Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 11 DC OS HSM Lens for Canon

Product Information

otherwise, you will see a large bump out of the center with lines straightening again near the corners. There is so much moving around as you zoom that it's more difficult to zoom if you point the lens directly up or down, since you now have to pull half the lens up or down with the zoom ring. If this is difficult for you, point the lens the other way first if it helps you zoom in (pointed down) or zoom out (point it up). It's no problem pointed horizontally. A relatively close 1.48' (450mm) MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) delivers a nice .24x MM (Maximum Magnification) for the 18-200. I had the Sigma OS lens before and I hated it and returned it and I bought a Nikon D300 just for the famous Nikon Af-S18-200VR DX lens and the light weight and fantastically sharp AF-S70-300VR lens and I really loved all of these Nikon gears.

A basic distance scale is marked in feet and meters. The focus ring travels slightly past the infinity position, and rotates during autofocus. The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM lens shows a good resistance to chromatic aberrations, but it’s possible to see it occurring in some high contrast areas of images. Generally speaking, it’s not enough to be problematic for average printing or web sizes, being really only particularly visible when examining an image at 100%. This is Sigma's version of the 18-200mm "vacation lens", competing against a similar model from Tamron, as well as against Nikon's 18-200mm VR design. Like its competitors, this is a reduced image-circle lens, designed for use on cameras with APS-C sized sensors. Because of this, it's relatively light and quite compact relative to its exceptional zoom range.The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) takes care of a high AF (Auto Focus) speed and is very silent too. Thanks to the last AF algorithm, an even better functioning AF is reached. Any FL range over 5x (max FL/min FL) raises a warning flag in my mind - you just know that there will be at least some optical deficiencies.

At 18mm sharpness in the centre of the image area is outstanding in the centre from maximum aperture, dropping gradually due to diffraction as the lens is stopped down. Sharpness towards the edges is very good at this focal length and remains so until the lens is stopped down to f/8 A slightly curious scale on the outer sleeve of the 'double trombone' zoom mechanism shows the image magnification when the lens is set to 0.45m (i.e. the minimum focus distance). The numbers correspond to each of the focal lengths marked on the zoom ring except for 18mm (at which position the barrel is fully retracted, and this sleeve is not visible). So I think both super zooms are really good for what it is, but 18mm on a 1.6X Canon body is not wide enough , so for a 1.6X Canon ,I usually need a EF-S10-22 with this EF-S18-200IS lens for travel but with my D300 , I just use the 18-200Vr or 16-85Vr with the cheap but sharp AF 85f1.8D and no need wider than the 18mm end of the AF-S18-200Vr or the 16mm end of the AF-S16-85VR , so I prefer traveling with my d300 when I have to travel light. The lens hood is supplied with the lens and is very convenient, though beeing shaped to fit the FOV at 18mm it becomes less efficient on the long end."

Comments

This lens competes directly in the 'stabilized superzoom' market with the Nikon 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX, Canon EF-S 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 IS, and Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di-II VC, all of which which we've reviewed over the past year. Its main advantage at the moment is that it is considerably cheaper than any of these other lenses, making it much the most affordable option for users looking to supplement their collection with a general-purpose travel lens. But in this case, does cheaper also mean inferior, or has Sigma delivered quality on a budget? Headline features The Sigma 18-200mm F3.6-6.3 OS is unusual in that it comes in two flavours, with the Nikon version under test sporting an HSM badge (which signifies an ultrasonic-type 'HyperSonic Motor'), but the Canon and Sigma mount variants having to make do with a standard micromotor instead. The hypersonic motor on the Nikon mount model is however of the micro- rather than ring-type, so the two approaches are operationally very similar; in both cases the focus ring rotates during autofocus, and no full-time manual AF override is available (only the Nikon 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 VR provides such an option in this class of lenses).

Not the greatest wide open, focal length shortens at closer focusing distances, autofocus problems at 18-28mm range I always keep an open mind when evaluating gear - and in this case, the 18-200 IS Lens, while not perfect, performs better than I expected. At the smallest focal distance, you get a nice amount in the frame, although you get some distortion in the bargain. The EF-S 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 IS is Canon's latest zoom lens for APS-C format DSLRs, introduced as a companion to the EOS 50D. Its announcement in August this year came as no great surprise, as wide focal length range 'superzooms' are clearly popular amongst photographers seeking an all-in-one lens for travel and everyday shooting. The most obvious example of this is the runaway success of Nikon's AF-S 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G VR, and a Canon equivalent has almost certainly been the most-requested lens on our forums.

Foreword / notes

At shorter focal lengths Chromatic aberrations are kept below levels that may pose issues, even in large prints, or harsh crops from the edge of the frame. At 200mm chromatic fringing increases, exceeding two pixel widths towards the edges of the frame at f/5.6, which may start to become visible in images with high contrast edges near the edges of the frame. If we compare the specifications of the Sigma 18-200 mm C with those of other superzooms, then the Sigma 18-200 mm C offers more close-up than the competition. This is the saddest part of this lens. I consider this a serious oversight, especially when the Nikon 18-200mm VR does this all automatically. From Sigma lens literature) This high zoom ratio lens is exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras and capable of covering a wide range of focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto. Two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements and two hybrid aspherical lenses offer the utmost correction for all types of aberrations, and enables this extended range super zoom lens to be housed in a compact and lightweight construction of 70mm (2.8 inches) diameter, and 78.1mm (3.1 inches) in length, and weighing just 405g / 14.3oz. The new lens coating reduces flare and ghost, which is a common problem of digital cameras and also creates an optimum color balance. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7 inches) at all focal lengths and has maximum magnification of 1:4.4.