This lens is specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras and provides a high level of optical performance. It has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, offers superior peripheral brightness as well as a compact and lightweight construction. A maximum magnification of 1:3, makes it ideal for close-up photography.
This lens is specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras and provides a high level of optical performance. It has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, offers superior peripheral brightness as well as a compact and lightweight construction. A maximum magnification of 1:3, makes it ideal for close-up photography.
This lens is specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras and provides a high level of optical performance. It has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, offers superior peripheral brightness as well as a compact and lightweight construction. A maximum magnification of 1:3, makes it ideal for close-up photography.
This lens is specially designed to suit the characteristics of digital SLR cameras and provides a high level of optical performance. It has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, offers superior peripheral brightness as well as a compact and lightweight construction. A maximum magnification of 1:3, makes it ideal for close-up photography.
Last updated at 06/09/2026 23:43:21
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX D
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX D
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro HSM
Delivery $59
originally posted on adorama.com
I got this lens to replace my defunct kit lens. It is worlds above the kit lens. The macro is super fun to play with, which is something I never even cared about before I purchased this lens. The autofocus is not nearly as bad as other reviews I have read have said. It hunts a bit in low light situations and is a tad noisy, but it is relatively fast and accurate. The build quality of this lens is awesome as well, it feel really solid. Also, this lens is sharp, even at 2.8. If there is any major downsides, it is the distortion. At 18mm this thing has some obvious distortion, but on the 50mm side of things it is hardly noticeable. This problem is quickly overlooked, however, as it only takes a few seconds to fix this in lightroom. For the price, this lens is awesome.
originally posted on adorama.com
I am a semi pro who uses this lens as a workhorse on my D90, this is an exceptional lens. Pop Photo mag rates this lens above Nikon 17-55 and other 3rd party lenses. You cannot go wrong with this lens, its a keeper. Try make sure to check for quality control (back/front focusing is not necessarily a lens defect, it can be calibration discrepancy between lens-Camera, so it might focus properly on one D90 but not another, but can be adjusted.). Checking for QC is imp for any lens brand. If you're not a brand snob, you will be happy. I do not shoot brick walls, and stare at charts (not discounting that, it is also imp), I am saying this from real life assignment experience. And my discerning clients have been very happy so far! It is not a dedicated low light lens ... MoreI am a semi pro who uses this lens as a workhorse on my D90, this is an exceptional lens. Pop Photo mag rates this lens above Nikon 17-55 and other 3rd party lenses. You cannot go wrong with this lens, its a keeper. Try make sure to check for quality control (back/front focusing is not necessarily a lens defect, it can be calibration discrepancy between lens-Camera, so it might focus properly on one D90 but not another, but can be adjusted.). Checking for QC is imp for any lens brand. If you're not a brand snob, you will be happy. I do not shoot brick walls, and stare at charts (not discounting that, it is also imp), I am saying this from real life assignment experience. And my discerning clients have been very happy so far! It is not a dedicated low light lens however, but by that I mean in dark and poorly lit alleys/venues but then its only a f/2.8. So for hardcore night/low-light photography get a 35 or 50 (1.8 & 1.4).
originally posted on adorama.com
I was looking to upgrade from the kit lenses. I started looking at the Oly ZD 14-54 and this one caught my eye. The constant 2.8 aperture was appealing and I didn't need the "water proof" Oly since my camera isn't either. It seemed like bigger bang for the buck. I decided to go for it & boy am I glad I did. This lens is sharp edge to edge. The 2.8 allows me to shoot low light situations without having to boost ISO beyond 800 (in most cases). I use it mainly as a portrait lens at the 30-50mm range and it outperforms the resolution of my puny 8MP sensor (E-300). I have shot my son's communion, a friend's quinceanera, several of my friends' family & kids, senior pictures, and my nephew's & nieces baby pictures as well as some maternity pics. This is my "go to" lens in ... MoreI was looking to upgrade from the kit lenses. I started looking at the Oly ZD 14-54 and this one caught my eye. The constant 2.8 aperture was appealing and I didn't need the "water proof" Oly since my camera isn't either. It seemed like bigger bang for the buck. I decided to go for it & boy am I glad I did. This lens is sharp edge to edge. The 2.8 allows me to shoot low light situations without having to boost ISO beyond 800 (in most cases). I use it mainly as a portrait lens at the 30-50mm range and it outperforms the resolution of my puny 8MP sensor (E-300). I have shot my son's communion, a friend's quinceanera, several of my friends' family & kids, senior pictures, and my nephew's & nieces baby pictures as well as some maternity pics. This is my "go to" lens in every one of those situations.I am not into macro photography but have tried a few flower & bug pics and this lens does not disappoint.If you're on the fence debating on whether you should or shouldn't, get off that fence & get it! You'll be happy you did.
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX D
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro
Delivery $59
Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC EX Macro
Delivery $59
I got this lens to replace my defunct kit lens. It is worlds above the kit lens. The macro is super fun to play with, which is something I never even cared about before I purchased this lens. The autofocus is not nearly as bad as other reviews I have read have said. It hunts a bit in low light situations and is a tad noisy, but it is relatively fast and accurate. The build quality of this lens is awesome as well, it feel really solid. Also, this lens is sharp, even at 2.8. If there is any major downsides, it is the distortion. At 18mm this thing has some obvious distortion, but on the 50mm side of things it is hardly noticeable. This problem is quickly overlooked, however, as it only takes a few seconds to fix this in lightroom. For the price, this lens is awesome.
I am a semi pro who uses this lens as a workhorse on my D90, this is an exceptional lens. Pop Photo mag rates this lens above Nikon 17-55 and other 3rd party lenses. You cannot go wrong with this lens, its a keeper. Try make sure to check for quality control (back/front focusing is not necessarily a lens defect, it can be calibration discrepancy between lens-Camera, so it might focus properly on one D90 but not another, but can be adjusted.). Checking for QC is imp for any lens brand. If you're not a brand snob, you will be happy. I do not shoot brick walls, and stare at charts (not discounting that, it is also imp), I am saying this from real life assignment experience. And my discerning clients have been very happy so far! It is not a dedicated low light lens ... MoreI am a semi pro who uses this lens as a workhorse on my D90, this is an exceptional lens. Pop Photo mag rates this lens above Nikon 17-55 and other 3rd party lenses. You cannot go wrong with this lens, its a keeper. Try make sure to check for quality control (back/front focusing is not necessarily a lens defect, it can be calibration discrepancy between lens-Camera, so it might focus properly on one D90 but not another, but can be adjusted.). Checking for QC is imp for any lens brand. If you're not a brand snob, you will be happy. I do not shoot brick walls, and stare at charts (not discounting that, it is also imp), I am saying this from real life assignment experience. And my discerning clients have been very happy so far! It is not a dedicated low light lens however, but by that I mean in dark and poorly lit alleys/venues but then its only a f/2.8. So for hardcore night/low-light photography get a 35 or 50 (1.8 & 1.4).
I was looking to upgrade from the kit lenses. I started looking at the Oly ZD 14-54 and this one caught my eye. The constant 2.8 aperture was appealing and I didn't need the "water proof" Oly since my camera isn't either. It seemed like bigger bang for the buck. I decided to go for it & boy am I glad I did. This lens is sharp edge to edge. The 2.8 allows me to shoot low light situations without having to boost ISO beyond 800 (in most cases). I use it mainly as a portrait lens at the 30-50mm range and it outperforms the resolution of my puny 8MP sensor (E-300). I have shot my son's communion, a friend's quinceanera, several of my friends' family & kids, senior pictures, and my nephew's & nieces baby pictures as well as some maternity pics. This is my "go to" lens in ... MoreI was looking to upgrade from the kit lenses. I started looking at the Oly ZD 14-54 and this one caught my eye. The constant 2.8 aperture was appealing and I didn't need the "water proof" Oly since my camera isn't either. It seemed like bigger bang for the buck. I decided to go for it & boy am I glad I did. This lens is sharp edge to edge. The 2.8 allows me to shoot low light situations without having to boost ISO beyond 800 (in most cases). I use it mainly as a portrait lens at the 30-50mm range and it outperforms the resolution of my puny 8MP sensor (E-300). I have shot my son's communion, a friend's quinceanera, several of my friends' family & kids, senior pictures, and my nephew's & nieces baby pictures as well as some maternity pics. This is my "go to" lens in every one of those situations.I am not into macro photography but have tried a few flower & bug pics and this lens does not disappoint.If you're on the fence debating on whether you should or shouldn't, get off that fence & get it! You'll be happy you did.
I am overall satisfied with this lens. The build-quality is quite good and the finish is nice. The zoom is reversed for Nikon, which takes some getting used to.My used copy seemed to have noticeable back-focus. Dialing in -15 fine tune seemed to clear it up. Seems like it back focuses the worst at 18mm. On the long end, it actually front focuses a bit. But with the AF fine tune I get good results in real life settings. Focus charts will drive you crazy if you play with them long enough.Definitely soft at 18mm f2.8. Zoom in to about 19mm and it is noticeably better. Overall, not as tack sharp at 2.8 as I had hoped, but definitely useable. If you nail the focus, it is quite impressive in the center of the frame. I'd be curious to compare to the Tamron 17-50 ... MoreI am overall satisfied with this lens. The build-quality is quite good and the finish is nice. The zoom is reversed for Nikon, which takes some getting used to.My used copy seemed to have noticeable back-focus. Dialing in -15 fine tune seemed to clear it up. Seems like it back focuses the worst at 18mm. On the long end, it actually front focuses a bit. But with the AF fine tune I get good results in real life settings. Focus charts will drive you crazy if you play with them long enough.Definitely soft at 18mm f2.8. Zoom in to about 19mm and it is noticeably better. Overall, not as tack sharp at 2.8 as I had hoped, but definitely useable. If you nail the focus, it is quite impressive in the center of the frame. I'd be curious to compare to the Tamron 17-50 directly.The "Macro" feature is pretty cool. you can almost touch an object with the front element and it still focuses. The HSM motor is quick and quiet, but not silent like my Nikkors. When it micro-adjusts at the end, there is a bit of a soft crunchy noise from the motor compared to the whirl sound during normal focus. This is audible if you're taking video. But for video, manual focus is better anyway.Get yourself a new lens cap. The outside tabs make it impossible to take off the cap with the hood on. Get a center pinch replacement.
After reading every review possible, good and bad, I decided to take the plunge and buy. The first thing I noticed when I got this was the build quality, its built like a tank and has a good feel on my D200. I got to but it to the test on a shoot I did last weekend and I was very pleased with the results. The color was amazing, bokeh was very good, it was very sharp even wide open and even sharper stopped down, and at a third of the cost of Nikon's 17-55 its a winner.The only reason I didn't give it five stars was bucause in low light it does search a little, but not enough to really matter.If your on the fence about this lense, I say just buy it! You wont be disappointed.
Great lens for an upgrade from the kit lens. It's a fast lens with the maximum apature goes to 2.8 in all the focal length range. The lens is heavier and bigger than the kit lens. But everything works fine and the build quality is fine too.
Great little 2.8 lens. Light to carry and better than most at 2.8 and gets better at each 1/3 stop up.Colors outdoors are terrific. Very well built looking with an excellent finish.Best hood I've seen yet.Using it on a Nikon D2Xs and its fully functional and sharp. I rate it as one of my favorites.... The only con if you could call it that is the auto focus seems very active but its no problem to me..
This is an excellent macro lens. Performs very well right down to 1:1, better than most macro lenses of this vintage and equal to very good current macro lenses.
I have had the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 for over two years now. I have used it for landscape, portrait and wedding work. This lens does one thing exceptionally well and that is wide angle close-ups. At 18mm it will focus down to about 4 inches and is very sharp. It has also been a good performer for wedding shoots. Its weakness is in high contrast situations where chromatic abberations become an issue. It can develop a pronounced purple halo in stong backlighting.
Why I looked for a 18-50(ish) 2.8 zoom:I found that with my Nikon 18-55 kit lens the photos were good but not great. Indoors without good daylight the kit lens needed to be worked around and the price of the Nikon 17-55 2.8 was prohibitive for my needs.I went to a kids party and took my Tokina 11-16 2.8, Nikon 18-55 3.4-5.6, and nikon 50mm 1.8. I started with the kit zoom for convenience, but even at ISO 3200 I was having problems getting the kids without blur. I switched to the 50mm and 11-16 and came out with good pictures.Why this lens:After this party I decided that I need 2.8 and saw that the Tamron and Sigma offerings were a very nice price (the sigma being a better price). I played with the Tamron and while better than the kit lens just didn't give me a ... MoreWhy I looked for a 18-50(ish) 2.8 zoom:I found that with my Nikon 18-55 kit lens the photos were good but not great. Indoors without good daylight the kit lens needed to be worked around and the price of the Nikon 17-55 2.8 was prohibitive for my needs.I went to a kids party and took my Tokina 11-16 2.8, Nikon 18-55 3.4-5.6, and nikon 50mm 1.8. I started with the kit zoom for convenience, but even at ISO 3200 I was having problems getting the kids without blur. I switched to the 50mm and 11-16 and came out with good pictures.Why this lens:After this party I decided that I need 2.8 and saw that the Tamron and Sigma offerings were a very nice price (the sigma being a better price). I played with the Tamron and while better than the kit lens just didn't give me a feel that it was better enough for the money. I ordered the Sigma and when I tried it was surprised. I really like it. It makes great pictures wide open and feels sharp and contrasty. Not quite as sharp as the 50mm but very close. Lens flare seems to be well controlled and the bokeh caused by background street lights at night were nice circles.I did notice (I use a D300) slight Chromatic Aberrations (purple fringe) on strong black to white transitions if viewed at 100%. I only noticed them because I was looking for them. Not an issue for me.Build felt solid and compact. No lens creep and the touch on the zoom and focus felt fine. It is new so no break-in has been accounted for. I didn't notice the HSM motor. Not noisy, not slow. AF hunt was on par with the Tokina 11-16 and the 50mm 1.8 and was not an issue. (proper exposure was about 1/15th at f2.8 at 1600).The pleasant surprise was how close it focuses. Closer than the advertised distance. It is close enough that the lens hood becomes a consideration for your subject. Not being a real MACRO guy its hard to evaluate as a Macro lens. I'll say that I could see the paper grain pattern in the label of the soup can.Compared with the equivalent Tamron; besides ergonomic and style preference, I felt the Tamron images were a bit "blah" but wasn't able to point to any specific reason why.Compared with images I reviewed taken with the Nikon cream of the crop, the Sigma feels to me to be about 90% to 95% of the Nikon. And the 5 to 10% difference is what you'd expect between mid-range and professional. (ah-hem... better than this photographer can exploit)Though for this lens purchase price was a factor for me; the Quality for Value is surprisingly high and I am comfortable saying this is a very good lens without having to add the phrase "for the price."Hope this helps.
