sorts of things, but to cut a long story, I think this lens is just great.It doesn't do the narrow depth of field that the 85mm does, of course, so it won't quite make those stand-out portraits, but it will still make very good portraits. But most importantly it will take great landscapes, buildings and general out and about shots.I can see this staying on my camera all the time, swapping in the 85mm when I am minded to take portraits specifically. I think the 50mm 1.8 is unlikely to get out of the bag now.Unless you are prepared to go quite a bit higher in money, possibly double, I can't see any decent competition.
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22.6.2014

Having used the Sigma 17-50 f2.8 lens for a little over 6 months, I have to say how impressed I was for the amount I paid. Being on a tight budget, I had high hopes for this lens I shoot with a Canon 1100d and bought the camera only with no lens bundle. So the first lens that I bought was the Canon 50 1.8 prime lens. I love this little lens but always found I wanted to get finder, so hence buying this little beauty. Anyone going from a kit lens or the Canon 50 1.8 will find this a brilliant lens. I won't go into any thing technical like edge sharpness or chromatic aberration as I will leave that to experts. But what I will say is the you will not disappointed, the build quality is really good,and is a really great lens to add to your collection. This is the lens that stays on my camera 85% of the time, I love the fast 2.8 aperture and the ability to shoot this thou the whole zoom range from 17 - 50 is really useful, so many lens the apertures goes up as you zoom. The OS is a nice feature but I don't really feel that it is needed on a 17 - 50 lens as even shooting at 50 mm taking into account my camera 1.6 crop factor a shutter speed of 1/80 is normal fine. Having caught the wide zoom bug, I think my next lens will be the Sigma 10 - 20.
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10.4.2019

Great lens BUT I found some snags I was not expecting. I use this lens on a Nikon D7200I love...Sharper than anything comparable I could find (see DXO Labs tests for info). Needle sharp at f3.3 wide angle and f2.8 zoom.Good light transmission makes it great for low light photos.Great value compared to Nikon.Sharpish at f11 so okay for landscapes.Not so keen...Can't switch from auto to manual focus durunh a shot without first switching on manual.If hand accidentally touches focus ring then it hinders auto focusing.Zoom ring works opposite way to Nikon lenses which feels odd.Flare can be a slight problem,more so than with Nikon originals where I find a lens hood unnecessary.Focus tracking of a person walking or running towards the camera works amazingly accurately with Nikon lenses but not with this lens. Perhaps the focus motor is too slow.In bright sunlit high contrast scenes with this lens the camera over exposes by about half to one stop which burns out highlights. That does not happen with original lenses.Overall, I am a tad disappointed but still rate it a great lens for the money.One last thought, the lense I received was a grey import with a 1 year warranty instead of the 3 years Sigma UK offer.
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19.10.2010

this is a replacement for the sigma 18-50 2.8 ex lens.built quality - i have used many sigma lenses but this lens feels very good. it does'nt have much of the sparkly bits like the previous version. it feels solid and tough. comparing to the tamron built quality is superb and would last long. it even has a zoom lock.OS- the optical stabilizer work so good. it freezes the image and lets u take a perfect image.picture quality- picture quality is awesome. its a great performer even in a very low light situation. the colours are unbelievable. the pictures have good contrast too.over all- if are looking for a good upgrade for your kit lens, then this is the one.there are other lenses at this range like the tamron and even the previous version of the same lens but this lens wins then with its built quality, picture quality and the added feature optical stabilization. when holding this lens u would have a pro look. the filter is 77mm its the biggest at its range. its price tag is abit high than the others but it worth everything the lens offers. trust me you would never regret. always remember if u want a lens at this range u would want to last for ages, for the price u pay this would last u for ever.
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29.12.2013

If you want to take nice arty photos with the subject in focus and the backdrop blurred, this is the best zoon you can get at this price range. The only thing better would be the new 1.8 zoom or else a prime lens.Be aware that this has a 77mm screw so you do need bigger filters. However, this does mean that the lens lets in a lot of light and is good in low light levels.I always buy UV filters for my lenses. However, I read some comments saying this was unnecessary and so took it out without buying a UV filter. :-( Got a scratch in the first week. Not sure how. But it is right at the periphery and not affecting the photos so I have got over it. But there is a UV filter on now!My camera is a Sony Alpha 300.I keep being told that I need to upgrade my camera in order to get the full advantage of advanced lenses. Don't let them kid you! As long as you are not printing huge prints (I mean bigger than A3), the camera will be fine. The lens is good because of the clarity and ability to produce great bokeh. You don't need a full frame camera to do that.
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