Sigma 883101 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS Hyper Sonic Motor (Black)
Condition: Used - Very Good
Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$29.83
/ mo
Learn more
- – 6-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayTomorrow. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Selected Option
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
This item is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
Only 1 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Monday, Jun 15
Recently Viewed
Style: Canon SLR Mount
Features
- 18-250mm focal length, only compatible with APS-C DSLRs
- Minimum Focusing Distance 35cm / 13.8in.Maximum Magnification - 1:2.9
- 27-375mm equivalent focal length on APS-C cameras, 28.8-400mm equivalent focal length on Canon APS-C cameras
- Micromotor-type AF motor with full-time manual focusing, Image stabilization, Up to 4 stops claimed, 62mm filters.Available in Canon EF, Nikon F (DX), Pentax KAF3, Sony Alpha, Sigma SA mounts
- Optical Stabilizer (OS) is not available for Sony and Pentax
Description
18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM
Brand: Sigma
Focal Length Description: 18-250 millimeters
Lens Type: Macro
Compatible Mountings: Canon EF-S
Camera Lens Description: 7
Focal Length Description: 18-250 millimeters
Lens: Macro
Compatible Camera Mount: Canon EF-S
Maximum Focal Length: 250 Millimeters
Minimum Focal Length: 18 Millimeters
Lens Design: Zoom
Focus Type: Auto Focus
Lens Fixed Focal Length: 250 Millimeters
Lens Coating Description: Super Multi-Layer Coating
Zoom Ratio: 14x
Image stabilization: Up to 4 stops claimed
Real Angle Of View: 6.5 Degrees
Maximum Aperture: 3.5 Millimeters
Minimum Aperture: 22
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 7
Photo Filter Size: 62 Millimeters
Lens Mount: Canon EF
Has Self-Timer: No
Audio Recording: No
Exposure Control Type: Automatic
Water Resistance Level: Not Water Resistant
Media Type: ProductImage, EnhancedContent
Color: Black
Brand: Sigma
Camera Lens: 7
Model Name: 883101
UPC: 841434103796 085126883546
Manufacturer Part Number: 883101
Global Trade Identification Number: 50
Unit Count: 1.0 Count
Model Number: 883101
Item Weight: 470 Grams
Item Type Name: Digital-slr-camera-lenses.
Manufacturer: Sigma Corporation of America
Built-In Media: lENS
Warranty Description: 1 year coverage for labor, 1 year coverage for parts
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Monday, Jun 15
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- PayTomorrow Financing
- Financing through Apple Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Similar Products
Top Amazon Reviews
Background - Besides image quality and affordability, I must consider two factors to suit my personal needs: 1) Since I can no longer carry around 35 pounds of photo equipment like I used to, and since I get an intense neck and/or backache from too much weight hanging there, weight is a significant factor for me. 2) I dislike changing lenses for multiple reasons: potential dropping, dirt entering the camera body, the need to carry a second and even third lens. In short, I wanted a DECENT lens with a significant zoom range. The two "kit lenses that came with my Canon T3i were GOOD, but that meant carrying a second lens and changing them. NOTE: I do have a 90mm Tamron full frame format macro lens that I do use for special purposes. So I DO still switch lenses occasionally. But I do NOT travel with this lens. Given those requirements, I did a lot of research before buying this lens from Amazon.com (more about incidental benefits to buying from them at the end of the review). I read professional reviews and I read the comments of other consumers such as myself. Ultimately, my decision came down to either this lens or the Tamron 18-270. The professional reviews appeared to favor this lens SLIGHTLY. The fact that the Sigma lens is a few ounces lighter was a benefit for my needs. The 20mm extra length in the telephoto range that I was losing, was not such a big deal to me. I had NO qualms about buying either Sigma or Tamron. Both have been around for decades and both make excellent "after market" products. In the month that I've had the lens, I've shot perhaps 2-300 images of a wide variety of subjects and under a wide variety of lighting conditions. I have been uniformly pleased with the results. Even at extreme magnification, I have not seen the color fringing mentioned in professional reviews. I HAVE observed the pincushion and barrel distortions. My test subject to examine these image defects was my garage door with rectangular raised panels, the horizontal siding of my house, and a set of steps. YES, the distortion IS present. BUT, it is my understanding that NO extreme range zoom lens will be completely free of such distortion. It is the optical price you pay for the flexibility of keeping a single lens on your camera and being able to go from a full frame (or 35mm) equivalent of about 28 to 400mm with just one lens. I also found that the distortion is readily correctable using Photoshop Elements 11. This distortion is only noticeable to MY eyes in photos presenting subjects with parallel lines or geometric patterns. I find the contrast, color saturation and representation to be fairly accurate with this lens. Other than cropping, the images have required little or no "post" correction in Photoshop Elements. This is likely at least partially due to the abilities and software of my Canon T3i, but also to the lens and its color correction, optical design and coatings. Please see my review of the camera. Notably, I used the camera and lens combination to shoot four images of the Montgomery Village Lake from the boat dock. Photoshop Elements stitched these together beautifully into a crisp panoramic image! While the lens is light in weight, it feels solidly built. The camera mount is metal. I have not observed "lens creep," although the OP/TECH USA Bino/Cam Harness - Webbing (available from Amazon) that I use to take the weight off my neck generally keeps the lens pointing ahead and not down. The image stabilization appears to work very well. I cannot tell if it affords a 3 or 4 stop advantage. Advertising for the lens says 4 stops; professional reviews say 3 stops. As noted in professional reviews, the controls for manual versus automatic focus, image stabilization on or off and zoom lock are all very conveniently located, Finally, a word about buying from Amazon.com. At the time of my purchase, the MSRP of the lens was $550 with a $150 "instant Summer Rebate." I paid $400 for the lens. SO FAR, shopping with Amazon is tax free. Congress may change that! Had I purchased the lens in a local store, I would have had to pay the 6% sales tax on the FULL MSRP. In addition, the extended warranty that I purchased, which is basically an insurance policy, would ALSO have been based on the FULL MSRP. Buying the IDENTICAL lens at a local store would have cost me approximately $75 MORE than buying through Amazon, who - of course - shipped for free straight to my door, costing me no gasoline! The savings approximately paid for the extended SquareTrade Warranty. There was ANOTHER, unexpected, benefit to buying through Amazon with respect to the warranty. Had I bought the warranty directly from SquareTrade, I would have been limited to a total of three years coverage from the date of purchase. Amazon offers a SPECIAL that is NOT available directly from SquareTrade: FOUR years of coverage from the date of purchase for only a few dollars more than the three year direct plan! UNFORTUNATELY, Amazon does NOT offer the optional "ADH" ( I will call it human factors coverage: the acronym stands for "Accidental Damage from Handling"). I wish they did. While all photographers care lovingly for their equipment, stuff happens! If you are looking for a wonderful, virtually all purpose, walk around or travel lens, I can recommend this one to you!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013 by aky13
OK, so I REALLY WANTED to love this lens . . . This is a long review. I like to write. I hope folks will find my story interesting and helpful. I struggled for weeks to decide on my “next” DSLR lens. After hours staring at specs, searching for prices, and digesting review after review, three contenders emerged. They were: the Sigma 18-250mm for $399, the similarly designed Canon 18-200mm for $699, and the Canon 24-105 f/4 L for closer to $1,000. OK, so that’s a big price range. Stay with me to the end and this will make sense. . . The Sigma 18-250mm could be considered a good “litmus test” to clarify your personal goals as a DSLR owner. If you are using your DSLR to take "pictures" then you may really enjoy this lens. For the money, it delivers quite a lot. If, instead, you use your DSLR to take "photos" then this lens is probably not going to be for you. I want to characterize the lens on this basis, because it's really only a "good lens" or a "bad lens" based on what you expect from it. Let's start with disclosures: I’m a total amateur. I own a Canon T2i (EOS 550D) and “sort of” know how to use it. I originally decided to pop for a DSLR in order to get faster instant-on-to-first-shot performance for taking pictures of my kids. Once I started using the T2i, I fell in love with what the camera could do. Beyond the kit EF-S 18-55mm lens, I next bought the EF-S 55-250mm. The 55-250mm is a solid, inexpensive, long telephoto lens that will let you take nature shots, action shots, etc. – I bought it for soccer games. Together, these lenses give you a nice wide-angle to medium-telephoto range. But, let’s be honest: changing lenses is a pain. The Sigma 18-250mm is designed to replace this standard Canon EF-S combination, and give you the 18 – 250mm range without changing your lens. If replacing this combination is your goal (or if you only have the 18-55mm,) then the Sigma may be what you are looking for. If you’ve got the budget, however, you should definitely consider the more expensive Canon 18-200mm. (I’ll only indirectly address the Canon lens in this review.) My problems with the Sigma stem from the third lens I purchased for my T2i: the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, affectionately known to many as the "Thrifty Fifty.” When I took my first looks at shots taken with this lens, I stopped wanting to take "pictures" and started wanting to take "photos" – the impact was overwhelming! If you own a Canon DLSR, consider yourself a relative beginner, and DON'T own the Thrifty Fifty, then you should stop reading this review right now, and go out and buy yourself a Thrifty Fifty immediately. For a mere $150.00, you will be absolutely blown away by what your camera's sensor can actually do! The kit lenses are excellent. However, when you see the razor-sharp focus, incredible detail, and beautiful bokeh (foreground & background intentionally out of focus,) that the Thrift Fifty delivers, you’ll be amazed. Why do I mention all of this detail? I think it’s helpful to explain what I actually knew about lenses when I decided to try out the Sigma. So here goes… The good: - The zoom range of the Sigma is why you buy it -- having 18 to 250mm available in a single lens is just really, really convenient. There’s almost no shot you won’t get. - The lens is relatively lightweight given its range. I carried it daily for the better part of a week, and never considered the weight an issue. (It is a good bit heavier than either of the kit lenses. I’m told it weighs about the same as the Canon 18-200mm.) - The build quality is very nice. I have friends who swear by Sigma lenses, and now I can see why. It is solid, well manufactured, and aesthetically pleasing - Sigma's OS (Optical Stabilization) is quite good. OS won’t help you too much in a low-light situation, but it will effectively combat camera shake when shooting handheld outdoors, which is what this lens is for: walking around with a single, do-it-all lens. - f/3.5 performance at 18mm is very nice, especially when combined with Sigma’s OS. You won’t get brilliant light like you can with a faster (f/2.8, f/2.0, f/1.8) lens, but it will help tremendously when there is enough light available. - For $399, the price / performance of this lens is really quite impressive. I can’t say that you should expect more for your money. If you are tight on budget, want lots of capability, and aren’t a freak about image quality, you will be very pleased with this lens. The Bad: - Because of the Thrifty Fifty, I’m now a freak about image quality. Sadly, adding the Sigma to my lens collection felt like a step backward. Yes, I got the shot, but I tended to be unhappy with it . . . here come the details . . . - At all focal lengths except 70 - 120mm, the Sigma’s shots were soft. Pixel-peeping (zooming way in with your photo editing software; something that amateurs really shouldn’t be doing…) on all shots taken outside of this range, I was disappointed that I was not seeing crisp, sharp details. Softness is understandable at long zoon, but from 18mm to 70mm, things should be sharp. - Significant CA. Honestly, I didn’t really understand what Chromatic Aberration (or, CA) was before owning this lens. CA is the tendency of red and green light to separate at the edges of an image. It happens because the different wavelengths (colors) of light bend differently, and so they don’t line up together when focused through a complex lens. Apparently, all lenses suffer from some degree on CA. However, it’s particularly a problem on zooms with a wide range. Unfortunately, I found the Sigma to suffer quite badly from CA, resulting in significantly degraded image quality. For me, this was the killer. - Lens creep. Many zooms suffer from what’s known as "creep," where the lens barrel will extend (undesirably) under its own weight. I use BlackRapid strap (which I highly recommend) that attaches to the camera’s tripod mount. Because this design means that the lens points towards the ground when being carried, any lens that does creep, will creep. The folks at Sigma obviously anticipated creep, because they included a zoom lock, which lets you lock the barrel at the 18mm position. Unfortunately, this results in constantly locking & unlocking the lens, which quickly becomes a pain. It this a nit-pick? Maybe. But for reference, I’ve never had my Canon 55-250mm creep. (Perhaps this issue is not such a big deal with other straps, but it was definitely an “annoyance” with my set up. At least they included the zoom lock!) - Is it really 250mm? One of the odd things I noticed during my checkout was that photos taken at full zoom (250mm) on the Sigma somehow seemed different from those taken at 250mm on my Canon 55-250mm. So, I did a test. I took the same shot and actually measured the captured image. I was stunned to find a 40% difference! The Canon lens seemed to zoom much farther than the Simga – what’s up with that?! I queried some forums and got educated on “lens breathing” which can sometimes account for this type of difference. However, the consensus from several experts was that a 40% delta could not be explained solely by lens breathing. In the end, I left this as a bit of a mystery, but caveat emptor – I am still wondering if Sigma’s 250mm was really 250mm, or maybe just 200mm… - Barrel friction. Apparently one of the big mechanical challenges of long zooms is getting just the right amount of friction in the barrel, and keeping it consistent. The Sigma underwhelms here; there is very obvious “stickiness” between 70 and 200mm. Perhaps they were intentionally trying to make it sticky to avoid lens creep? The upshot is that as you zoom from 18 towards 250, you hit big resistance for about a ½ turn. Once I got used to it, it wasn’t a huge deal. Ideally, it shouldn’t be there, but there you have it. So, why did I return this lens? No question: Image Quality. At the end of the day, I realized that for me, taking a step back on image quality wasn’t worth the convenience of this massive zoom range. During my checkout, I aggressively researched lens design, and read dozens upon dozens of reviews of zooms of various ranges. My conclusion is that outside of wildly expensive professional lenses, you must be willing to accept tradeoffs in a consumer super zoom. In the case of the Sigma, while they maintain good aperture performance and wonderful zoom range, these features come at the expense of Image Quality. For me, this was a deal-breaker. For you, it might not be. So, for the amateur-recently-turned-IQ-snob, what lens to buy instead? After countless hours poring over reviews and asking friends, a clear direction emerged: I was going to have to sacrifice zoom range if I wanted better, faster glass. There were dozens of contenders out there: Canon, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina. The winner? The Canon 24-105mm f/4 L. Although nominally priced at $1,149.00, white box copies of this lens are now showing up at $799. So, is it worth 2X the money to get less zoom range but upgrade to one of the legendary Canon “L” lenses??? Ab-so-lutely. Giving up wide angle from 18mm to 24mm really didn’t worry me too much. At 18mm, most of the group people shots I’ve taken have been easily inside the frame. Looking across the wide-angle shots I had taken with the Sigma, I also noticed that many of them were actually at 22m, instead of 18mm. So, bumping from a maximum wide of 22 to 24 didn’t seem like too much of a sacrifice for me – so, maybe I just have to take another step back from my subject to get the shot. Big deal. If the shot is going to look MUCH better, I can take one more step back…. In contrast, the prospect of giving up telephoto from 250mm (if it really was 250…) all the way down to 105mm, did worry me… a lot. Should I just be happy with the 55mm max range on my kit lens and save my money? Should I just continue to use my 55-250mm for these longer-range zoom shots? Should I try the Canon 18-200mm instead? After all, if my intent was to have “just one lens,” what would having the extra 50mm provided by the original kit lens really buy me? Then I remembered the Thrifty Fifty. One of the amazing things I discovered when first playing with it was that far-away objects, when in focus, were still very, very sharp. So sharp, in fact, that with 18MP to play with, I could shoot a far-away object, crop the shot, and still have a nice end result. So, couldn’t I do the same with a very sharp shot at 105mm? If I wanted to zoom to 200mm and could only do 105mm, if the shot was sharp enough, would I be happy with a cropped image? And there was my answer . . . yes. The 24-105mm f/4 L blows away the Canon 18-55mm, the Canon 55-250mm, and the Sigma 18-250mm throughout its entire range. At every focal length, its performance is simply superb. So, while it may have minor limitations for shot framing and composition, it completely wins by enabling the best results all the way across the middle part of its zoom range. Still, the question lingers: is it worth 2X the money given the zoom range sacrifices? Well, let me just say this: I’m once again giggling when I review my shots at the end of a day. The Image Quality of the f/4 L is just off the hook, and I can’t imagine going back – I haven’t had this much fun since the 50mm f/1.8. Even when the lens is stopped down to 5.6 or more, the sharpness of the images are just astounding. So long as you keep the ISO below 800, the lens delivers amazing IQ across its aperture range. There is no question that it is the winner from 24mm to 105mm at every length. At the end of the day, you need to assess the Sigma 18-250mm based on your own personal goals. For me, it was an interesting and educational detour that taught me how much I value IQ. For you, the lens might be a terrific expansion that brings you lots of creative results. Just know that lenses are priced based on very mature and active consumer markets. You will get a lot with this lens, but you won’t get everything. Just make your decision based on how you take pictures, and you’ll be satisfied. I’m very glad I got a change to shoot this lens – thank you Amazon for your generous exchange policies. At the end of the day, both Amazon and Canon got more of my money, and I got more satisfaction. As much as I enjoyed the Sigma, I’m enjoying having splurged for the f/4 L even more!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2013 by Richard M. Marshall
I am very very pleased with this newest superzoom from Sigma, paired with my Canon 60D. Build quality is excellent. Image quality is sharp at both ends of the range. Focus is quick and quiet. OS works extremely well. It is light weight and compact compared to others in this category, which adds to its value as a "walkaround" lens. To top it all off, the price is outstanding for a lens with this feature set, build, and image quality. (It's ~$100 cheaper than the "comparable" Tamron, and ~$30 less than the shorter focal length Canon 18-200.) I had used the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras for a while last year, when it was the "hot" 3rd party superzoom. But, the images looked a little soft to me, especially at the long end. Plus, I didn't care for the build quality and feel of the zoom/focus rings at all. (The Tamron is made in China, while this Sigma is made in Japan.) And, IIRC, the Tamron zoom ring operated in the opposite direction from Canon and Sigma, which wreaks havoc with one's muscle memory. The Tamron also suffered from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, has not. I have been using the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras with my 60D until switching to this Sigma, and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras with my T2i before that. This Sigma lens focuses quicker, is much easier to hold and carry, and results in the same quality shots. It is much smaller and lighter than the canon 18-200. Yet, looks and feels as well made or arguably better than the Canon lenses. The AF/MF, OS, and lock buttons are positioned better than the Canon's. The Canon 18-200 also suffers from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, does not. The image quality is about the same, although the Sigma does show a little less CA, which is a plus. There is an older version of this lens with an almost identical title, just not "Macro" Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon AF Digital SLR Cameras. But, it is larger, heavier, and slower to focus. However, if money is an issue, it's ~$120 cheaper than this one. So, it might be a viable option for you. But, not having used it, I cannot speak to its image quality, build, or operation. It does get mostly positive reviews, though. I can, however, highly recommend *this* Sigma for your Canon EOS system body. Of course, it will not result in images as sharp as most prime lenses or almost any L series lens. But, I find it the best of the current crop of "walkaround" lenses available for the Canon APS-C sensor models. (It is not recommended for full-frame models.) I can almost guarantee it will rarely see any time not attached to yours, if you are like me and want a single lens for most of your everyday shots. Sure, there are plenty of situations that require that prime portrait or macro lens, or that long telephoto zoom. But, when you're at the dog park, or the kids' birthday party, or the family reunion, or tourist destination, etc, this is the lens.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2012 Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2012 by GaryPen
I purchased my first DSLR (a Canon T3i) and I immediately purchased a CANON EF 75-300 III F4-5.6 to go with the 18-50mm kit lens. After a few months I grew tired of constantly swapping lenses and I started looking into a general purpose lens that I could keep on the camera most of the time. I borrowed a Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon AF Digital SLR Cameras from a friend before I went on a trip to Disney World and I was impressed by the convenience it and started looking to get one for my self. As I was looking at the Sigma website I ran into this newer version of the 18-250 and decided to give it a chance. After receiving it I was very impressed by the weight and size difference. The older Sigma 18-250mm has a 72mm filter size and this version has a 62mm filter size and this lens weighs about 200 grams or .4 lb less than its predecessor. Image quality is very good for the class of lens. It doesn't hod up to a good prime or "L" lens but its price is not in the same ballpark either. I do notice some barrel distortion on the short end but that is easily fixed with Lightroom or Photoshop. OS (optical stabilization) works well allowing for hand holding some shots that would otherwise require better support. Autofocus is quick and rarely struggles to focus. It may just be me imagining things but I think it is a bit louder that the other lenses I have worked with but it is not really distracting in any way. As with other reviewers I have found the zoom to be stiff at the beginning of the zoom range but it loosens up after about 50mm. My copy does have zoom creep from about 28mm through 110mm but the lens has to be pointed nearly straight down for that to happen. I have had to learn the habit of using the zoom lock switch when I am finished shooting and am moving around but I consider that a good habit to get into anyway. I do appreciate that Sigma includes a petal type lens hood with the lens. The hood is sturdy and connects very firmly to the bayonet mount on the lens. I love shooting with this lens and I feel it is worth every penny I paid for it. In comparison with the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon AF Digital SLR Cameras I feel that the smaller size, lighter weight, and faster autofocus easily justifies its extra cost.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2012 by Jeremy S
Prior to purchasing this lens I reviewed the following lenses: 1. 1. Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras which is an excellent lens, but not as sharp as this Sigma lens. http://amzn.to/1Mvti13 2. Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 VC PZD All-In-One Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR, Model BOO8E Filter Size 062mm at http://amzn.to/1KEycoL. This lens is also softer in focus. 3. Tamron AFB016C700 16-300 F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro 16-300mm IS Interchangeable Lens for Canon EF-S Cameras at http://amzn.to/1Mvtv4c. An excellent lens at nearly twice the cost it gains a little in reach at 300mm with decent sharpness 4. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens at http://amzn.to/1NSHSS3 . This is the gold standard for sharpness, but is upto three times as much as the Sigma. I use this lens with my Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) for which I also have a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens which is a great starting prime lens that is very sharp and an excellent bargain. I would now recommend the STM version Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens at http://amzn.to/1NSI1Vk Find the camera at http://amzn.to/1OXMEhO For me this Sigma lens fit my needs the best. The cost is very reasonable for the budget minded photographer and the image quality is decent. It will not match the Canon 24-105, but that lens is 2-3 times the cost and about half the zoom range. If you are okay with the 24mm wide angle vs 18mm then that lens is the best in image quality of all the choices here (If you can afford the price tag that would be the way to go). I couldn't afford the price tag and needed to have the full zoom range so I can take just one lens on my backpacking trips. The Sigma lens is decent build quality, has a quiet auto focus and the optical stabilization gives about 3 f-stops. There have been a few times in low light and low contrast where the focus has hunted, but I have found that to be the case with many lenses. The hood locks on pretty solidly and works well for the wider angles. I have had to hand shade the lens at times with longer focal lengths. Lens creep does exist with this lens. I suppose it will vary from lens to lens depending on how tightly it is adjusted. I use the lock when walking because of this. For detailed reviews of image quality go to http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/sigma-18-250mm-3p5-6p3-os-hsm-macro I have also picked up some decent Tiffen filters for the lens at extremely reasonable prices for the quality. You may want to consider the following filters. I got 62mm, but you may want to get 72mm and a 62-72mm adapter to eliminate the possibility of vignetting at the wider angles. 1. Tiffen 62mm Neutral Density 0.9 Filter - http://amzn.to/1MJz2r4 2. Tiffen 62mm Circular Polarizer - http://amzn.to/1Lx4pDA This filter is great if you do any landscape photography as it really brings out the blue sky, white clouds and green foliage. 3. Tiffen 62mm UV Protection Filter - http://amzn.to/1ix21Rz
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2015 by Ralph Medema
This lens took fairly nice still and scenery shots, but when we got to cross-country season and tried to take action shots we ran into lots of trouble. In the automatic sports mode on our Canon Rebel camera, it was not able to focus well. Often things in the periphery of the subjects were in focus and the subjects were out of focus. The photos also were grainy and out of focus, and were either over exposed in bright light or under exposed in more shaded locations. Not happy at all. It was suggested by a professional photographer/friend that the camera's automatic program didn't seem to be able to communicate properly with the Sigma lens. We are going to send it back to the manufacturer to see if there is something fixable. We've only had the lens for a little over 2 months... UPDATE: Sigma tested my lens and said it was working properly. They e-mailed back one of my badly out-of-focus photos I sent them, as proof of how the lens was working properly (?) Several over-laid "auto focus" boxes on the photo were centered over out-of-focus parts of the photo. When I questioned this, asking if they were saying that the blurry parts in the auto focus boxes were acceptable for their lens, they have failed to respond to my TWO e-mails over a 10 day period. Apparently they are not able to fix the lens and are not willing to do anything about it, and so refuse to respond to my inquiries...I have asked for a refund, but have not heard back from them. "BUYER BEWARE!" By the way, we have since shot another meet using my CANON lens, and the photos are fine, so it is definitely the lens, not the camera that is having the problem...perhaps the Sigma lens does not communicate as well with the Canon camera as the Canon lens does. I finally did hear back from Sigma after sending multiple e-mails. They said that sports mode is for panning distant subjects, not a closer subject. (so if you are trying to zoom in on a specific athlete you are out of luck with the Sigma lens). They said there is nothing they can do for us, and that they will not authorize a refund, so they appear to not care about having satisfied customers. Again, BUYERS BEWARE! We will not buy any more Sigma lenses!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2014 by Steve and Shelly
I am using this lens on a Canon 70D so all comments are made with respect to this body. I have taken about 1000 pictures using the lens on a couple of trips. This lens has an excellent focal length range and is a very useful default lens to leave on the camera. It is a little slow at the 250 mm end of the range, but the camera had no trouble with focusing (typically Canon need at least f5.6 to focus accurately). The Canon 70D has very low noise at quite high ISOs so it is easy to compensate for the slow speed of the lens. Focus motor noise is well suppressed, so taking videos was not problematic although it is not as fast or as quiet as the dedicated STM lenses Canon has for this camera. Build equality is excellent and the lens is surprisingly compact. The only issue I have found in use is that the zoom will creep out when the camera is carried with the lens down but only when the lens is left at say 50 mm. If the lens is left at 18 mm, it will stay closed. The lock switch provided prevents this becoming a problem, but this can delay taking quick shots as you need to remember to unlock the lock to zoom the lens. An inconvenience but not a showstopper issue. Overall a good quality all in one zoom that is a useful "walk about" lens with surprisingly good quality pictures at this price point.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2013 by PMJ
I will likely buy another one soon. I bought this lens and it came in very very fast, however there was something wrong with the auto focus on it, it made a sort of "peeping" sound in auto focus mode but did not focus. Everyone who recommended this lens and has one that I know does not have this problem, I tried it on two cameras and it did the same thing. Also the wide angle is not as wide as I imagined, and the zoom is not as tight as I imagined. It is however an amazing lens and had I known it was this nice, I would have bought one a long time ago. I will likely pick one up again soon, I had bought this for a thanks giving shoot, I could use the manual focus but these people have kids and with kids it's best to have auto focus. I just happened to get one that that didn't function. But aside from the auto focus not working, this is by far one of the best lenses to have, and would replace a good chunk of a camera bag. Great for all around shooting, and the light gathering optics are pretty amazing, way better than anything else I have of the equivalent in lenses. Just stinks that I couldn't have used it for this shoot, I didn't want to carry all these other lenses with me, and also wanted to try it out because I have heard great things about it. I think after the holidays and when shipping isn't so crazy, I will re order it. I almost said "heck with it" and kept it despite the lack of auto focus because it is that nice of a lens. But then I remembered that Amazon has an amazingly easy return policy, even though my problem was sad and I did not get to use the lens for the shoot, I was able to simply print out a UPS label and ship it back for free. That took a lot of headache out of the situation, and for that, and the quality of the light gathering and zoom range of this lens, even not being able to test the image stabilizer or shoot more than a handful of shots with it, I still give this a full 5 stars. I just happened to be the unlucky one to get the one in probably a million that had an issue. Would still recommend it and may just wind up re-buying it right after the holidays.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2016 by Sqweezel