The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens has been a fantastic addition to my photography kit. Its wide aperture of f/1.8 allows for exceptional low-light performance and stunning bokeh, making my subjects stand out beautifully. The versatility of the 18-35mm zoom range covers everything from landscapes to portraits, giving me flexibility without sacrificing quality. The sharpness and clarity are impeccable, capturing even the finest details with precision. Whether I'm shooting indoors or out, this lens consistently delivers impressive results, fueling my creativity and enhancing my photography.

A lot of great features

Even though a lot of people on youtube seem to think this lens is 'meh', there's a lot to like about this lens. The images I get from it are very sharp, the zoom range is very nice for super-35 format sensors, it features a constant aperature, and it feels like a great quality build. The feature I wasn't expecting is that the internal volume of this lens doesn't change when zooming or focusing. That's really important when you work in a cold environment and then bring the camera somewhere warm as it reduces the chances of condensation on the internal elements of the lens. I really wish more manufacturers provided that as a feature. Overall, a great lens. Now if I could just get it with an RF mount...

Great Image, Lackluster Focus Ring

I bought this lens to use with my Canon C70. The image is great - sharp, 1.8 aperture, not too much distortion, and an ideal focal length (for me) for a Super35 sensor. The autofocus seems to be okay, not the best; unfortunately it's pretty loud. The internal zoom isn't a huge draw for me but it's a nice feature. Although, there are times when I wish the lens was a little shorter at the 18mm focal length, but that's just one of the small cons to having internal zoom.The biggest con for me (and why I'm returning it) is because I do a lot of manual focusing and the focus ring on this lens is so stiff. Granted, this is not what this lens was made for, but it's weird because I've owned the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 and didn't have any issues with it. I found it really hard ... MoreI bought this lens to use with my Canon C70. The image is great - sharp, 1.8 aperture, not too much distortion, and an ideal focal length (for me) for a Super35 sensor. The autofocus seems to be okay, not the best; unfortunately it's pretty loud. The internal zoom isn't a huge draw for me but it's a nice feature. Although, there are times when I wish the lens was a little shorter at the 18mm focal length, but that's just one of the small cons to having internal zoom.The biggest con for me (and why I'm returning it) is because I do a lot of manual focusing and the focus ring on this lens is so stiff. Granted, this is not what this lens was made for, but it's weird because I've owned the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 and didn't have any issues with it. I found it really hard to reliably pull focus because you have to really twist the ring with force. But the other issue is that if I switch it to autofocus, it's very loud and not reliable enough. This might just be Canon's autofocus or my settings, but I generally prefer manual focus anyways - and again, I never had an issue with that on the 24-70mm.This lens is great for the image you get, and most likely a fantastic lens for photography, but I can't recommend this lens for video if you do a lot of manual focusing.

Impressively sharp!

An impressively sharp lens with accurate autofocus. I use this lens on a canon r7 with the canon ef to rf adapter, and the autofocus is quiet, accurate, and fast. Great results, and excellent bokeh/depth of field. A very reasonably priced lens with features and quality that rivals lenses many times the price. One of the best options for those looking for a high quality image and professional results, at an affordable price point. Minimal softness at the edges, especially when stopped to F 2.8 or F 4. As I had heard in many online reviews before my purchase, the advantages of stepping down the aperture past F 8 - F 11 or so are somewhat limited. This lens performs best between F 2.8 and 5.6 for most close to medium range shots. That being said, it still offers nice ... MoreAn impressively sharp lens with accurate autofocus. I use this lens on a canon r7 with the canon ef to rf adapter, and the autofocus is quiet, accurate, and fast. Great results, and excellent bokeh/depth of field. A very reasonably priced lens with features and quality that rivals lenses many times the price. One of the best options for those looking for a high quality image and professional results, at an affordable price point. Minimal softness at the edges, especially when stopped to F 2.8 or F 4. As I had heard in many online reviews before my purchase, the advantages of stepping down the aperture past F 8 - F 11 or so are somewhat limited. This lens performs best between F 2.8 and 5.6 for most close to medium range shots. That being said, it still offers nice bokeh and good image quality at fully open aperture of the advertised F 1.8. I have heard criticism that it does not perhaps have quite as much of the “3D pop” of other lenses with similarly low aperture numbers, but I haven’t found myself wanting when shooting with this lens. If I want that kind of character, I tend towards my cinema and vintage lenses when that extreme depth of field is more central to the presentation. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t possess the ability to offer those characteristics, just that I find it’s hard to replicate the undeniable qualities of a vintage canon 50mm 1.8, or a similar (or much wider) focal length cinema lens. These lenses are sought after and are frequently used for good reason. This lens is great for both photography and video, and offers a great balance of features (such as autofocus) that many vintage and manual cinema lenses just can’t offer. This is a great focal length for portraiture, street photography, highly detailed close focus nature photography, and close to mid range video shooting. This easily performs as well as updated autofocus systems, even when using an adapter for use on newer camera bodies

Nice lens, but man, did it come in a filthy condition

The lens works. The images are nice and sharp. My problem with the purchase is that it came in a filthy condition. I can see from all of the grime on the zoom ring and focus ring, that this lens has seen a lot of use. But really, if you're selling it, why not spend a few minutes to clean it up a bit. Now that I've taken the time to clean it up, it looks much closer to new. Yes, it has a scratch on one side of the barrel and some chips in the paint, but those were known through the pictures before purchase. Perhaps I should have taken pictures of it's condition before taking the time to clean it up. But I didn't think about that until after the fact.

One of the best lenses in my bag

Been pondering for a while to get this lens but because it was pricey for an old lens I held off. Finally I pulled the trigger when B&H offered it for a price that I could afford. The lens arrived in a good condition outer box with bubble wrap but unfortunately, inside, I received the lens in a Sigma box that was somewhat crushed and torn by the flap. Putting that aside, the lens looked to be in good condition.Now to the meat and potatoes of the lens. The build quality is solid. The focusing and zoom rings turn smoothly. This fast lens with its f 1.8 aperture produces beautiful bokeh and is very good in low light. It's a little heavy but that's a good thing because it's built with quality materials. I wish it had IS since I tend to have shaky hands at times but ... MoreBeen pondering for a while to get this lens but because it was pricey for an old lens I held off. Finally I pulled the trigger when B&H offered it for a price that I could afford. The lens arrived in a good condition outer box with bubble wrap but unfortunately, inside, I received the lens in a Sigma box that was somewhat crushed and torn by the flap. Putting that aside, the lens looked to be in good condition.Now to the meat and potatoes of the lens. The build quality is solid. The focusing and zoom rings turn smoothly. This fast lens with its f 1.8 aperture produces beautiful bokeh and is very good in low light. It's a little heavy but that's a good thing because it's built with quality materials. I wish it had IS since I tend to have shaky hands at times but that's easily corrected by shooting at high speeds or using a tripod. Overall, I'm happy that I finally made this purchase.

Perfect for the R7 and APS-C!

I normally shoot wildlife with a 100-500mm but I needed a portrait lens for the r7 and have been wanting a wide angle lens as well. This checks both boxes and combined with the IBIS on the r7, Christmas portraits and my landscape photos are razor sharp! F1.8 also means great low light images and beautiful backgrounds. After seeing the image quality from this lens, I now have my eye on the Sigma 50-100 to fill in the focal gap. I haven’t tried video yet, but I hear it’s amazing as well. Excellent investment if you’re using aps-c for a fraction of the cost of a professional series prime. It’s like having a bag full of primes in just one lens!

Sigma did it again

I bought this nice tool and one of the reasons is because of the reviews. Nevertheless, there is something that happened to me. On my camara if I take a picture via viewfinder the picture won't be sharp. But if I take the picture via LCD then the pictures are nice and sharp and I mean it nice and sharp. If you want to go the Viewfinder route you might want to buy the USB dock and enjoy the process to set it up. If you want to go the LCD route then no problem but if you are in a really bright daylight looking at the screen might be a challenge, so you may want a HoodLoop. With that said, it looks really nice is heavy but that is ok, so use a good tripod.

Worth the hype - somewhat noisy AF

This lens is pretty incredible - especially for the price.It is somehow still tack sharp wide open at 1.8.Of course, for a zoom lens, the range is incredibly limited but it is effectively a combo of about 6-7 primes (say, 18mm, 21mm, 24mm, 27mm, 30mm, 32mm, and 35mm) all in one.Given that it's only for crop sensor, it would be nice to extend the wider end even by 1 mm (every mm counts), but given how amazing the image quality is, I can't complain. I'll just say if you're trying to throw together a lens kit I would advise getting something wider also (say a 14mm prime or a Tokina 11-16 or even the Canon 10-18 STM).In terms of autofocus, to be honest, I don't use it very often, but I remember during video the ticking autofocus motor was annoying and interfered ... MoreThis lens is pretty incredible - especially for the price.It is somehow still tack sharp wide open at 1.8.Of course, for a zoom lens, the range is incredibly limited but it is effectively a combo of about 6-7 primes (say, 18mm, 21mm, 24mm, 27mm, 30mm, 32mm, and 35mm) all in one.Given that it's only for crop sensor, it would be nice to extend the wider end even by 1 mm (every mm counts), but given how amazing the image quality is, I can't complain. I'll just say if you're trying to throw together a lens kit I would advise getting something wider also (say a 14mm prime or a Tokina 11-16 or even the Canon 10-18 STM).In terms of autofocus, to be honest, I don't use it very often, but I remember during video the ticking autofocus motor was annoying and interfered with the camera-mounted shotgun mic.Of course, there's vignetting (notably at its widest) and color fringing but that's par for the course with any lens. Lightroom does away with that anyway so it's never a problem for me personally.Highly highly recommended, this is one case where a product is actually worth the hype!