Name: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AutoFocus Digital SLR Cameras - USA Warranty
Brand: Sigma
SKU: SG1850284NKA
Price: 169.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.3 (46 reviews)

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AutoFocus Digital SLR Cameras - USA Warranty

Sigma 18-50mm

Sigma

Sigma 18mm-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM Lens for Nikon DSLRs

Adorama

Photography

Lenses

SLR Lenses

Sigma SLR Lenses

Sigma 18-50mm 

15% Off: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AutoFocus Digital SLR Cameras - USA Warranty Buy now & save $30. Image Stabilization Type: Yes (OS), Lens Format: APS-C / DX, Lens Mount: Nikon F, Lens Series: Sigma DC

Large Aperture, Standard Zoom with Optical Stabilization...  An upgrade to its predecessor, the 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM is a lens dedicated to digital SLR cameras with APS-C size image sensors offering a large aperture and Sigma's Optical Stabilization.  Once again, Sigma has also engineered the built-in OS function, an anti-shake system, (for Sony and Pentax mount) allowing the photographer to see a stabilized image in the viewfinder. The combination of the large aperture of F2.8 and anti-shake function makes capturing exceptional photos in low light achievable, and the wide angle is wellsuited for indoor photography.  Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements and three Aspherical lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The Super Multi-LayerCoating reduces flare and ghosting. Designed with inner focusing and inner zooming systems, high image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range.  The overall length of the lens does not change during focusing and zooming ensuring convenient handling. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 11.8 inches (30cm) throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification ratioof 1:4.1. The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed auto focus. 

I have a 50mm 1.4 ons and used it as my close focus lens or carry around lens. On a trip to NC I found myself in some situations where because of the crop
factor I couldn't get in everything I wanted and needed more of a wide angle.
Checking with friends the Sigma 18mm-50mm seemed to be a great fit. I have
been very pleased so far but the weather has restricted it's use somewhat so
far. To be sure I have used this lens ( a new lens has to be used immediately
as everyone knows) and am very pleased with the results. The lens is small and light and I see it as my universal lens along with my 70mm-200mm I now 
cover the entire field. I was a little concerned because this is my first non
Nikon lens but after see and using this lens I feel much happier with it,s
purchase.

Happy with my purchase.

Overall construction of lens with internal moving parts is very good. But there are two things that you should know, If using the on board flash, when the lens is open up to it's widest setting w/ hood, there is a very large shadow blocked area, second and something the surprised me, is that after you take your picture, the picture revue stays on. Requires that you press the revue button to turn off screen. no big problem , but it is a surprise. other then those two things this is a very good lens for the low price.

Somethings you should know

As an advanced amateur on a budget, this lens does nicely. It is acceptably sharp for the price, but obviously does not perform to the level of pricier models. The stabilization feature is a real plus.

Good for the price

I wanted to upgrade the 18-55mm kit lens that I use on my Nikon D90. I first bought the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 SP XR Di II VC from another vendor. I was extremely disappointed. The sharpness was very poor, the lens was heavy and to be honest...the Nikon 18-55 kit lens performed better. I returned it.

I was about ready to stay with the Nikon kit lens when I came across this Sigma lens. Adorama had a used copy so I decided to give it a go. I can't tell you how impressed I am with it! It is EXTREMELY sharp. The AF is lighter and much quieter than the Tamron, and very fast. I have only taken about 100 shots with it, but I LOVE THIS LENS. Landscape shots, close-up, daylight, shadows....it performs wonderfully. And, it is half the price of the Tamron.

Not to be sacrilegious here since I am a Nikon owner, but I do believe the OS is better than Nikon's. I took an indoor shot with a shutter speed of 100 and it turned out very sharp. 

I'm quite sure this will be my go-to lens for a long time. Thanks Sigma!

Unbelievable value!

This Sigma is my Kit Lens replacement and WOW what a difference! Great lens, Great price, Great delivery. Could not be happier. This is my second Sigma and I love them both.

GREAT!

Great for indoor photography in low light situations.

Great lens.

I bought this lens to replace my Canon EF-S 18-55 IS. Now I constantly use this lens along with my nifty fifty. I am impressed with the HSM and the wide apertures. I was a little concerned about the some of the reviews that spoke about chromatic abberations, but I did not see anything as such so far. The focussing is not outstanding at low light, but you cannot expect that from a lens in this price range.

I would definitely recommend it to others.

Great lens for a the price

My kit lens broke, so I researched a solid, useable inexpensive replacement . This lens popped up and I took the plunge. I love the internal zoom and focus function. It feels strong, but maybe a bit heavy. I've not had a bad experience so far and used it in many different situations. My other lens is my "walk around" and it's the Tamron 18-270 and I love it, but this fill a very nice niche.

Sweet baby!

Great Lens

This is definitely worth the money and such an upgrade to the kit lens. WAY SHARPER than the kit, nice heavy build. Doesnt leave my K-5

A+ Kit lens upgrade

sigma did a wonderful job with this lens.great value,love to use it.

was very happy when i received the lens

Excellent lens for the price.  Personally like it alot better than Canon kit lens

I would recommend this lens to all

Not really a bad lens, but the corners and the borders are left to be desired. A lot better quality & construction than the standard kit lens coming from Canon, Nikon. The "BIG 2" standard kit lenses have cheap plastic housings with cheap plastic mounts ! The Sigma how ever has a better plastic housing and a metal mount ! Sigma comes with a better warranty than Canon or Nikon and a better vibration stabilized control system than Canon or Nikon. 

On the Canon model I had the zoom ring turns in the opposite direction than what Canon zoom rings turns. And the corners & borders are soft ! On my Canon 50d I had the Peripheral Correction turned on and no vignetting, but the further away from the center of each shot the scene gets softer focus going out to the corners and the borders. As long as your subject is centered, you will have sharp focus. That is why I returned the lens.

Little better than entry level kit lens

This product is great for someone who is looking to take good quality photos without carrying a huge lens. It comes equipped with a fast motor which means it will autofocus quickly if you are using it in Auto mode allowing you to take photos more quickly than some lenses. It has a larger barrel than some lenses allowing in more light which makes it nice for taking low light photos. a couple of cons would be that it can sometimes let in a little too much light which can really wash out your photos in Auto mode, but with a couple of minor adjustments, you can quickly fix that. Also, keep in mind that this is an 18mm - 50mm lens so your zoom is very limited. It's good for taking photos of friends, scenery, and large objects. If you're trying to get a closeup shot of a 747 in mid-flight, this is not the lens for you.

Great starter lens!

I just got this fantastic low light lens last week.
This lens has quickly become one of my most used lens. It's the lens I would choose if I could just choose one to shoot a wedding with and I'm free to approach the bride and groom during any part of the ceremony. It's also THE one lens I would choose to take on a vacation, it's that versatile. I love the part where I can walk into a dark cathedral and hand hold a shot at 1 second and it's sharp. Nice lens!!!

"Fantastic Lens"

This lens is excellent.  It is best to stop it down to elimante any problems with aberation or soft focus.  I use it mostly to shoot landscape and storm photos.

Excellent lens for the money

I bought this lens with my first DSLR, the Canon T3i. I must say, I am quite pleased overall. Although I know how to and enjoy taking photos, I mainly bought the camera and this lens for shooting video. I've stepped to this from a 3CCD camcorder and the image quality is far superior.

I've heard or read a lot that this lens results in vignette, but I don't see any hint of that in my photos or videos (even though it could be a nice effect when shooting video).

The lens was bigger than I expected, and it looks a tiny bit awkward on my t3i (but I don't care about looks. the t3i is a great camera). However this is great because it provides a lot of weight which equals stabilization while shooting videos (with the optical stabilization built in as well).

I love how the zoom does not extend the lens. This is especially good for filming because I can easily adjust the manual focus which would move around if the lens extended. Manual focus is easy in video but I would not recommend it for photos. The ring is very sensitive and you can easily get it a bit out of focus (which doesn't matter for video, as the resolution is only 1080p).

One thing that's not too great about this is the occasional clicking while zooming. This is mostly not a problem if you just shoot photos or take videos in a stationary zoom. Sometimes when you zoom in, the aperture adjustments will cause a slight clicking noise within the lens (which sounds awfully loud in the recorded footage), but I've found that it can be temporarily fixed by setting the aperture value at 2.8 when zoomed out, or setting the maximum aperture value at any zoom. After that don't touch the aperture, or it will cause it to click again.

I cannot give an insightful review on the photo quality aspect of this lens, as I am a novice photographer (but experienced in film). But given that you try and keep the ISO at low values, the quality of the photos are outstanding to me. Extremely clean and suitable for photos of pets, family, and friends. If you're a professional nature or sports photographer, you may say otherwise, but then again you would have a bigger budget for a better lens in the first place.

One advice: I use the t3i and this lens with magic lantern. If you use steps of 160 ISO, you will achieve minimum grain, which is wonderful for low light video.

Awesome lens for video.

this is the best value for its price. superior lense in its class. don't take my word for it. read other revies too. the only drawback is that AF ring rotates while on AF mode. this is my second one, I broke the fist one in an accident.

great substitute for Nikon brand

What a joy to have. I love this lens it gives me the photos I am shooting for. For the price you can't go wrong

Nice feel

I am a casual photographer that was looking for an upgrade to my "stock" Canon 18-55is without spending a ton of money. Did some research and with the help of Adorama's staff chose this Sigma.  I am really impressed with the construction of the lens. It has worked really well at low light and in the bright light. Excellent lens, much better than my 18-55is

big improvement over Canon 18-55is

WHERE TO BEGIN, .. would rate this a 4.5 stars just based off value for its price 

Lets get the obvious out of the way, This is not a L lens, this is a upgrade from the Canon 18-55mm kit lens.  

Now with that, if you were a long time Kit lens user,you know that the lens was alot better than it was given credit for, with the proper lighting and conditions, it gave good surprisingly great results.  Having the Sigma 18-50 for about 2-3weeks now i can say i get the same feeling from it with alittle more "punch" to it, 

Optical - honestly w/ the right lighting conditions like day time, sunny, with natural lighting, this lens has no problems at all, the f2.8 is very nice wide open and the lens gets nice a sharp around 4.5 to 7.1 at 18mm, if you have to compare it to the kitlens, this sigma has a edge. 

Built quailty - this is where this lens really shines i feel like. the construction of this lens is great, just like most Sigmas.  the non focusing front element and non extending zoom is a HUGE benefit.  this lens is alot sturdier compared to the canon kitlens and it is very obvious.  tulip lens included, too. 

Mechanism - my copy i had no focusing issues and the focus was pretty fast.  day time of course it was very easy.  In low light it was surprisingly faster than i expected it to be also.  the AF and HSM was nice too.  Not as quiet as i thought it would be.. (compared to Canon USM and Tamron USD)  but it was still quieter than most canons w/o USM, especially the kitlens.  

overall - This is a great lens for the buck and a great value and step up from the kitlens.  Coming from the kitlens this lens is alot faster, built quality and looks wise is better aswell.  taking a look at this lens universally compared to others, its hard to compare as it is in a "lower League", however that doesnt mean its bad.  with the given lighting available and working with your surrounding environment, you will enjoy this lens and will be able to get wonderful pictures.

Great Overall Lens

Would be nice if it had a fixed f/2.8
Other than thaty a great lens for the money!

Wonderful lens for the money!

In April 2011 buy this lens. And I never liked a detail that is, not whether it is normal when I'm running focus on internal Zoon has this lens when focus moves from 35 to 18 there is an internal balance or a stranger that no internal movement if this will be normal or not

mario armas.

This is pretty decent glass. It's better than my f3.5 18-70mm kit lens. But it's alot bigger. 

The extra stop up to f2.8 helps a little for night sky pictures. My only fast glass is an old minolta f1.4 50mm which is too narrow for the sky, especially on a x1.5 focal length dslr. 

It goes to a slower f stop if you zoom in but not at a worse rate than my kit lens. The front doesn't spin during focus which is nice. Did I mention it's huge? 
My only complaint, and maybe I'm not using it right is that when I use this lens my camera cannot find focus when I use "live focus mode". The mirror doesn't even drop like it usually does while the button is half-down when you use autofocus in this mode. It just keeps hunting. 

Manual focus works fine though which is what I use in this mode anyway. I usually use this mode to zoom in on a bug's eye or something while doing macro so auto focus doesn't matter and I wouldn't use this lens for that anyway.

Better than my kit lens,

I was so impressed with this lens that I actually called Sigma and asked to speak with their Marketing department. I have several other lenses and find my self keeping this lens on at all cost.  I realize that it may sound rediculous to compare it to lenses cost alot more but I would honestly put this lens up against any L series lens that Canon offers.  The image quality s so sharp coupled with the build and feel of this lens and [$] price tag, this lens cannot be beat!

I had to contact SIgma to thank them!

I *thought* this was a great price for a lens with a constant 2.8... I was wrong. Besides that, this is not a horrible lens. Seriously, AF is quick and fairly quiet. I bought it for indoor \ low-light conditions and am very pleased with the lens.

Read the specs twice...

I was looking for a bargin lens for my new 60D and tried 3 other lenses before purchasing this one.  I love this lens, pictures are Sharp and color is amazing.  I do a lot of senior/family photos and I can take on 18mm and zoom to 100% and have my picture crisp.  That says a lot to me about what a great lens this is.  If you are wanting a great lens for half the price this is the one for you.

Love It!!

I added one of these to my gear mainly as a backup. But, I find myself putting it on the camera more and more. The focusing is good and very quiet. I don't notice any lens creep at all and the images are clear edge to edge.  This is a good step up from most kit lenses as it does give you the 2.8f at 17mm. Just be sure you note the 2.8 is not there through the entire focal length.

Inexpensive and very good

for the most part it is a grate lens..can be the best for the price point

sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This lens was bought to replace an old 28-80 f3.5-5.6 Minolta kit lens. Overall, it is a decent replacement. The build quality is much better, focusing is nice and quiet, and it is wider at the wide end (although not as long at the long end). With that said, the image quality is about the same, with the images being a bit soft. Image stabilization is also unnecessary on Sony cameras, and the image visibly droops when the stabilizer goes to sleep (and recenters itself as soon as you half-press the shutter).

Conclusion: if you are looking for a kit lens, this is better than most other lenses out there. For about the same price, you get internal focusing and zoom (so the lens doesn't change in size), a slightly wider aperture, and better build quality. Since image quality is about the same, this lens is a good choice on a tight budget.

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AutoFocus Digital SLR Cameras - USA Warranty

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