Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM
Announced February 20, 2010
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM serves as an affordable, sharp upgrade for photographers looking to move beyond their standard kit lens. While the build quality and image performance are highly regarded for the price, the lens does suffer from inconsistent edge sharpness and some limitations in its autofocus and manual focus operation.
Weighted from 15 reviewer scores
Pros
- Excellent center sharpness and overall image quality
- Fast and quiet autofocus performance
- High value with a constant f/2.8 aperture
- Compact and lightweight design
- Effective optical stabilization
Cons
- Lack of full-time manual focus and rotating focus ring
- Softness and performance drop-off at the edges
- Heavy and bulky physical profile
- Inconsistent focus accuracy
- Noticeable chromatic aberration
- Launch price $670 (USD)
- Focal length & aperture 17-50mm f/2.8
- Mount & coverage Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sigma SA, Sony A APS-C
- Stabilization Optical IS
- Close focus 28 cm (0.2x)
- Filter thread 77mm
- Weight & size 565g (1 lb 3.9 oz) · 83.5 x 91.8 mm (3.29 x 3.61 in)
What the Reviewers Say
All 15 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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The build quality of the Sigma lens is pretty good although it stays a little short of the high expectations that we associate with a Sigma EX ("Excellence") lens.
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If you don't need sharp corners (except at f/11) and you don't need every shot focused perfectly, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens is a great lens for the price. This is a good upgrade-to-the-kit-lens option.
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[T]his lens is a great performer in most ways, and it's never below average in any other way. This is a perfect walk-around lens for video or for stills work.
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To sum up the Sigma 17–50 mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM will find many satisfied users for sure. It would be difficult not to be satisfied when you can take photos as good as or even better than the brand name competitors using a cheaper lens.
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I'm a little disappointed by the lacklustre performance towards the edges at maximum aperture.
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It's a perfect starting point, so I do recommend that both on the Nikon, the Canon, and also on the Sony end. If you have a Sony, it's a good tweener lens that's going to take you to becoming a professional, especially in your 5-year plan.
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What we can say, with absolute certainty though, is that the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM is a very good lens in its own right and, as such, will take some beating.
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At a glance, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM appears to offer most of the same advantages as its Canon and Nikon APS-C format f/2.8 counterparts, but at less than half the price.
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If you find a good copy of Sigma Zoom 17-50mm 1: 2.8 EX DC OS HSM, then such a lens will be an excellent staffer for every day and will even cope with more or less difficult tasks.
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If you're looking to upgrade, say your 18 to 55 kit lens, or if you're just looking for your first lens to start off with, I would really highly recommend you this lens, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM zoom.
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I'd say this is a winner of a lens. For my purposes, I can safely say I've tested this lens to the best of my ability, and it'll do the job.
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I wish I would have purchased this lens back when I was shooting on Canon DSLRs because I think that it would have been perfect and it would have replaced almost every lens that I had in my bag.
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I would say overall my first impressions are very favorable. Sigma seems to have done a bang up job with this.
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This is a great lens, especially if you are working within a tight budget. Even if budget is not a concern this is still a great lens to have.
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If you had to upgrade from your kit lens I would definitely upgrade to this thing, but you have to be aware that one, it is a heavy lens, so you're either gonna be mounting it a lot or you gotta start doing those wrist curls.
