Read what the experts have to say about lenses from the world’s leading independent lens manufacturer

SIGMA IN THE NEWS

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A range of dedicated flashguns that light the way to superb indoor and outdoor photography.

SIGMA EF-610 DG ST A fully automatic flashgun which includes an auto-zoom bounce, swivel head and a powerful Guide Number of 61.

SIGMA EF-610 DG SUPER An equally powerful yet versatile flashgun with advanced featuresincluding wireless and high speed flash, exposure control, strobe flash and modelling flash.

SIGMA EM-140 DG MACRO FLASH A dual tube macro flash perfect for shadowless, fine detail photography. Flash tubes can be fired together or separately for different lighting effects.

All three flashguns are compatible with the latest TTL systems from popular SLR manufacturers.

ELECTRONICFlash Series

FOR CREATIVE TTL PHOTOGRAPHY

For further information, visit your nearest Sigma stockist or contact us at Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd.13 Little Mundells, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL7 1EWTel: 01707 329 999 Email: sales@sigma-imaging-uk.com

Website: www.sigma-imaging-uk.com   

The Sigma Corporation, Japan is the world’s largest independent lens manufacturer. Since it was founded by Michihiro Yamaki in 1961 the corporation has constantly been at the forefront of lens technology.Here in the UK, the photo press soon realised that the name Sigma was synonymous with build quality and optical excellence. They embraced the output from the new company and put the lenses through rigorous testing both on the workbench and in the field. Time and time again they were amazed at the results and produced reviews that reflected this.It is the complete dedication to design and quality control that sets Sigma apart from other manufacturers. This is proven by the string of complemen-tary test reports and rave reviews appearing in the photo press on a regular basis culminating in many well deserved awards for excellence.In the following pages we reproduce a selection of quotes taken directly from the UK photo press, published both in magazines and on the web.

COVER IMAGE BY DAVE WALL

New generationlenses for a new

generation of cameras

19mm f/2.8 EX DNWhat Digital Camera'An Olympus PEN Mini was used for these tests and produced some excellent MTF results that approached the 0.5 cycles-per-pixel maximum figure. For this reason and despite a gradual decline from f/11, Sigma’s 19mm prime has been awarded maximum marks for its MTF perfor-mance. Real world pictures were virtually free of chromatic aberration. Overall this is an excep-tional lens that should satisfy all users who want a very affordable, modest wide angle prime.

30mm f/2.8 EX DNWhat Digital Camera'The Sigma 30mm DN-format prime is a very strong performer indeed. Fortunately, automatic focusing is both very quick and very quiet: in fact it is virtually silent. It has a brisk and reliable AF system that records bitingly sharp images. It is also very well priced, which is an added bonus.'

Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are a new generation of camera system, utilising the very latest mechanical technology. Sigma’s new DN lenses are designed exclusively for mirrorless cameras and benefit from new technology such as a linear AF motor, ensuring near silent autofocussing, and superior telecentric optical design.

4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSMPractical Photography‘The lens itself feels solid and well made, and the autofocus is fast and quiet. Results are good, with high levels of sharpness at the centre of the frame. A well made specialist optic that’s unique in the market place and hard to fault.’

PhotoPlus‘Fit one of these to your camera and you get an instant wow-factor just looking through the viewfinder. Autofocus comes courtesy of Sigma’s fast and near silent HSM system, which worked flawlessly in our tests. As well as creating a fisheye effect, this lens is also great for use with computer s t i tch ing so f tware , so you can transform images into navigable virtual reality scenes. And to the best of our knowledge, if you want a circular fisheye for your smaller-sensor camera, this is the only one of the market.’

8mm f/3.5 EX DGEphotozine ‘...when using software to create panoramics or for those involved in scientific measurement of angles, where the output from this lens is quantifiable, this lens is an excellent tool.’Professional Photographer‘This lens is built and finished to a veryhigh standard. The optical performance isextraordinary considering the lens deliverscircular images.’ Practical Photography‘Lenses this short often suffer from flare in the lens elements but we found no such problems with this one, even shooting directly into bright light.’ Digital SLR User‘The Sigma 8mm is an excellent fisheye lens. It makes a tempting choice compared to more expensive own brand options.’Freelance Photographer‘This is a lens almost without competition and justifies the EX DG branding.’

10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSMDigital Photographer

‘There’s clearly a lot of glass and metal crammed into a small volume, but it does feel very well-made as a result. The focusing is fast and quiet too. It will focus right down to 13.5cm which is an advantage where you want to produce striking perspectives and distorted relationships between nearby objects and their backgrounds. Optically,

the performance is very good.’PhotoPlus

‘For a non-zoom lens, this is a chunky pieceof kit, which is explained not only by the

huge lump of optical glass at the frontthat creates the fisheye effect, but also

by its fast f/2.8 maximum aperture.’

15mm f/2.8 EX DGAmateur Photographer

‘Optically the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 tested a nose ahead of the Canon.’

Outdoor Photography‘With an impress ive ly c losemin imum focus ing d i s t ance

of 15cm, this lens allows you to fill the frame with certain subjects.

It is also a real ‘go anywhere’ lens. Its compact dimensions and tough buildmean that you will be confident it will

stand up to the rigours of shooting in the wilderness...’

Professional Photographer‘Overall resolution is excellent. The level

of colour saturation and contrast are excellent, whilst chromatic aberration

is minimal.’Digital SLR User

‘I was reluctant indeed to hand it back and have no hesitation in wholeheartedly

recommending it.’

FISH EYELENSES

IMAGE BYROB FRANKLIN

20mm f/1.8 EX DGAmateur Photographer‘The colour is accurate... the lens holds shadow and highlight detail very well. VERDICT: I am very pleased with the results from the SIGMA 20mm f/1.8 - so much so that I really, really want one.’

Practical Photography‘Even though it’s clearly aimed at digital SLR users, this lens is a welcome addition to the arsenal of lenses available to film users due to its low light capabilities.’

Digital Camera Buyer’The unique selling point of this particular lens is its fast maximum aperture of f/1.8.’

WINNER OF: THE EISA LENS AWARD 2001-2002

24mm f/1.8 EX DGAmateur Photographer‘The 24mm f/1.8 offers visually outstanding sharpness from corner to corner, especially around the f/8 mark. Vignetting too is undetectable, even when wide open. Colour and contrast are faithfully recorded, with plenty of detail in the highlights and shadow areas...this is a popular focal length and should satisfy many users. Digital photographers will love the useful 36mmcomparative focal length. A top-flight optic.’

28mm f/1.8 EX DGAmateur Photographer‘This is a fast and quiet lens in operation, with the extra stop giving a bright, clear viewfinder image for picking out those details, particularly in low light...the vignett-ing aspect of the lens, even wide open, is astonishing. If

you like prime lenses and appreciate the quality,the 28mm f/1.8 is a lens that is seriouslyworth considering. The near-human-eye

viewpoint for the digital SLR user isanother bonus that should ensure

the optic's success.’

British Journal of Photography‘Optical distortion is amazing and

shows low barrel distortion forthis angle of view.’

WINNER OF: THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

LENS OF THE YEAR 2008

FAST PRIME

LENSES

IMAGE BYENDHALS

35mm f/1.4 DG HSMPhotography BlogA fast, well-built prime lens that delivers superb results. Essential!EphotozineSigma appear to have everything right with this new lens. It delivers excellent optical quality, at a tempting price point that is quite a bit cheaper than the competition from the likes of Canon, Nikon & Sony.

30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSMEphotozine‘Sigma need to be congratulated on this one!’ ‘The picture quality alone, will pay dividends for those of you who purchase this lens. Me? I don’t really want to send it back!’

Professional Image Maker‘Gathering another three stops over a typical wide-range zoom lens is a significant benefit. If you need a really wide aperture to preserve the atmosphere of a ceremony or to shoot without being detected, this is about the only lens in town.’

50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSMPractical Photography‘One of the only effective 50mm primes on the market and a great price too – there’s nothing like it.’

WINNER OF: THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERLENS OF THE YEAR 2010

British Journal of Photography‘This lens is the first major redesign of its genre for half a century, and it looks like no other 50mm f/1.4 ever made. At f/1.4 the centre of the image is not only focused perfectly at any distance, it’s critically sharp, resembling the best results at f/8 from high-end zooms. At full aperture it’s better than any other previous lens I’ve used.

85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSMProfessional Image Maker ‘The engineering is the high standard we have come to expect from Sigma. A nice touch is the provision of a deeper lens hood extension for users with APS-C size chips.

What Digital Camera‘...this is a very nice lens that offers a bright viewfinder and excellent image quality.’

Ephotozine‘Sigma have created a real gem... an excellent value lens, more than capable of producing superb results.’ IMAGE BY

DAVE KAI-PIPER

IMAGE BY LEA TIPPETT

50mm f/2.8 EX DGBritish Journal of Photography‘...In the case of Sigma, Canon and Konica Minolta mounts, there is an unusually small minimum aperture of f/45 (f/32 for Nikon and Pentax). This can provide beautiful effects with some shots and Sigma is to be applauded for providing this option. Both lenses produced excellent results, with fine detail and smooth tone gradation over a range of magnifications.’

Photography Monthly‘Although it’s designed for use on full frame cameras, it’s equally at home on models with an APS-C sized sensor.’

Amateur Photographer‘The most noticeable feature is its excellent, virtually perfect drawing – that is, the absence of curvilinear distortion. Combined with low spherical aberration, it means there is good definition at full aperture with high resolution across the frame.’

Digital Photographer‘But now for the winner… the Sigma excels in our view, as it is a true macro lens in every sense of the word. We love its brilliant magnification, really enabling you to pick up great texture and contrast in the

smallest of subjects. If you’re aftera decent macro performer,

then this is a must foranyone looking to get

closer than close.’

70mm f/2.8 EX DGPractical PhotographyIf you are thinking of investing in a macro lens for general-purpose use, this would certainly be a good choice.’

What Digital Camera‘Image quality from the lens is great. It’s as sharp as a knife, with excellent contrast and resolution. Sigma’s optics rarely fail to impress...’

Professional Photographer‘At larger apertures the in-focus parts of the picture are so sharp you need gloves to handle them, while the out of focus parts are soft and smooth. In fact, the Sigma continues to impress even wide open at f/2.8, where it performs superbly as a portrait lens.’

WINNER OF: EISA & TIPA LENS AWARDS 2007-2008

British Journal of Photography‘At this price, and with such a high level of perfor-mance, the 70mm Macro, which is available in Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma mounts, is little short of remarkable.’Photography Monthly‘With razor sharp, wide-open images, this is possibly the best of Sigma’s highly rated macro lenses.

105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSMDigital Camera ‘… not only is it one of the sharpest lenses on test, its consistency across the frame is just as impressive. Even when used at the widest aperture, it matches the mid-aperture performance of its rivals. The Sigma optic does a remarkable job to offer similar performance, recording high detail throughout its aperturerange and keeping aberrations at bay, as well asproviding the benefits of optical stabilisation and a near silent autofocus system!’

WINNER OF: THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER FIXED FOCAL LENGTH LENS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013

N Photo‘Launched last year, the optically stabilised Sigma 105mm is a wishlist come true for macro photographers. The HSM autofocus is practically silent, very fast and extremely accurate. Manual focusing is wonderfully smooth and precise too. Image quality is what matters most…the Sigmawins with class-leading sharpness at small apertures, ideal for macro shooting.’

Outdoor Photography ‘Although I’ve not had the lens long, it clearly retains the qualities of its predecessor. Simply, this is a sharp lens. At its fast maximum aperture of f/2.8, it performs superbly across the image frame, and this improves further when stopped down by a few stops. The lens records fine detail sharply, while delivering lovely, attractive bokeh that is virtually free of fringing. It’s fast maximum aperture, combined with its focal length, provides a beautifully shallow depth of field, allowing you to easily isolate your subject from its surroundings.’

180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSMAmateur Photographer ‘Optically, this lens is excellent, resolving a lot of detail with a high level of contrast. For those serious about their macro images, the Sigma APO 180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM is a great lens, especially as it has the dual purpose of being a mid-range telephoto.’

NPhoto‘Image quality is superb, backed up by great autofocus speed and stabilisation. A true dual-purpose lens that’s equally adept as a telephoto and as a macro optic. Packed with fancy features and giving really sharp images, there’s a lot to love about this lens.’

Digital Photo‘…it’s optical quality is outstanding, the handling is refined, and the build is very solid, so if you’re looking

for a long focal length macro lens you’llstruggle to find a better one than this.’

MACROLENSES

IMAGE BYROSS HODDINOTT

IMAGE BYGECKOPHOTO

150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSMAmateur Photographer ‘Manual focusing is responsive and quick to use, especially in combination with the AF. This is handy for close portraits, as it gives really pleasant defocused backgrounds. Once placed on a steady tripod, however, this lens really excels, with the fast, quiet operation and precise focus ring allowing you to achieve stunning results.’

300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSMDigital SLR User‘Being part of Sigma’s EX range, the lens is designed to withstand the rigours of professional use, and the build quality is certainly very impressive. The focus ring is one of the best I have used...’

Photography Monthly‘Excellent flat-line performance is what we would expect from a prime lens and this 300mm is no disappointment. A serious contender up against its marque rivals.’

PhotoPlus‘It looks and feels beautifully made and is fantastically fast and quiet when focusing. My pictures really proved the advantage of the super fast f/2.8 maximum aperture.’

500mm f/4.5 EX DG HSMEphotozine‘Overall this lens performs extremely well and produces some excellent shots…if you have a genuine need for this type of lens, you won’t be disappointed.’

Outdoor Photography‘First impressions of the lens were good: it has a compact solid feel, it’s well designed, nice to hold, sturdily constructed, and yet fairly lightweight. The lens features a Hypersonic Motor (HSM) and I can confirm that it worked as described – it was very fast and very quiet. Colour rendition, contrast and sharpness were all excellent. When you consider it’s around £2,000 cheaper than similar ‘named’ models it is a serious contender.’

800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSMPractical Photography‘The hypersonic motor focusing is great – really smooth, fast and quiet... If you need top level performance and long focal length then this is the lens for you.’

PhotoPlus‘With an HSM autofocus system, focusing proved extremely quiet and almost as fast as the Canon 500mm in our tests, and the lens features the same full-time manual override capability. Another neat inclusion is a drop-in filter holder at the rear of the lens for fitting specialist filters. This is useful because the diameter of the front elements of super-telephoto lenses are far too large for front-mounting filters to be practical. Optical perfor-mance is extremely good all round...’

TELEPHOTOLENSES

IMAGE BYJEREMY RUNDLE

WINNER OF: PLUS X LENS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2010

10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSMEphotozine‘This lens is sharp! At 20mm, resolution tests showed it matched, and at one point even slightly out performed the venerable Canon 17-40mm L. The performance is excellent and the size and weight is little more than a standard. With the wide field of view that this lens gives the digital SLR owners that require panoramic style angles, this lens is an answer to their prayers.’

WINNER OF: THE TIPA LENS AWARD 2006

Digital Photo ‘If you’re looking for a good value wide-angle lens, this one is hard to fault. The Sigma 10-20mm offers a superb combination of focal length, quality and afford-ability – the very things that are worthy of a Gold Award.’

WIDE ANGLEZOOM LENSES

The Photographer‘The build quality of this lens is quite superb...the extreme wide-angles of this 10-20mm zoom produce breathtaking effects which will certainly inspire and extend your photographic creativity.’8-16mm

f/4.5-5.6 DC HSMWhat Digital Camera‘Sharpness at the 8mm setting is excellent right across the aperture range.’

Practical Photography‘...despite being so wide, distortion is minimal. This lens is really about fun and taking advantage of the 24cm minimum focusing distance to get in close to subjects for extreme effects.’

Master Photo Digital‘For room interiors, you simply can not include all four walls unless your lens covers more than 900 horizon-tally. This Sigma covers slightly over 1000 which makes it one of the best working tools for interior and architectural photography.’

12-24mm f/4-5.6 II DG HSMMaster Photography‘Combined with the solid, silky-smooth feel of the whole lens it does give the impression of quality. …this is a professional tool for commercial, architectural, landscape, creative and social applications. Overall, I would rate this as an indispensable lens for full frame systems if you don’t already own anything wider than 16mm. At around £800 inc VAT it is very affordable and has to get a five-star recommendation.’

Digital Photo‘We really put the 12-24mm through its paces. Looking at the image sharpness we found it performed brilliantly, maintaining sharp edges through the aperture range – even out to the edges of the frame. Flawless construction and great performance make it a beauty to use. All in all, this is a real corker of a lens!’

British Journal of Photography ‘ ‘Sigma once again creates a design that exceeds all the ambitions of every camera maker. It ranks alongside Thomas Sutton’s 2200 wide angle lens of 1859, or the Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 for Leica, of 1972.’

10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSMPhotoworld‘The geometry of the lens is very good across the full range from 10 – 20mm.

The HSM focusing is wonderful and seems to give much finer settings with wide-angle lenses than screw focus. The lens itself is superbly built…’

What Digital Camera‘About a year ago, when Sigma’s variable aperture (f/4-5.6) 10-20mm zoom was tested, a doubt was expressed about whether the then-forthcoming f/3.5 lens would be much better optically. The answer is a definite yes: the latest version has stunning resolution and performs brilliantly in real-world use. In short, this is an absolute gem that deserves a place on every photographers wish-list.’

Amateur Photographer‘First impressions are always important when testing lenses… as the images came up on screen the sense was of excellent resolution/contrast – the detail glittered.’

IMAGE OF GRAND HOTEL EXCELSIOR, MALTA

BY JOE SMITH

17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC OS HSMWhat Digital Camera‘MFT testing reveals this to be a very impressive lens with very little chromatic aberration seen. Overall it is hard to believe that this lens is for real: it has stunning resolution, optical stabilisation, a more-than-four-times zoom range and can be purchased for not much over £300. Fantastic.’

British Journal of Photography‘At macro distances…contrast at dark to light object edges is at a high level; sharpness is excellent and fine details are well resolved with colours near to neutral. Zooming from the wide to tele end of the lens is smoothly and firmly accomplished, focal length selection is finely adjusted and holds position without slacking.’

Freelance Photographer‘At 17mm, the Sigma is as sharp as more expensive marque offerings. What it does still offer is amazing close focusing down to a magnification of 1:2.7, with a 47mm distance between the lens and subject.’PhotoPlus‘Performance for chromatic aberrations, vignetting, ghosting and flare are all impressive. The lens is very sharp, even at maximum apertures, and extremely sharp with just a single-stop reduction in aperture.’

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG IF HSMPractical Photography‘…you’re getting a high performance lens that reduces distortion, flare and aberration that could ruin a great shot.’

British Journal of Photography ‘The Sigma seems comparable to the current Canon wide open… and sharper centrally than the Nikkor. Colour transmission, contrast and the look of the image are hard to fault.’

Master Photo Digital ‘It’s strikingly sharp centrally and has good even cover-age at 70mm. If you want an ultrasonic focusing 24-70mm f/2.8 at around half the price of your own brand, this is your only option.’

STANDARDZOOM LENSES

IMAGE BYDAVE KAI-PIPER

17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSMEphotozine‘Focusing is powered by a silent HSM type motor, which focuses smoothly and quickly in good condi-tions. The specification for the price is very good indeed… the build quality is good, the optical stabiliser works quite well and the lens is capable of excellent results…’

WINNER OF: EISA LENS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2010-2011 and

TIPA BEST ENTRY LEVEL LENS 2010 WINNER OF:

EISA LENS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2009-2010

18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSMPhotoPlus'Another addition to the Mark II lens is the FLD (Flourite Low Dispersion) element, which has very high light transmission and exceptionally low disper-sion, designed to match the performance of the fluorite glass found in some of Canon’s top-spec L series lenses. Distortions are all well controlled and shapness remains good, even when combining the longest telephoto zoom setting with the largest available apertures.'

N Photo ‘The recently launched version of this lens is smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The Sigma has the sharpest performance of any lens in the group at its maximum zoom stretch.’

Digital SLR‘Along with its 18-250mm bigger brother, it delivered a decent close-up result and kept barrel distortion under tighter control at the 18mm setting than both the Tamrons.’

Digital Camera‘All too often it seems that edition ‘II’ lenses represent minor tweaks to the original but this is a completely new lens. Shorter, lighter and has a smaller 62mm filter thread.

18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSMDigital SLR‘There can be little doubt that when assessing the shots, this Sigma delivers the best performance. This is a well-specified and compact lens that feels well balanced and handles nicely on the camera.’

Ephotozine‘Superzoom lenses are often full of compromises, but in this 18-250mm lens from Sigma, the compromises are few and far between. If you're after a convenient all-in-one lens for travel, then the sharpness delivered by this lens certainly makes it worthy of serious consideration, especially when compared to manufacturer’s own superzoom offerings. It's lighter, more compact, cheaper,

offers more reach andperforms about as well,

if not better insome areas.’

Digital Camera‘Handling and buildquality feel refined,

solid and robust, andthere’s no hint of zoomcreep. An extra bonusof this lens, compared

with its bigger predecessor, is that itoffers particular close

focusing down to 35cm.’

HYPERZOOMLENSES

IMAGE BYROGER REYNOLDS Hon. FRPS

TELEPHOTOZOOM LENSES

70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG MACRODigital Photo‘Impressive results that are close to those of the APO version. There’s a good level of sharpness throughout. This is a well-built lens and great value for the price.’

Ephotozine‘One of the features of this lens is the ‘Macro’ mode, which allows photography to a ratio of 1:2. Not true Macro, but a useful feature just the same.’ ‘For some-one who is on a tight budget, this lens, having been upgraded to DG (digitally optimised) status, seems to have closed the gap slightly on its more expensive sister.’

PhotoPlus‘The Sigma 70-300mm DG is the second cheapest lens in the group but still boasts a couple of nice design features. For example, you get a macro facility, which comes complete with a switch on the barrel, so you can lock out the short end of the focusing range for general use, making for faster, more efficient autofocus in tricky conditions.’

70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG MACRODigital Camera Shopper‘The auto focus mechanism itself is impressively quick in normal operation. Impressive sharpness throughout the zoom range and speedy autofocus make this a very attractive lens at the price.’

What Digital Camera‘At 300mm, the central control is as good as that of the Nikon and Olympus models.’

Digital PhotographerThe Sigma delivers handling and image quality beyond what you’d expect at this price.’

Digital SLR PhotographyBuild quality is very good. Autofocus is responsive in all lighting conditions. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements means that resolution is higher than average.’

Practical Photography ‘With a better build quality and great results it proves itself to be a formidable lens and therefore earns our Best Buy award.’

IMAGE BYJOE McNEILAGE

70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OSPhotoworld‘I have never had sharper pictures from any telephoto in this range, even at the long end it delivers fine detail wide open. The stabilisation is superb, and the optical quality as seen from my Alpha 900 is better than my Sony 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G SSM...’

F2 Magazine‘First, let me say this lens is one of the best 70-300mm‘s I’ve used, a match for the Nikon 70-300mm or the Sony 70-300mm G.’

Practical Photography‘...it is the cheapest full-frame stabilised lens by around £100. If you need a lightweight performer with the reassurance of stabilisation system, then this lens offers unbeatable value.’

NPhotoThe Sigma 70-300mm produced the best results in the test across the board for sharpness, colour fringing and distortion.’

70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSMAmateur Photographer‘Matching the Canon for specification, Sigma offer a constant f/2.8 telephoto zoom lens at a lower price. Zooming is smooth across the span. This is a first class modern lens that is easy for the action and sports photographer to use.’

Digital Photography Review‘It tends to be very sharp in the center of the frame even wide open… giving truly excellent results across the frame by F5.6 - F8. Of particular note is the almost complete lack of chromatic aberration, which presum-ably is due to the use of the latest 'FLD' glass in the lens's construction. The resultant absence of color fringing is important as it means the images look extremely clean right across the frame, and this has a strong positive impact on the overall perceived image quality. Sigma has clearly been working hard in the lens's stabilization and focusing systems, and we found that both performed extremely well.’

Ephotozine‘At f/2.8 the resolution in the centre is already very good… Here the sharpness across the frame is excellent. Sigma's optical stabiliser is certainly capable and is about as effective as the system found in marque lenses. This adds to the feeling of good value this lens provides, especially as it's around £400 cheaper than the marque competition.’

FAST TELEPHOTOZOOM LENSES

IMAGE BY NEIL BATES

50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSMWhat Digital Camera‘…this is a very capable and feature-packed lens that is bound to appeal to a lot of APS-C DSLR owners.’ ‘Both focussing and zooming are fully internal with no distur-bance of the manual focussing ring and without any extension or rotation of the lens barrel.’ ‘The padded carrying case is a welcome inclusion that provides excellent protection and a home for the lens hood if it is detached from the zoom.’

PhotoPlusIt is an APO lens so it‘s made from SLD glass elements – six to be precise – in order to achieve excellent image quality and reduce signs of chromatic aberration. The lens is very quick to focus, and produces some excellent quality images. The four-stop stabiliser is great for handheld shooting.’

50-500mm f/5-6.3 EX DG OS HSMDigital Photographer ‘In terms of specifications, the Sigma 50-500mm must surely be the ultimate telephoto zoom. The 10x zoom range is impressive enough, but the Optical Stabiliser completes the package. The Sigma 50-500mm does an awful lot for the money - well worth the investment.’

Digital Photo ‘For the price you expect the build quality to be first-class and the good news is, it is! The zoom and focus rings offer plenty of grip; the zoom extended smoothly to its maximum 500mm range and can be locked at 50mm to prevent zoom creep. Image quality tests revealed sound levels of sharpness at 500mm.’

Digital Camera Essentials‘The optical stabiliser has made a big difference, cutting camera shake and making it far easier to compose accurately at full zoom while handholding the lens. The 10x zoom offers a wide range of compositional choice. You can crop in tightly on details, and the shallow DOF at long zoom settings gives pleasing effects. For a giant lens, the Sigma has a remarkably ‘wide’ minimum focal length of 50mm, making it very versatile.’

Professional Image Maker‘By many standards, this is a spectacular lens with one of the largest (if not THE largest) zoom ranges around in DSLR photography.’

120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSMBritish Journal of Photography‘I was not disappointed, nor surprised to find the 120-400mm turning in a result marginally improving the high marks obtained for one of the finest Nikon zooms ever produced.’

Digital Camera‘Handheld results are vastly improved by Sigma’s OS technology, which lived up to its claims of a four-stop advantage in our tests, enabling consistentlyshake-free shots at slow shutter speeds. Sharpness and contrast were extremely good throughout the zoom range, matching or exceeding the overallimage quality of some lenses on test that costabout twice the price.

PhotoPlus‘Optical quality proved excellent throughout the zoom range in our tests, with minimal distortionor aberrations. For the price, Sigma has come upwith an absolute cracker with this lens.’

Digital SLR Photography‘...its performance and image quality impressed meto the degree that I decided to buy one. In particular, its close-focusing ability and OS technology suits my needs perfectly.

150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSMEphotozine‘In terms of features versus value for money, this lens has to be the telephoto bargain of the century to date. With both a sonic focusing system and an optical stabilisation system, coupled with a good optical performance and reasonably compact dimensions, I can see this optic finding a lot of suitors.’

Photography Monthly'The lens’ AF system uses Sigma’s Hypersonic Motor (HSM). This gives quick and silent opera-tion comparable to what you’d expect from a Canon USM or Nikon SWM lens.’

Outdoor Photography‘The OS, Sigma’s Optical Stabilisation seems just as effective as the Canon’s, and I managed to get sharp shots at around 100sec handheld, amazing for a 500mm. The optical quality is astounding in this price bracket.’

120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM

Digital Photographer'The zoom range and constant f2.8 max aperture is unique and it has a four-stop optical image stabiliser. Build quality is exceptionally good though the front half of the barrel is made of engineering plastic. Neverthe-less, the rest is made of aluminium alloy and feels very durable. Sigma’s HSM is both near silent and fast in operation.'

PhotoPlus‘What it does give you is the holy grail of long telephoto reach combined with a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8. Other finery includes a four-stop optical stabiliser with dual modes, ring type ultrasonic autofocus and very sturdy build quality,’

300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSMOutdoor Photography‘Zoom-wise, this lens has no real competitor and so is in a class of its own.' 'The AF was fast, silent and accurate. The results of this session were stunnng - I couldn't have been happier. Since viewing the results...this lens has gone virtually everywhere with me. Would I buy one? Yes.’

The Photographer‘From time to time landmark products redefine our photography. These products may be new cameras or the latest imaging software, but sometimes they are the most important items which produce our images: the lenses. A big advantage of this lens is that you are able to adjust the zoom to the precise focal length required to frame your subject… Imagine being on safari and finding that the 500mm lens you have on the camera is not tight enough… you might need, say, 726mm to fill the frame. With this Sigma zoom, you’ve got every possible focal length from 300mm to 800mm in a single lens – and all at the same f/5.6 aperture.’

Ephotozine‘The optical qualities of the lens make it worth carrying the weight along with you. It is sharp through-out the range, has excellent contrast and good neutral colour rendition. With a constant aperture of f/5.6 throughout the focal lengths and excellent perfor-mance wide open there is very little to criticise…once it is in a situation where it is comfortable, there is not a lot that can touch it. With converters, it can match the focal lengths achieved by Digiscoping with an enormous leap in quality. I’ve used it on 4,6,10 and 12mp cameras and all the results are stunning.’

British Journal of Photography‘Sigma is not so much a cost-competitive brand as one that delivers innovative products and professional performance at a very affordable price. Overall, the 300-800mm zoom works brilliantly and captures some very eye-catching images. At £5,000 it isn’t cheap, but it is a lot less costly than some of its potential rivals. More importantly, it is a very versatile and superbly built lens that, for the right users, will surely justify every penny of its price.’

TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENSES

Digital Photographer‘The optical qualities of the lens make it worth carrying the weight along with you. It is sharp through-out the range, has excellent contrast and good neutral colour rendition. With a constant aperture of f/5.6 throughout the focal lengths and excellent perfor-mance wide open, there is very little to criticise. Distortion is almost immeasurable with figures of less than a half of one percent at both ends of the zoom.’

RPS Journal‘The ability to continuously vary the focal length of such a long lens was very useful, since it was possible to fill the frame with a single bike at various distances from the track. Autofocus was fast enough to follow moving bikes, which seems particularly impressive when you consider the volume of glass in the lens. The large zoom and focus rings were easy to find, and continuous manual focusing was useful on occasions when the camera lost autofocus and needed a manual tweak to get it back.’

Photography Monthly‘This lens is in a class of its own – no other zoom lens on the market approaches its pulling power. There is very little drop-off in resolution between the shorter and longer ends of the zoom and the difference between centre and edge is minimal.’

Freelance Photographer‘It’s a flexible and uncommon bit of hardware that, if you’ve given the right assignments, will pay for itself. Rather than hiring, owning one gives you the chance to take some astounding images – cityscapes to wildlife, covert ‘spy’ shots, sports – the range of applications for this lens is huge. More impressive is that the AF is fast; the zoom control is light and precise, with no creep. You simply cannot faultthe results this lens gives.’

IMAGE BY PAUL REYNOLDS

N PhotoA unique blend of telephoto zoom range and fast maximum aperture makes this very versatile.’ ‘Image quality is excellent for a zoom lens, with very good sharpness and contrast.’ ‘It’s a weighty beast but very versatile thanks to its extended telephoto zoom range.’

DIGITAL SLRSYSTEM

DIGITAL COMPACTS

‘If you haven’t seen what the Foveon sensor can do, you’ll be amazed at the clarity...’ DIGITAL CAMERA

SD15Outdoor Photography‘I opened the smart blackbox containing the SD15with anticipation and thinking, ‘yes, there is definitely something a bit special here’. This is a handsome, no nonsense looking camera and it’s well put together. The grip is deep and extremely comfortable, while build quality, fit and finish are all first class.’

Black and White Photography‘In practice, I have found that the Foveon does indeed provide exceptional per pixel sharpness and colour accuracy that really helps give images a depth that is unique in the digital arena. I can honestly say that the SD15 is the most intuitively straightforward camera I have used in a long time.

Digital Camera‘If you haven’t seen what the Foveon sensor can do, you’ll be amazed at the clarity of the fine detail it produces. Each pixel is razor sharp.

Digital Camera Essentials‘Sigma’s ace-in-the-hand is a triple-layered 14-megapixel Foveon CMOS sensor. Many shots displayed a painterly look that can be attractive, given the correct subject.’

SD1 MERRILLEphotozineThe Sigma SD1 is capable of taking some gorgeous photos with excellent detail at the pixel level. If you shoot RAW then the camera is capable of creating some great looking photos which are especially impressive for fine detail and textures. The 15.6/46 megapixel images can quite easily match the images from Bayer sensor cameras such as the 24.3 megapixel APS-C Sony Alpha A77.

PhotographyBlog‘Colour rendition is great on the Sigma SD1 Merrill. Noise simply doesn't exist at ISO100. Pictures are smooth, detailed where they need to be and three dimensional in appearance.’ ‘We were really excited to get hold of the Sigma SD1 Merrill, it's a lovely camera to hold and you can feel the workmanship that's gone into it. Given the right lens, we think that the SD1 Merrill would be able to pick out every pore on a model's face and get the colours and contours of the skin bang on.’

DP1 MERRILLEphotozineThe Sigma DP1 Merrill has an excellent lens and sensor and is capable of producing stunning images with excellent colour and outstanding levels of detail.

Photography BlogThe images that it produces thanks to the combination of the 19mm fixed lens and the intriguing Foveon X3 sensor are simply outstanding.

DP2 MERRILLEphotozineThe Foveon sensor is capable of resolving excellent - to stunning - levels of detail far beyond what you would usually expect from 15 megapixel images.

Photography BlogThe Sigma DP2 Merrill's image quality is outstanding.

Amateur PhotographerIn good-contrast light, I have not seen such a high standard of performance from a camera at this level, and the DP2 outperforms many cameras above it too.

Read what the experts have to say about lenses from the world’s leading independent lens manufacturer

SIGMA IN THE NEWS

photographyis our world

A range of dedicated flashguns that light the way to superb indoor and outdoor photography.

SIGMA EF-610 DG ST A fully automatic flashgun which includes an auto-zoom bounce, swivel head and a powerful Guide Number of 61.

SIGMA EF-610 DG SUPER An equally powerful yet versatile flashgun with advanced featuresincluding wireless and high speed flash, exposure control, strobe flash and modelling flash.

SIGMA EM-140 DG MACRO FLASH A dual tube macro flash perfect for shadowless, fine detail photography. Flash tubes can be fired together or separately for different lighting effects.

All three flashguns are compatible with the latest TTL systems from popular SLR manufacturers.

ELECTRONICFlash Series

FOR CREATIVE TTL PHOTOGRAPHY

For further information, visit your nearest Sigma stockist or contact us at Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd.13 Little Mundells, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL7 1EWTel: 01707 329 999 Email: sales@sigma-imaging-uk.com

Website: www.sigma-imaging-uk.com