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 panning movement of the camera and compensates for camera shake when shooting moving subjects such as motor sports. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass and aspherical glass provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7") throughout the entire zoom range and has a maximum magnification of 1:3.9. Since the inner focusing system means the front of the lens does not rotate, optional circular polarizing filters and the supplied petal-type hood can easily be used. A magnification scale is displayed on the lens barrel, ensuring ease of use. A zoom-lock switch mechanism is provided to prevent the lens from creeping due to its own weight. 69.3 - 7.1 degrees (Sigma SD format) angle of view 7 Diaphragm Blades F22 Minimum Aperture 45cm / 17.7 Minimum Focusing Distance 1 - 3.9 Maximum Magnification Petal Lens Hood Fully compatible with All Nikon Digital SLR cameras including the D40 and D40x Dimensions - Diameter 79mm x Length 100mm Weight - 21.5 ounces (610 grams)

Product Details

• Brand: Sigma
• Model: B000NOSCGW
• Released on: 2007-08-10
• Dimensions: 3.10" h x 3.10" w x 3.90" l, 1.34 pounds

Features

• 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

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sigma 18-200mm high-zoom-ratio lens is designed exclusively for Nikon digital SLR cameras and is 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 correct for all types of aberrations, letting Sigma house the extended-range super-zoom lens in a compact and lightweight body that measures 70mm in diameter and 78.1mm long and weighs a mere 14.3 ounces. The new lens coating, meanwhile, reduces flare and ghost--a common problem shared by many digital cameras--while also creating an optimum color balance. Other details include a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7) at all focal lengths, a high zoom ratio of 11:1, and a maximum magnification of 1:4.4.

The lens design incorporates an inner focusing system that prevents the front of the lens from rotating, making it particularly suitable for using circular polarizing filters and petal-shaped lens hoods. In addition, the overall length of the lens never changes during focusing, making the lens convenient to handle and easy to use. Finally, the lens's zoom lock switch eliminates "zoom creep" during transport--a convenient addition when traveling. The lens, which includes a metal mount, is backed by a one-year warranty.

Customer Reviews

Excellent solution for many Photographers.
This was shipped to my office yesterday, so I naturally had to play with it. I have an old Nikon D50, and had gotten use to the kit lens that was on it. This Sigma is CONSIDERABLY larger and heavier. I expected that of course, and maybe I'm just getting old, but IMO its a pretty hefty lens.

I bought this lens expressly for the Optical Stabilization, so that was the first thing I tested. My office has a logo painted on the far side, so I handheld, indoors, at 200mm and focused on one letter. The lens setting was f6.3 at 1/30 sec. Looking side by side at the OS and non-OS shot in the camera lcd screen, they looked almost identical.

However, puting them in Photoshop and blowing them up revealed a whole other story. The non-os picture was blurred - and no amount of sharpening in Photoshop could correct it.

The OS picture was sharp. I'm not easily impressed, but I was really surprised at how well it worked. When I enlarged it to 200 percent in Photoshop, it seemed to be a bit soft, so I applied a small bit of sharpening from the software - and ended up with a photo that looked like
it had been shot with a macro lens from 3 feet away on a tripod. It was outstanding.

I bought this lens for 2 reasons.

First I am a Realtor. All of my listings need indoor shots, and I stay away from flash if I can - natural light seems to create warm home interiors. Problem was, most of these shots ended up in the 1/8-1/15 range - so I packed a tripod around. This lens should be far more convenient.

Second, I am a photographer. I shoot a lot of weddings and reunions, and I often try to drag the shutter, especially in churches or large halls, where I want some ambient light to fill in the background. This lens will allow me to shoot all day at 1/15 sec. with a TTL flash, and create some nice balanced portraits without the background blur found in most of these sort of images from the slow shutter speed.

I have read in other reviews that this lens is slow. It is. If it were a straight lens with f6.3 at 200 mm, I wouldn't even consider it. However, the OS allows you to handhold safely at least another 2 fstops slower, so IMO, that makes up for the slow speed of the lens. Besides, it's ridiculous to compare a $500 lens to a $1700 lens in the first place.

The lens also has a bit of distortion. If you primarily shoot architecture, and don't want to correct all of your images, this isn't the lens for you.

I haven't noticed any lens creep yet, the zoom ring is pretty stiff, but that may change over time, and there is a lock, anyway.

One major complaint I have about this lens: the focus ring is prominent, and easy to grab. TOO easy to grab. Sigma warns against turning the focus ring when you are in autofocus mode, for fear of damaging the lens. I trained myself after about 15 minutes to keep my hand off of it, but I noticed that anyone that picked up the camera had a tendency to want to turn the focus ring, thinking it was the zoom ring. If you hand this lens to someone to take your picture, be sure to instruct them how to handle it, or risk damage to the lens.

The focus mechanism and OS are a bit noisy, but mostly because my ear is about 4 inches from the camera when it operates. I care very little about the noise factor.

Overall, this is a great lens. Inexpensive, will probably be on your camera exclusively, and allows you to handhold the camera in low light situations. I never got to test it against Nikon's version, but the difference in price made the choice easy. I recommend this lens highly.

3.5 Stars might be more accurate
First impressions after having the lens for 1 week, using with the Nikon D200 (upgraded from Nikon 24-120mm VR):

1. It is loud. When auto focusing or engaging the OS function, the lens makes a chirp sound. Doesn't really matter from a performance perspective, but it is annoying.

2. Auto focus in the dark takes longer than the 24-120mm Nikon. Not sure if this is the camera or the lens, but the lens just doesn't seem happy to do the nighttime auto focus.

3. Range is amazing. From full tele to full zoom, the photos look great.

4. OS stabilization seems to work just as well as the Nikon 24-120mm VR's did.

4. For just over 1/2 the price of the Nikon 18-200 VR, no matter how much quieter/faster the Nikon is, this seems like the better value for the buck.

Much better than just a "walk-around lens"
I purchased this lens for use with a new Nikon D40 and have been blown away! I really enjoy having the flexibility to go from 18mm to 200mm in a single lens, rather than swapping between my 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. I took it for a "test drive" on a hike in the mountains this weekend, and I will never go back to carrying my two other lenses again when I'm walking around! Images were crisp and the colors were great. I forgot to take my circular polarizing filter with me, but it wasn't a problem with this beauty.

The optical quality is much better than I expected. There is some barrel distortion when you're zoomed back to wide angles - it was noticeable through the viewfinder. If it bothers you, it's corrected easily enough using Capture NX or Photoshop to work on your images.

The lens is noticeably heavier than its brethren, but I don't believe that will be an issue. It's also almost an inch bigger in diameter than my 55-200mm lens, but I actually think that's good. It feels better in my hand.

I found myself switching to manual focus on several occasions, as I was shooting through trees into the valley several miles from the mountain. As others have noted, the focus ring is larger than I have come to expect on other lenses, and I did find myself grabbing it by mistake a couple of times when I meant to go for the zoom ring. I'll learn, though...I'll be using this lens almost all the time, so I know I'll get used to it.

I have noted that in extreme close-ups (macro range), the lens does a great deal of "hunting" to find the right focus. The Nikon lenses often do the same thing, but the hunting is a little louder with the Sigma lens. I wonder if the wider lens barrel partially blocks the camera's autofocus sensor. Again, this is not a big issue for me...especially in macro shots, where I prefer to focus manually anyway.

The Optical Stabilization feature worked great. I didn't have a single blurred picture from my shoot on the hike, even though I was shooting at f10 or narrower most of the time, at many zoom angles, in a variety of lighting conditions, and without a tripod.

The biggest problem I had came from the embarrassment of riches at having so wide a zoom range available to me! On many occasions, I found myself shooting the same scene from the same spot, all the way from 18mm to high zooms, and every one of the pictures had its own artistic interest and merits. How do I choose which one I like best?!

All in all, this is a great lens. I'm very happy with it and I know I'll be doing a lot more photography with it than I would have been doing without it.