For shooting wildlife.. (Sigma 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 DC Lens)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	Sigma 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 DC Lens
Date:	25/10/09 (117 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

My Canon 400D SLR came with a standard kit lens that was fine at first as I learnt how to get the best out of my new camera. However all the reviews I read have criticised the kit lens and suggested that you could get much better results by replacing it with something better. I knew I wanted a lens that would enable me to take both wide angled shots and distance shots. I like to photograph wild life so a decent zoom lens was my priority. I had a limited budget so couldn't afford to buy several different lenses and wanted to buy 1 lens that would meet all my requirements and not break the bank!

I did lots of research and was impressed by the specifications of the Sigma 18mm-200mm lens. Before I made my final decision I took my camera to my local cameral shop so I could actually try out the lens on my camera. Having satisfied myself that this was the right lens for me, I then shopped around for the lowest price and my local cameral shop agreed to price match! I managed to get my lens for £280. That was a year ago and prices may have come down a bit since then, it's always worth shopping around and haggling!

What you get for your money.
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In the box is an 18mm-200mm f/3.5-6.3 lens.

Instruction booklet, front and rear caps and a petal type lens hood.

The lens has Sigma's optical stabilization system to help prevent camera shake especially when you use the zoom or in low light situations. A super multi-layer coating is used on the lens to help eliminate flare and ghosting.

The lens is quite heavy weighing 405 grams but as this is a multi use lens that is to be expected! The lens has a 70mm diameter that looks quite impressive and I do feel a bit like a professional when pointing it at my subject! The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45 cm and a minimum aperture of f22. The lens has an 11x zoom.

The lens was very easy to fit onto my camera and it has remained in position since the day I fitted it! I was impressed with the metal mount and the build quality in general.

The lens can either be used with the optical stabilization system enabled or disabled. This is easy to do by sliding the control button to the required setting. The lens can also be set to automatically focus or to manual focus.

My experience.
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I am no expert when it comes to photography and still have a lot to learn. I do however really enjoy experimenting and have had some great results-well I think so anyway! The kits lens that came with my camera was not that bad, but didn't take the sharpest of pictures and with a range of 18-55mm it didn't offer much in the way of a zoom lens.

The sigma lens is quite heavy to carry around, but then this is a very versatile lens allowing you to take good wide angled and zoom shots with one lens. The diameter is quite large and with so much expensive glass exposed I recommend you use a filter. I recently dropped my camera and the filter smashed. However without the filter it could have been my lens that smashed!

I am really pleased with the quality of the wide angled shots this lens produces. They are sharp with good colour reproduction. I often take pictures in the fully automatic mode and tend to leave the lens set to automatic too.

I like to take wildlife pictures and for this I rely on the zoom lens. At times I have found the lens a bit slow to focus and this can be very annoying! However the lens does perform well at full zoom and I have some really sharp clear photos that would not have been possible without the zoom.

The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm and is no good for taking detailed close up shots. I would love to be able to afford an additional macro lens some day!

The lens works well on all my camera pre-sets with the exception of macro, and is easy to focus when I use my camera in manual mode too.

I really like the image stabilisation function and have experimented by taking the same shot with this function turned off and you can really see the difference! At full zoom or in low light I think it is essential to have this enabled to prevent camera shake. When you are using the lens at full zoom the lens locks to further help prevent camera shake. This is really useful as when the lens is at full zoom the camera becomes front heavy.

I like the go on long hikes and always take my camera. Although this lens is quite heavy it does give me a wide range of options from wide angled to zoom. I like the fact I only have to carry one lens and can keep it attached to my camera so don't have to mess about changing lenses.

The petal type lens hood is good to help reduce glare from bright sunlight. My only criticism is that it is difficulty to fix securely in place and unless you line it up correctly it falls off! Still once correctly fitted it is very effective at preventing glare.

The pros.
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This is a great value lens for the price I paid. Canon lenses cost much more and although they may give better results I am very pleased with the quality of my pictures with this lens. They are certainly much better than those I achieved with my kit lens.

The sigma optical stabilisation system works well and prevents camera shake in low light and when using the full zoom.

The lens looks and feels really well made and I like the metal mount.
The cons.
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I really can't think of many negatives to say about this lens. It isn't good for close ups but then you can't have everything! The lens can sometimes be a bit slow to lock focus but this is only a minor problem.

Overall I am very impressed with this lens especially for the price I paid. I am no expert when it comes to photography and think this lens is much better than I am! Taking a good photo is partly down to being in the right place at the right moment, the light conditions and luck! However having a good lens will certainly help you achieve that perfect shot!

Summary: sigma camera lens

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