Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- User Rating: 
Summary for Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Pretty good for the price
Notes on Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Not a bad lens. Fairly well built, but I do occasionally have a touch of chatter when I manually focus. The autofocus is fast, and the lens is reasonably sharp. Like other Sigma EX lenses, it has a nice exterior finish, and it feels pretty solid. I originally got it for my 40D, and it works well there. When I added a 5D (Mk I) body, I noticed a little vignetting at the wide end, but that's not unexpected on a FF body.
I've since gotten a Canon 24-105mm f/4L, and if I want to do more really wide angle stuff, I'd consider a prime. But for the money, and the convenience, this was a good starter wide angle zoom.
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Good resolution at 17mm
Notes on Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- My impression is that from the resoution standpoint the lens is intended to be used at 17mm. This agrees with test results I found on the Web.
According to these tests this lens has better distortion @17mm than Nikon or Tamron and compares to Canon(L) 17-35/2.8. And I in fact can see that barrel distortion @17mm is very small, at least when used on a cropped camera.
Made a test shot with a sun in the corner. No flare, contrast is good. This surprised me a lot.
Focus ring does allow precise manual focusing.
Build is solid, but the cap is troublesome, but can be replaced by original Sony 77mm cap ($11).
Resolution at 17mm: good in the center wide open. Edges are good 1 stop down. Extreme corners 17mm/f5.6 only. I was satisfied with architecture shots made with f/8 aperture. I used 12mpx body and I compare results to Sony 50/1.4 and 100/2.8M not a kit lens. That's why the rating is only 4.
This is my first Sigma lens. I heard about varying quality of Sigma products, so I am considering myself lucky with this one.
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- A wide-angle zoom for certain situations
Notes on Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- That's the best way I can put it. The Sigma 17-35 is a compact (3" x 3") and light (14 ounce) wide-angle zoom lens. It performs best in certain conditions:
- On cloudy days or when the sun is behind the photographer. This is because I found it to be prone to serious lens flare
- When there are no objects close to the photographer, as distortion at the edges is very noticeable
- When there is a nearby object (a car's wheel, a fire hydrant, for example) that the photographer DOES want to appear extra large and distorted
- Indoor wide-angle shots (I admit, this lens is great for that)
This is not a good lens for architecture, as there is too much distortion. For architecture shots, please see the Tamron or Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Super Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera
So I would call this a niche wide-angle zoom. In terms of durability and construction, it is pure Sigma - it is very well built and should last a lifetime. One thing that I love about Sigma is the feel and the finish.
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Given that the price has dropped significantly over the years, this can be a good addition to your lens collection, even if you already have the Tamron 11-18 as I do. If I do a photo shoot in a park or cemetery on a cloudy day, this lens comes with me, along with my primary, the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Sigma wide angle lens
Notes on Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Super Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Minolta and Sony SLR Cameras
The lens arrived well packed, and seems to be all that I want for the wide angle aspect. There is no visible barrel distortion (walls at the edge of the lens are still straight). Contrast is excellent, Lens is easy to focus manually, and autofocus is rapid and accurate. It works well with both the Sony a-100 and my Minolta 35 mm SLR, a feature that is important to me. There is no darkening of the edges of the slide with the 35 mm camera, a feature which is one you want to consider when buying a lens that works well with either digital or film camera/
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- Quick correction
Notes on Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG IF HSM ...- I am getting this as a Christmas present and have not yet used it so I cannot comment on the overall quality of this lense but I want to mention something that I definitely have learned: the description says that this lense uses 82mm filters. This is WRONG and I have two filters to return to attest to this. The lense uses 77mm filters so please take note of this if you, like I did, try to order filters before getting the lense home and seeing the big 77mm on the side of it.
