New All-Purpose Lens For DSLR Cameras - Sigma 18-250mm - An Endorsement

Are you looking for just such a lens for your digital SLR camera?

Sigma has a lens that will step up to the plate for almost any situation. It is the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens. And it is manufactured for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony DSLRs.

This beauty has been attached to my Canon 30D almost constantly since I purchased the lens. I have been extremely happy with the images it has produced.

I have always been a fan of getting a better lens than the kit lens that comes with a DSLR because the kit lenses have been rated as lower quality than some of the other lenses that are available. I also prefer a wider focal range than what the kit lens offers.

I will admit that the kit lenses have been upgraded in the past year. They now include better optics and image stabilization. But the focal range is still only 18-55mm in most cases. Having the range of 250mm is a huge advantage. The optics throughout the entire range are strong. So you could have just one lens instead of two or three.

My personal findings are these:
When compared to my all purpose walk around lens, the Sigma 28-75 (which has served me very well over the last 4 years), the image quality was equal or better in every shot. Plus the optical stabilization made it possible to take sharp low light shots without the use of a tripod. Compared to my Canon 70-200mm f4 lens, I was totally surprised that the Sigma 18-250 matched the image quality in every case. And, again, the optical stabilization made it possible to take hand held images that were not possible with my Canon lens (Canon makes a 70-200 f4 IS, but I don't own that one). The biggest surprise was when I matched my new Sigma lens up with my dedicated macro lens, the Sigma 105mm macro. The Sigma 18-250 was the hands-down winner in image quality. I could focus on a bee gathering pollen at less that 2 feet away using the 250mm focal length, and the sharpness was better than the dedicated macro lens.