Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- User Rating: 
Summary for Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- Not what I expected
Notes on Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- I have owned this lens for close to a year now, and for about 8 months of that period, the lens was in its case.
That is to say, when I bought the lens, I believed I was buying a top of the line lens. I had checked the reviews, checked the comments such as the three on Amazon, and my research said this lens was near as good as the 70-200mm Nikon VR (which is the only other equal or greater in quality) which at today's prices is 400% more in price. How can that be??
A company that manufacturers something nearly identical, can get away with the same quality as something that costs 4x as much? Logically, that just doesn't make sense.
Unfortunately I was dissapointed when I learned what quality was in a lens. I just bought my pro-DSLR in Nov 2006 and was new to DSLR's in general. I had a chance to research through all the best choices and resulted in a Tamron 17-55mm and a Sigma 50-150mm, both top quality lenses in each respective brand for that focus length.
What I didn't know, is that Nikon's lenses truely are best of breed. The Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR, Nikon 28-70mm f2.8, Nikon f1.4 50mm, and Nikon 105mm VR Macro are what I roll with now. Truth be told, I wouldn't have bought anything else if I knew what I do now. SAVE UP. Don't be fooled by quantity over quality.
Technically speaking, for those that want it. Sharpness, color, even the light it picks up is different than my Nikon 70-200. I just did a side by side not even an hour ago, and the sharpness, clarity, and the true f2.8 detection picked up more light than the Sigma I haven't sold off yet. This was a last ditch effort to decide whether a lighter lens in a similar range was worth keeping. Apparently not.
Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- Works well for indoor activities
Notes on Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- I was a little worry about the purchase of this lens, because of the reports of quality control. However, after using the Sigma 50-150 on my Nikon d40 indoors, I am please with images the lens produces. Good colors and contrast and solid built. My daughter is borrowing the lens for her Nikon for photographing indoor sports and plays for her university newspaper with no problems with sharpness or hunting for focus, but some images still needs a little noise removal in post processing. She is petite, but the weight of the lens compare to the Nikon 70-200 2.8 was fine for her. However she does finds the lens to be a little short for outdoor sporting activities. Pluses for the lens is the fact that the lens does not extend while zooming (minimizing the dirt sucking action of other zooms)and the Sigma uses the same filter size of the 18-135mm Nikkor 67mm.
Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- Good Value
Notes on Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- After quite a bit of research, and after reading many reveiws from owners, I purchased this lens from Amazon. I'm happy with the lens, and Amazon provided a quick delivery. I use the lens on my Nikon D200, which came with the well liked 18-200 VR lens. That lens is very useful, but it is a poor choice for photographing moving objects. For that you need the kind of stop action speed that a 2.8 lens delivers. The effective 75-225 zoom range is very useful for general use, and does an excellent job on kids and animals at moderate distances. With the D200, I can shoot at ISO 400 and 5 frames per second, and I can usually get some keepers of my subject. The moderate weight and size are much appreciated.
Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- smooth (focusing) operator
Notes on Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- this lens is interesting for nikon dslr users because it fills a gap in the nikkor product line. it's equivalent to a 75-225 f/2.8 on a 35mm camera. does that excite you? it should.
after having this lens for just over a week and shooting 1,000 pictures at a multiday outdoor music festival, i have to say it's worth every penny.
one minor caveat: the color tone differs a bit from nikon's--it's warmer overall but didn't show any predjudice between reds and blues--so if that bothers you get a nikkor.
complaining about the pinch cap is a little nitpicky IMO. you can access the cap easily with the hood reversed. with the hood on, the lens is ready to be pressed into action, and resistant to dust and dings when shooting outdoors. you should have a uv filter on this at all times for protection anyway.
anyway, this thing rocks. a nice piece of glass, as they say.
its best feature is the IF (internal focus) combined with HSM (hi speed motor). this thing is fast, with a smooth zooming action, going from 50-150 with ease. it has no aperture ring or af/mf switch, which just makes the lines cleaner and smoother. all the goodies are on the inside with this one.
you will be surprised at how versatile it is, handling a variety of photographic situations with ease. with the fast af and low-light capabilities, it's more useful than the much-vaunted 18-200, except for wide-angle pics (for that get the sigma 18-50 f/2.8 or the tamron 17-50 f/2.8 for a killer 2-lens combo). it's especially good at pics with differently-lit subjects at differing focal lengths, capturing different colors in different areas of the pic with impressive attention to contrast and detail.
the build quality isn't tokina at-x or nikon pro, but the ex finish on sigma's pro line is durable and solid. if you want a tank, get the nikkor 70-200, which is almost 3x as much. and weighs a lot more.
pics are sharp, sharp, sharp at f/2.8 across entire range--comparable to nikkor 50 f/1.8--which is really what you buy this for. does very well in real-world shots, although some lab tests have indicated a fall-off in corner to corner sharpness at 150mm. i couldn't really tell, although if i was shooting architecture, i'd probably want a different lens, like a 12-24, anyway. but this lens is more people-friendly than my 12-24.
what else? bokeh is nice, not as creamy as tamron 28-75, but still apparent. and with large aperture, it has good to excellent low and available light performance. you might actually find yourself leaving the speedlite in the bag. for the few times i needed flash, i was able to use the built-in flash with no vignetting.
i use this with a d80, but it will also work on a d40 b/c of the HSM.
overall, one of sigma's best lenses.
Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- User Rating: Summary for Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- Great Sports Photography Lens
Notes on Sigma 50-150mm F/2.8 APO EX DC HSM ...- I shoot Nikon digital cameras (D70 and D80) and I shoot a lot of nature photos and some sports photos. This lens works as advertised and I have no complaints. It is fast, clear and it seems to work perfectly with my Nikon digital cameras. This lens also works well with the Sigma 1.4x teleconverter.
