Acquired used at Simon’s Camera, Montreal
This lens has 3 versions, the standard version, the OS version and the OS+HSM version where OS is equivalent to VR and HSM is equivalent to silent wave motor. I will review the standard version.
The lens is very compact for having the range of 18–200 and has a filter size of 62mm (OS and HSM versions are a lot bigger). Very light and convenient for travel. The lens creep is significant but like many Sigma lenses, it has a lock. The design is typical of Sigma lenses and it’s not weather proof at all. Besides the HSM version, the lens focuses using the camera’s motor and is very loud. The matte exterior is very typical of Sigma lenses and the zooming action is not smooth at all with varying resistance.
Optically, there is no significant failure in the lens design for such a long focal range. It is half the price of Nikon’s own 18–200 which is much superior in build quality (and weights a lot more) but the image is nice and sharp. It is however, very soft in the corners when it’s wide open but so is most of the lenses in the market.
In conclusion, both this and the Sigma 17–70mm are very good lenses for its price (roughly double of kit lenses for entry level SLRs) and are very good replacements for those kit lenses. Optically, they’re both better and both have more features such as wider range or faster lens with macro. 17–70mm is the better of the 2 though for about the same price.
