Sigma 17-70mm f2.8? at DVinfo.net

David St. Juskow · April 7th, 2010, 02:09 PM

Did I miss something in my advanced searches, or has no one discussed this lens yet in the forums? Seems odd, since it sounds like a pretty sweet lens- a very wide range, fairly fast for a zoom lens, and under 500 bucks. Can't find many comprehensive reviews on this, especially when relating it to video, so I'm confused- are we simply not familiar with the lens?

If one were to avoid buying a prime, what competes with this, price/speed/range wise? I know you can't beat primes for sharpness, but I just use zoom way too much on video for a prime to be useful at this point. I ordered the Tokina 11-16, so this seems like the perfect companion. It's been a long time since I've had to shop for lenses (once digital video came into the world) so I'm a little behind on the current wisdom. Just went through the other lens threads, but they mostly discuss primes, and no one mentioned this little guy, which seems like a perfect fit for the t2i.

Maybe it's not very sharp..?

Subbu Vedula · April 7th, 2010, 03:42 PM

If you are talking about this lens:

Amazon.com: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Canon Mount Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

The aperture is not constant at 2.8 throughout the zoom range.

David St. Juskow · April 7th, 2010, 08:19 PM

Yes, that's the one. Sure, losing a stop when zoomed in isn't ideal, but that's not exactly rare with video camera lenses (perhaps not a full stop, but still.) Okay, that's something, but is that it? Has anyone tested this thing? It's supposedly pretty sharp...

Colin Rowe · April 8th, 2010, 08:16 AM

Its a good lens, at the price, it wont dissapoint. I use mine a lot

Subbu Vedula · April 8th, 2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David St. Juskow

Yes, that's the one. Sure, losing a stop when zoomed in isn't ideal, but that's not exactly rare with video camera lenses (perhaps not a full stop, but still.) Okay, that's something, but is that it? Has anyone tested this thing? It's supposedly pretty sharp...

People seem to love Tamron 17-50 and Tamron 28-75.
Or you may even look into Sigma 18-50. All are f2.8 constant but you lose 20mm at the long end on 17-50/18-50 and 11mm on the wide end for tamron 28-75.
I personally feel, the constant f2.8 is nice to have more often than not.

Kin Lau · April 8th, 2010, 04:57 PM

I have both the Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 and 18-50/2.8 (early version, non-macro).

The macro ability of the 17-70 is very nice, and it's a nice walkaround range.

For video tho, I would prefer to spend a bit more for the upcoming Sigma 17-50/2.8 w/ OS or the Tamron 17-50/2.8 VC.

Tom Patsenka · April 8th, 2010, 06:16 PM

Hello,
For what it is worth, I have the Sigma 17-70mm with OS and find that it
performs very well. My choice came down to price and features. I sold the
kit lens that came with my T2i, the Sigma has a good feel and weight, given
that the T2i is a bit lite. Optically it does the job for me.

Tom

April 7th, 2010, 02:09 PM	#1
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	Sigma 17-70mm f2.8? Did I miss something in my advanced searches, or has no one discussed this lens yet in the forums? Seems odd, since it sounds like a pretty sweet lens- a very wide range, fairly fast for a zoom lens, and under 500 bucks. Can't find many comprehensive reviews on this, especially when relating it to video, so I'm confused- are we simply not familiar with the lens? If one were to avoid buying a prime, what competes with this, price/speed/range wise? I know you can't beat primes for sharpness, but I just use zoom way too much on video for a prime to be useful at this point. I ordered the Tokina 11-16, so this seems like the perfect companion. It's been a long time since I've had to shop for lenses (once digital video came into the world) so I'm a little behind on the current wisdom. Just went through the other lens threads, but they mostly discuss primes, and no one mentioned this little guy, which seems like a perfect fit for the t2i. Maybe it's not very sharp..?

April 7th, 2010, 03:42 PM	#2
Subbu Vedula Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: New York, NY Posts: 48	If you are talking about this lens: Amazon.com: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Canon Mount Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo Amazon.com: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for Canon Mount Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo The aperture is not constant at 2.8 throughout the zoom range.

April 8th, 2010, 08:16 AM	#4
Colin Rowe Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cornwall UK Posts: 793	Its a good lens, at the price, it wont dissapoint. I use mine a lot __________________ Colin

April 8th, 2010, 06:16 PM	#7
Tom Patsenka Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Shelton, CT Posts: 1	Sigma 17-70mm f2.8? Hello, For what it is worth, I have the Sigma 17-70mm with OS and find that it performs very well. My choice came down to price and features. I sold the kit lens that came with my T2i, the Sigma has a good feel and weight, given that the T2i is a bit lite. Optically it does the job for me. Tom

April 7th, 2010, 08:19 PM	#3
David St. Juskow Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: new york city Posts: 113	Yes, that's the one. Sure, losing a stop when zoomed in isn't ideal, but that's not exactly rare with video camera lenses (perhaps not a full stop, but still.) Okay, that's something, but is that it? Has anyone tested this thing? It's supposedly pretty sharp...

April 8th, 2010, 04:57 PM	#6
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	I have both the Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 and 18-50/2.8 (early version, non-macro). The macro ability of the 17-70 is very nice, and it's a nice walkaround range. For video tho, I would prefer to spend a bit more for the upcoming Sigma 17-50/2.8 w/ OS or the Tamron 17-50/2.8 VC.