Customer Reviews 
Soft focus, too many compromises
2004-02-16I have owned this lens for about two years, and found that it was a fine lens at first, when I was just starting to learn with a good camera, but that it quickly outwore it's usefulness and now mainly gathers dust.
Sigma gave up a lot on this lens to add the Macro element, which lets you focus in very close. The focus is pretty soft at longer lengths, producing pictures that are noticably unsharp. There are manual focusing difficulties resulting from saving much of the focal rings for the macro, so that you have a lot of room to turn for focusing from 2 to 3 feet but very little precision in focusing from twenty to thirty feet (and that is a range I use much more).
Also, the lens has difficulties in low light, zooming in and out trying to focus on something, anything. I got this in a kit with the 70-300 lens, which I still use all the time and I think is a good lens for the money. On this lens, I would recommend investing instead on a good 50mm lens and just taking a few steps forward or backward to get your shots -- they will be much better shots than with this zoom.
An amazing lens for the price.
2002-05-10First, let me say this lens is one of my favorites. I own this lens for my Pentax PZ-1 and have read MANY reviews about it. The price is cheap. In fact, it's arguably the cheapest lenses in it's class. But don't mistake a cheap price as the sign of a bad lens. I use this lens for many occassions and at it almost always delivers GREAT pictures. Yes, it's not the single best lens in the world, but it is as good as many of the lenses I've used that are two or three times the price. Plus, if you break this one you can buy another without breaking your piggy bank ... or your credit card limit.
The two complaints most people make about this lens are, "It's a slow lens" and "It's almost impossible to focus manually." Let me put both those complaints to rest right now. First, when photographers refer to how "slow" a lens is, they don't mean how fast it can focus, they mean the F-stop setting. This lens is a F3.5-5.6. Granted, some expensive lenses at this focal length can go as low as F1.x, but most can't. And most experienced (and novice) photographers can use any lens that can go below F8. So, when people call this lens "slow," they should be talking about F-stops, not autofocus. I for one have found this lens to be more than fast enough for hand-held use. It's only been too slow once in about 1,000 shots.
Second, the focusing ring on this puppy is short. That means it's hard to focus manually. Still, that's to be expected on a smaller, cheaper lens such as this. Although it's tough to focus manually, it's not impossible. I've used manual focus on this lens several times and got great results ... just move the ring SLOWLY and you will get great manual focus. Nevertheless, keep in mind this IS an autofocus lens ... most people won't focus the lens manually. And on that note, the autofocus is spectacular.
Add in the macro ability of this lens and you've got one heck of a package! Oh, and don't forget ... It's CHEAP! If you can only afford one lens for your next vacation, make it this lens ... and use the $100+ you saved to buy more goodies.
Great all-purpose lens
2001-10-11I got this lens for everyday use. It has a decent zoom range and a macro mode, making it more versatile than its Canon counterpart. The regular mode takes beautiful pictures at any distance. The macro mode is a little limited, but it does let you get just inches from the subject, good enough for basic close-up work. The close-ups were crystal clear. Although you can get closer with dedicated macro lenses, most people, like me, will find this lens more than sufficient.
looking for clarity and simplicity?
2000-11-21If you are the SLR photographer who enjoys taking quality shots, this lens is for you! What's more, the zoom ring is well-positioned, and as far as i can tell, this is a very reliable lens. I have only had mine for a couple of months, but have already taken some brilliant shots with it! I would recommend it to anyone.
Great product for your Cannon
2000-10-21When I bought my Canon Elan II I opted for the Sigma lens over the Canon lens. What I based my decion on was that the Sigma Lens, although it does not have the second chip in it to make the whisper focus, it does come with the Macro feature, which with a flip of a switch, you can focus on things three inches from the lens, allowing for some great close-ups with flowers and other subjects. I consider it well worth your money, besides the whisper focus is not really worth the extra bucks.
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Helpful Camcorder Accessories
Introduction
Camcorder accessories will help improve your video making experience. The use of accessories will make your videos better, and help prolong the life of your camera as well. Most accessories can be purchased at the store you purchased your hi definition camcorder, or your digital video camera, or your analog camcorder from. These stores will be able to point you to the accessories that are most compatible for your specific camera. You can also find accessories at a general store, or on the Internet. Some good accessories to invest in would be the head cleaner tape, filters, a portable tripod, a bag for your camcorder, and an extended battery.
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Every camcorder needs an accessory that will improve its performance and provide a more enjoyable experience for the user. A camcorder can be compared to a family member which can be taken along to weddings, parties as well as all family gatherings, ...
Digital cameras are good for the environment
As we consider the digital camera revolution that has taken place over the last decade, most people think about it in terms of enhanced benefits for consumers. We can take a lot more pictures at much lower cost with digital cameras versus film cameras. We can also more easily manipulate and share those photos since they're all in the digital realm.
But one thing many people don't think about actually deserves mention as potentially the most profound effect of the digital camera revolution: how digital cameras greatly reduce the destructive impact on the environment compared to film cameras.
At first, you might think, "How can that be? My film camera didn't harm the environment!" Even though it wasn't your camera that harmed the environment, your film processing did indeed harm it. Any time you take your pictures to a photo processing center, that film is run through batches of chemicals. These chemicals are environmental hazards, and once they are used to process film, those chem ...
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