Sigma AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
- 18mm to 200mm high-zoom-ratio lens designed exclusively for Nikon digital SLR cameras
- 2 SLD glass elements and 2 hybrid aspherical lenses correct for all types of aberrations
- Minimum focusing distance of 45cm at all focal lengths; maximum magnification of 1:4.4
- Lens coating reduces and flare and ghost; zoom lock switch eliminates “zoom creep”
- Measures 70mm in diameter and 78.1mm long; weighs 14.3 ounces; 1-year warranty
Product Description
The Sigma 18-200 F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM Lens incorporates an Optical Stabilizer function and is exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras. It is perfectly suitable for low-light conditions; whether indoors, at dusk, or in the telephoto range. This system uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera, and effectively compensates for camera shake by moving an optical image-stabilizing lens group. It also automatically detects… More >>
Sigma AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
I just got this item and took some pics. Picture quality looks ok to me – but, I am just an amateur, what do I know?
I just wanted to let you know that within a week of purchasing the lens from Amazon, the price got reduced on Amazon website. And Amazon refused to adjust my purchase price stating Amazon does not provide price guarantee (not even with their own price !!!!).
Rating: 4 / 5
I received the len which was packed carfully. The len itself is very beautiful and the picture is beautiful too.
Rating: 4 / 5
I have owned 4 SLR cameras and a number of advanced point and shot camera. If you are willing to sacrifice inconvenience to carry an SLR with all the lenses, you must expect something in return. Right? To me, I expect better picture quality (e.g. better sharpness and color). I bought this lens (Sigma) for my Nikon D80. I have two kit lenses came with my Nikon: 18-70 mm and 70-300 mm. To my surprise, for general photography purpose (I am not talking about portraits and in extreme light and moving conditions), my Sony DSC V3 (I paid < $600 for it 4 years ago and it is now sold at amazon.com for $999) advanced P&S gave me much better picture quality in terms of sharpness and depth of field than my Nikon kit lenses. For this reason and for convenience, I bought the Sigma 18-200 after spending a lot of time reading reviews from several different sites. I was hoping the Sigma would be at least as good as my Nikons. I took a lot of picture using the Sigma side by side with my Nikons at the same focal lengths (18 to 70 mm and 70 to 200mm). Unfortunately my Nikons produced much better pictures (sharper and better color saturation) than the Sigma.
Sometimes I find it difficult to get useful information from the web reviews because different people have different expectations. Some people can be happy easily with whatever they get. I think I am kind of picky with high expectations. One should really know what they are looking for (features? quality?). At the end, if a SLR lens cannot beat a P&S, one should seriously think about why you spent more $ to buy and more effort to carry an SLR and a whole bunch of lenses. I am now thinking about getting a “high zoom” advanced P&S, such as a Sony or Panasonic with 12x or even 18x lens covers 30 to 500mm, as a walk-around because these type of camera can usually give you the same or sometimes even better image quality as the SLRs. I will use my N80 only at specially situations (e.g. difficult light condition, sport, etc).
Rating: 3 / 5
Update:
After about 100 shots or 3 days, the Sigma Lens failed. The autofocus and OC mechanism made some fading sound and stopped working. I am returning this fast. Hopefully I can trade it in and add some more for a real Nikon 18-200 VR lens. The manual said turn off the OC when not in use, maybe this would have help, but three days is too short. Maybe I got a lemon, since I am the only one that said it failed.
Previous review.
General statement other has risen:
+The Len is larger and heavier then the Nikon D40 Len kits, also 72mm ring is much larger then a 52mm kits lens. Is a little heavy but this is also comparable to Nikon own 18-200 VR which is like a 1/3 more expensive. This Len is much heavier then the D40 body, which defeat the purpose of the lightness of the D40, but I think it makes holding it more stable.
+The optical stabilizer (OS) really works and is worth the purchase, if you zoom to 200mm a lot. If you don’t have an optical stabilizer things are burry with most shaky hands.
+The OS makes some noise like it a little mechanical device inside. I have a Panasonic F20 that has its own image stabilizer and it made no noise.
That I noticed:
+The shutter speed felt a tad slower on similar shots compare to the Nikon lens, but that could be my imaginations.
+The zooming between 50-80mm is not as fluid, there is like a bump when you rotate from 18 to 200mm, just not as smooth as the Nikon lens I am used too.
+I got the Nikon AF 55-200 without VR and noticed that the 200mm zoom on the Nikon is much closer then the Sigma 200mm. I say Sigma is more like 175mm compare to a Nikon lens with the same range.
+Sigma got it right by placing the zoom closer to the base and the focus in the front of the lens; this is easier to attach the sun-flare on backward without having to take it off. The Nikon 18-200mm VR has the zoom rotation in front and the focus in the back. This may be personal preferences though.
+ I liked the sun flare attachment that came with this len, very solid.
+ OS drain the battery a lot more, so turn it off whn you aren’t using it.
I don’t know why I been changing lens all these time and not having an optical stabilizer all these days. My 200mm shots are now worth something, before they would come out all burry without a tripod. I think the 18mm shots could be a little sharper at time, like my normal Nikon AF 18-55. If you like shooting 135mm and above, you got to have some form of an image stabilizer for a Nikon DSLR. Too bad Nikon didn’t include it like Sony and some other brands.
Rating: 1 / 5
I use this lens on my Canon Rebel XTI as a replacement for the EF-S 18-55 1:3.5-5.6 II that come with the kit. I am generally impressed and satisfied with my purchase.
I am not qualified to discuss every aspect of the optical performance, but I can point out a few negatives that would concern the amateur:
1) It is huge! holding the camera makes my wrists sore, and It no longer fits in the carry case I use. The lens attracts a little more attention than I would like.
2) It makes a very faint high pitched noise. The noise goes away when I press the depth of field preview, or when the camera goes into powersave mode after a few minutes of inactivity. It is unaffected by the image stabilization feature. It is not loud enough to bother anyone, but when I hear it, I think of the battery getting eaten away.
3) The lens cap is difficult to put on / Easy to drop.
4) It is just a travel lens. Professionals hate that these are so popular, because they compromise optical perfection for extreme zoom range.
Rating: 4 / 5