Check Out Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras for $449.00
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras Review

I read several reviews of the Canon version of this lens that said it was common to get a copy that focuses inaccurately. I’m here to say I took the chance and got a good copy! Mine focuses perfectly, right where the camera’s focus points light up. I’m using the lens on a T2i, which doesn’t have focus microadjust, and they worked together right out of the box.
Image quality is great. It is a touch soft at the wide aperture at longer focal lengths, but definitely still print worthy. Stopping down a bit sharpens it up nicely. f/2.8 at 17mm is really good, and the middle apertures are always excellent. Colors and contrast look fine to me, and flare seems well controlled. It has GREAT bokeh.
HSM focuses quickly and pretty quietly. It does NOT have full-time manual. I think all of the audible noise comes from the sliding of the focus ring rather than the motor. Sometimes if the lens needs to drastically change the focus distance, it will hunt and there is some quiet chatter from the ring starting and stopping repeatedly. I wasn’t sure how quiet it was supposed to be, but it’s fantastic compared to the loud buzzing of the Canon 35mm f/2. The only absolute comparisons I can give are, it’s much quieter than the shutter click, but still loud enough to hear in videos. Oh, and it’s quieter than a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 I tried, which was quiet but sounded squeaky and rough.
Macro is really fun. It can auto focus about 3 inches from the front of the lens at the wide end, and about 1 inch zoomed in. Manual focus can get just a little closer. It makes the lens very valuable as a walk-around lens to be able to take a landscape and then crouch down and fill the sensor with a flower.
OS (optical stabilization) is a small benefit. It doesn’t feel as useful as the IS on a little Canon a570IS that I have. I’d say it gives about 2 stops of benefit consistently. It’s also not dependable with longer shutter speeds, like slower than 1/10. It helps but it won’t make the image perfectly sharp. It seems more like it smoothens the image motion instead of locking it down. If you move the lens while half-pressed, then you have to wait a second for the OS to come to a stop. This is actually good for video though, as the lens motion stays smooth while panning instead of jumping from one stable position to another. The OS is barely audible in silence, quieter than the HSM, but it might get recorded by the built in mic.
Build quality is great for the price. It’s substantial but not uncomfortable, and a little front heavy on a Rebel. The rings are smooth enough for photography. Zooming is unusable with video because it takes some force to zoom and it will cause your camera to tilt unless you have it on a tripod. It’s smooth and you can be precise with it, but it requires force. The benefit to that is that the zoom doesn’t creep at all. It has a zoom lock but I never use it. The focus ring is light and easy to move, but not buttery smooth. It’s sticky enough that it won’t accidentally move. It doesn’t have much travel though so it takes some finesse to get precise focus.
All things considered, this lens performs above and beyond its price. It has so many features, I’m having trouble choosing my next lens. And to all Canon users: good copies exist!
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras Feature
- Optical Stabilizer
- Hyper Sonic Motor
- ELD Glass, Macro
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras Overview
Sigma Corporation adds unique, anti-shake technology to award-winning 17-70mm lens Sigma announced the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM. This large aperture standard zoom lens offers an aperture of F2.8 at the 17mm focal length and is ideal for many situations such as portraits, sports, macro and general photography The OS (Optical Stabilizer) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. The maximum aperture of F2.8 makes this lens ideal for hand held photography as well as producing an attractive background blur and high speed auto focus. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm (8.7..) throughout the entire zoom range and maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.7, making it ideal for close-up photography. It is possible to focus as close as approximately 4.7cm from the tip of the lens to the subject making this lens particularly useful for close-up photography. Three aspherical lenses and one ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass element provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high contrast images. The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed AF. This lens has a rounded 7 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image
Customer Rating : 
Price on Jul 12, 2010 14:04:04 : $680.00
Offer Price : $449.00
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Available at Amazon Get One Check Price Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Nikon Mount Digital SLR Cameras Now!
Customer Reviews
Beats and exceeds Nikon 16-85VRII – Doris Stoeckl – Küps
This is my first non Nikon lens in thirty years and I was sceptic boy, with all the focus and decentering problems reports around.
But my Nikon 16-85 was somewhat less sharp than my Nikon 70-300 at 70-85mm. So I ordered the Sigma to compare in Wide Angle node. And..was knocked of my feet.
The Sigma is sharper at all focus length compared to the Nikon 16-85. The only little downside are the weak extreme corners at fully open only however. But remember the aperture that you get for it.
However, just one stop down the lens performs incredibly well. At one stop closed it reaches a level that the Nikon cannot cope with even one or two stops more.
The vibration reduction works excellent, as well as the focusing is silent and swift. Macro images are stunningly sharp and the bokeh is beautiful. So far I could not identify any chromatic aberrations either.
I have thoroughly tested the lens with my D300S body for focusing accuracy and have not found the slightest deviation. The pictures are sharp from the center to the border so I would guess that the lens is well centered too.
This lens is a gem especially for the price you pay for, it is also built very solid and does not need to shy away a comparison with the Nikon lenses.
Super lens – Michael Flores – San Antonio, TX
I ordered the 17-70 OS as an upgrade from my 18-105VR. I never really need the reach of the 18-105 and could use a little more light from the faster 17-70. All I have to say is for me it was worth the upgrade. The build quality is a lot better than the 18-105, metal over plastic mount. It’s a solid lens but a bit heavier.
Focus is quick enough and doesn’t seem to hunt in most lighting conditions. I don’t like that the focus ring rotates during AF. Sometimes I accidentally hold the ring and not let it focus and am afraid of what that might do to the lens. Nothing so far.
The operation of the lens is very nice. The switches are solid and the zoom is very firm but not too much. It has a lock at 17mm which I like since it helps with removing the lens from the body. I don’t think it would help much with creep since there isn’t any.
As for OS goes I’ve gotten sharp shots down to 1/4 at 70mm, but that’s with many tries. I think it helps a good 3 stops for me. It seems to be activated completely with half-shutter press but stays on for a while after I let go of the shutter. When it deactivates it makes a little noise that may be worrisome for others.
Now for image quality. It’s sharp. Especially through the mid-ranges wide open. As sharp as the 18-105 but seems to have better contrast. The extreme ends are still really sharp and definitely usable all the times. Stopped down just a stop is enough for me. I use it on my D5000.
Please do not buy this product – LStorer –
Save your money and do not buy this (short and sweet). I returned the first one and the replacement was also a disappointment. It’s just not worth your time and money to be playing around with a bad lens (period).
Highly recommended. – David Ingraham – Los Angeles
I’d been researching and saving up for a multi-purpose wide-angle/zoom lens for the last year or so. I’d had my eye on the NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, and was about drop the cash when I decided to do some last-minute online shopping around, just to see what other options were available. I’m glad I did. I stumbled upon Sigma’s version of the same (similar) lens, yet their’s is faster (2.8 instead of 3.5), it has macro capability, yet it’s substantially less expensive. I know Nikon makes great lenses, but so does Sigma, so if the latter’s going to save me 0, then Sigma it is!
My only complaint is that the lens is very heavy (tiring my hands quickly), but considering that it’s got an image-stabaliztion motor in it, this was to be expected. If anything, the weight of it is a reminder that I’ve got a quality piece of equipment in my hands.
Long-story-short, I’m extremely happy with my purchase.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 12, 2010 14:04:04


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