Used Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS (Optical Stabilizer) Autofocus Aspherical Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras

2014-07-26T21:00:00

I use it mostly for family and travel photos.

Morris E.

2012-09-23T21:00:00

Physical manuerability light weight speed of auto focus image quality

MARVIN H.

2012-04-23T21:00:00

used full

Dandy C.

2012-02-19T19:00:00

I'm not a pro but I shoot a lot of pictures, 3700 on last 18 day vacation. I shoot with a Canon T1i. The lens is a good compromise for carrying one instead of multiple lens. Performance is good and image quality is good especially at lower focal lengths. However, it's heavy but this does give it a nice rugged feel. Almost like carrying multiple lens anyway. Lens developed creep after several months where if you don't lock the lens at 18mm it will extend to full length while hanging around your neck. Bummer. This also impacts shooting multiple pixs at same focal length if you let camera hang. It also makes a low buzzing sound whenever the camera is on, Sigma tech said this is normal. Focusing is rather loud too. Didn't notice an impact on battery life though but how would you tell. Low battery and this lens will try but won't focus. In hindsight I'd should have went for the 250mm, often found myself looking for a little more length. This lens will work for most amateurs.

NATHANIEL S.

2012-01-01T19:00:00

I used this lens while hiking in our beautiful Colorado Mountains. Much better then the 18-55 lens for outdoor pictures. It does get heavy when you are hiking long distances, but the pictures are so worth the effort. I am so glad I got this lens! I cannot wait to use it again!

AUDREY M.

2011-09-06T21:00:00

I use it everyday.

Brad

2011-09-05T21:00:00

This is a good all around lens for wide to moderate telephoto. I bought it to take on vacation with me so I would have one lens that could do most everything. The only issue I have is with the IS. I have other image stabilized lenses and I can tell when they are working (you get that "sea-sick" kind of effect as it's kicking in). This one seems more subtle or is not as strong.

STEPHEN L.

2011-09-04T21:00:00

Of course, not as good as a higher end lens, but great - great - great lens for the $$.

Missy K.

2011-02-03T19:00:00

Lens was to replace 2 lenses that came with the camera. Extremely satisfied.

Ninja

2011-01-11T19:00:00

This is a great travelling lens with 18 - 200mm it covers lots of area wihout having to keep changing the lens.

Sam W.

2011-01-11T19:00:00

I have started using the lens and it feels good and works good as mentioned

Photomaniac

2010-11-26T19:00:00

Great lens and excellent deal. I am a student photographer, and my work dramatically changed once I started useing this lens. The clarity and ease is more than I exspected. I tend to prefer the manual focus over the auto focus.

Gmusic

2010-11-26T19:00:00

Great lens and great deal. I am a student photographer, and my work improved dramatically when I began useing this lens.

GREG M.

2010-09-04T21:00:00

I've only used the lense a couple of times but am pleased with the output so far. More convenient tehn having to swap lenses for general use between the standard 18-55 and my 70-300.

Mike

2010-02-06T19:00:00

Now a year into owning this lense, I feel it is time I put down my impressions. While shopping for a better lense for my Rebel XT, this lense just kept coming out on top. I often take pictures in an official capacity and this lense has NEVER let me down. Focus can be a bit slow at times and lense creep gets you when you tilt the camera forward and move around. The OS is great, but I really have not needed to use it that much. At first the lens is heavy (compared to the 18-55mm that came with the camera) but I got used to it and the extra weight helps with holding steady for the longer shots. This is a start to the purchase of several more Sigma lenses. For an 'All Around' lense, this one is hard to beat. Build quality, function, image results, value, and after being dropped from 6 feet a couple times, this bad boy keeps on delivering stunning photos. Not all of us can afford Canon 'L' lenses. If you are looking for a lense that can 'do it all' you need not look no further. Just make sure to get a good quality UV filter - you will be thankful that you did the first time you drop it

Ragnarok

2010-01-09T19:00:00

Got this for an everyday lens to reduce interchanging lenses. Very happy with the quality of the pictures. I little heavy, but that is to be expected for the wider range.

rjnashburnva

2009-12-15T19:00:00

I bought this lens to go on my old Digital Rebel (300D) and I am happy that I went with the Sigma. Not to mention it was a little cheaper than other comparable lenses on the market the results have far exceeded what I was expecting, the image quality has been terrific on everything that I have shot so far and the Optical Stabilizer seems to work great, makes shooting hand held long zooms or low shutter speeds very easy when in the past I have always had to have a steady camera balance or a Tripod. Overall I am just amazed on the clarity and the detail this lens seems to consistently produce. The only con I can think of is that it isn't great for low light/indoor shots, but with a higher ISO and a denoise filter you can still get acceptable results, and quite frankly I would never use a lens with an 18-200 focal length for indoor or night shooting anyway. Overall, very good purchase.

The D.

2009-06-07T21:00:00

This lens is great and well worth the money. It focuses very sharp and quickly. Great buy!

SH P.

2009-03-13T21:00:00

Love Canon cameras but Sigma lens provides equal service to me for substantially less cost. Travel, sports, social, portrait and landscape photos really came out great. But .. don't lose the hood, hard to get another the right size.

Ed

2009-02-10T19:00:00

This lens produces fine images across the zoom range. It is a good value for the price. If you would rather put one lens on your camera, and leave it on for most shots, this lens is a good choice. It is built well, produces sharp images, has a good zoom range, and produces good true colors. The OS function really helps this lens to function somewhat like a faster lens, especially when it is used above 150mm. I've owned this lens for just over one week, but I'm very pleased with the results I've gotten thus far(several hundred pics taken). I could only give it 4 stars because the fifth star will have to be earned through longevity, and usage under many more conditions. I am very happy with the 18-200mm OS thus far. I'll update this review in the future! This is my first Sigma purchase, but probably not my last!

TIMOTHY H.

2009-01-28T19:00:00

[...] From the short time I've had this lens, seems like a really good lens. Contrast, clarity...it's all good!!!

Canon X.

2009-01-06T19:00:00

Have had the camera and lens since April , 2000 pic+/-. One cruise to Athens, Black Sea, israel, Egypt. Very adaptable and fit all my requirements for both close up and telephoto. Same for recent San Francisco and Maui. Different climates, different conditions, same constant results. Image stabilizer seems to be very effective. Canon lenses are probably superior but vastly more expensive and not worth it .. to ME.

Ed

2008-06-28T21:00:00

VERY HAPPY WITH ENTIRE PERFORMANCE.

DICKEYDO

2008-06-14T21:00:00

Sigma is more user friendly than the Canon lens that came with my camera. Only Canon products seem to work with the Canon lens. I'm probably going to stick with Sigma from now on!!

LYNN C.

2008-05-07T21:00:00

Suitable for most situations. Wide focal range allows me to shoot wide angle and zoon in without having to change lenses. Allows me to leave other lenses at home and carry only one. I can carry one longer lens and be prepared for most situations with two lenses instead of 4. Very versitle

Gail

2008-03-31T21:00:00

I recently got my 40d, which is my first dlsr, and I wanted one lens that covered a big range instead of having to swap lenses. Being new to dlsr's I didn't know too much about the different lens options so I researched a million lenses and ended up with this one. Overall I've been pretty happy with my choice. Obviously if you compare this to an "L" lens you'll be disappointed, but for most users who aren't pro's this lens is a pretty good buy. I've had this for about 3 months and I really haven't found anything to complain about. The stabelization is nice. It's pretty good in low light if you know how to get the most out of your equipment. I also purchased the canon 50mm 1.8 to do portrait work and between these two lenses I don't feel like there's anything I can't do. Overall, if you're just starting out and you want one lens to cover everything, this is definately a good choice and I'm glad I have it.

Tall S.

2008-02-27T19:00:00

I bought this to replace and compare to the Nikon 18-200VR because I have mostly Canon equipment. It is just as sharp as the Nikon under most circumstances. The Nikon is sharper at infinity and and long focal lengths but not excessivly so. At wide angle and for portraits it is just as good as the Nikon. Since I mostly use 200 mm to take pictues of faces this is OK. Like the Nikon it is only sharp when stopped down to at least f5.6 or better at f8. Neither the Nikon or the Sigma can match my L or other good quality zooms with sharpness and contrast but it does a pretty good job. The OS is a bit quirky compared to Nikon or Canon but works just fine - probably a little better than Canon. It is just kind of weird the way the viewfinder "snaps" into position. Major complaint is that the auto-focus is not great. I have to tap the focus at least twice and usually three times to get it right. It almost never focuses correctly on the first attempt on my 40D. When it does focus it is pretty sharp. After I learned to do this, the keeper rate went up dramatically and I started to like this lens. Focus is rather noisy compared to Canon USM. They call these types of lenses vacation lenses since they have such a wide focal ranges and you only need to take one lens. I prefer to take better lenses with me on vacations, which may be once in a life time events. This is my walking around, my scouting and my news lens - for when I just don't want to carry more than one lens and I don't know what I'm going to take pictures of. Pretty good for what it does and currently the only wide range OS option for Canon. For a Nikon user, yes I prefer the Nikon lens but the Sigma isn't too much of a down grade and maybe the focus works better on Nikon. I would try them both out and remember to compare them at close focus as well as at infinity. The usual disclaimers about Sigma's variable quality control apply, I suppose, but I've owned three Sigma lenses and found them all to be good value and good quality.

More b.

2008-01-23T19:00:00

I bought this lens to replace the 2 (heavy)Canon IS lenses (17-80mm & 70-300mm) that lugged around on my last European trip. I was concerned about barrel distortion at the wide angle setting, but after just one day's shooting I am very pleased with the results which are much better than my Canon 17-80mm lens. It will nicely suit my photographic needs during future travel.

TERRY M.

2007-09-21T21:00:00

I purchased this lens in July '07. At first I was not very happy with it and seriously considered returning it. I have been mostly using a Canon EF 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 L IS USM on my 5D and the Sigma lens only fits my 10D. So it took awhile to get used to using the older camera with the Sigma lens. And the Sigma lens is not really in the same class as the Canon L lens. After toting the Canon L lens around the US and Europe for the past year though, I wanted to try a lighter configuration. Anyway, after some practice with it, I think my results have improved dramatically. Keeping in mind that this is an inexpensive all around lens, and you can not expect perfect results from an all around lens in any price range, I'm pretty happy with it. The benefits are: 1) it is small and travels well, I don't have to pack an extra bag just for camera equipment, 2) it is lightweight and doesn't wear you out during a full day of shooting, and 3) it doesn't attract as much attention as the big white Canon L lenses. The OS works very well, although not as well as the Canon IS function. The AF is a bit slower than L lenses, but not bad. The 6.3 aperture on the long end of the lens results in slightly dark images at full zoom, but I have found that photoshop curves easily corrects this most of the time. I know a lot of photogs are critical of those of us that like to use an all around lens, but if you are looking for this type of lens, then I feel comfortable recommending it.

mwalker

2007-08-23T21:00:00

In terms of IQ and build quality, this is not a bad lens. It's not a great lens, it's definitely not an "L" lens, but it's ok. Otherwise, let me just say that I tried hard for two months to find a lens to fit my 400D that I could use as a single lens that would cover the type of shooting that I like to do, with no success. And I tried a lot of lenses. If this lens has a weakness for me, I have yet to find it. Ok, the zoom ring is not wide enough and occasionally I have grabbed the focus ring which doesn't work well while the AF motor is trying to turn it. But for those who question whether this lens is sharp enough for them, i would say that you should worry about the focus quality more than the lens sharpness at wide-open. Ever lens that I have tried so far has questionable focus accuracy on the 400D, this one too. I simply had to give up on using multi-point, and, having done that, the difference between wide-open and F8 is minimal, "there" but minimal. Nothing I'd complain about. It's not going to be "tack-sharp" wide-open. But it's fine. Especially considering what you get at F8, and viewing full-screen. This lens is a very good deal for the money, and very useful, too. It isn't going to be an "L" lens so forget about that, and it matches Canons' 17-85 F4-F5.6 and 28-135 F3.5-F5.6 very well in terms of sharpness...they are not that sharp wide-open, either. If lens sharpness is what is keeping you from buying this lens, then buy the lens here and if you can't live with it, return it. But trust me you are not going to find one lens that is great for all the shots that you want to take. Be realistic. Overall, in general, this lens is the best fit for me that I have tried so far.

touristguy87