New Sigma lenses test

I was loaned two Sigma lenses for test just before going away at the end of last year by Tudor, the importers of Sigma lenses. The timing couldn't have been better. I was on my way up to Welgevonden Private Game Park in Limpopo for a few days followed by a long awaited trip to Mpumalanga - it is 20 years since I have been up there.

The two lenses in question are a 10-20mm F4-5.6 and a 18-200mm F3.5-6.3

Sigma DC 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Optical Stabiliser lense

Sigma DC 18-200mm Lense

Taking the 18-200mm lense first, I was impressed by it's light weight and ease of use. Having the ability to shoot from wide angle to bring a subject nice and close is a huge advantage. The lense is just so versatile. Being in a very picturesque part of the world and a game park (or two), the wide angle came in useful as well as being able to zoom into animals. This lense has Optical Stabilisation but no HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) and is designed specifically for digital SLR's. The minimum focal length is 45cm which is quite good. The lense is called a compact, lightweight, superzoom lense. According to the Sigma website, the lense is equipped with Sigma's own unique OS (Optical Stabiliser) technology.  This system uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera by moving an optical image stabilising lens group, to effectively compensate for camera shake.  It also automatically detects panning movement of the camera and compensates for camera shake when shooting moving subjects such as motor sports.

I found the lense to be great - good value for the money it will cost you. The RSP at your local retail outlet would be in the region of R5000. For a good quality lense like this, that is not bad at all. Apparently, there is a version with HSM fitted but has not been imported as yet. That is the version I would personally go for. It will cost more but the silent motor and swift focus speed would be an advantage.

Sigma DC 10-20mm Lense

The second lense, the 10-20mm lense was awesome. I loved the feel of this lense - and it worked well too! Having an extra wide angle lense was great when I stood overlooking Blyde River Canyon and God's Window. To get almost the whole view in one pic was the brilliant.

Sigma describe this lense as a super wide angle - and it sure is! It has a minimum rang of 24cm which is pretty close indeed.It is fitted with a HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) which makes for fast and quiet auto focus. This lense views between 104deg to 63 deg wide which gives you some idea just how nice this lense is to have in your camera bag. The lense is well weighted and the feel on my Canon 30D was good. It was well balanced on the camera and very easy to use, the zoom ring worked very well. Auto Focus was very fast and very quiet and accurate.

Judging by the Sigma website, these lenses have excellent quality glass which is always important for good quality photographs. The recommended retail price for this one is R5800.

This shot of Blyde River Canyon was taken with the 10-20mm and consists of 5 vetically held shots stitched together with software.