Sigma 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Background - Besides image quality and affordability, I must consider two factors to suit my personal needs: 1) Since I can no longer carry around 35 pounds of photo equipment like I used to, and since I get an intense neck and/or backache from too much weight hanging there, weight is a significant factor for me. 2) I dislike changing lenses for multiple reasons: potential dropping, dirt entering the camera body, the need to carry a second and even third lens. In short, I wanted a DECENT lens with a significant zoom range. The two "kit lenses that came with my Canon T3i were GOOD, but that meant carrying a second lens and changing them. NOTE: I do have a 90mm Tamron full frame format macro lens that I do use for special purposes. So I DO still switch lenses occasionally. But I do NOT travel with this lens.Given those requirements, I did a lot of research before buying this lens from Amazon.com (more about incidental benefits to buying from them at the end of the review). I read professional reviews and I read the comments of other consumers such as myself. Ultimately, my decision came down to either this lens or the Tamron 18-270. The professional reviews appeared to favor this lens SLIGHTLY. The fact that the Sigma lens is a few ounces lighter was a benefit for my needs. The 20mm extra length in the telephoto range that I was losing, was not such a big deal to me. I had NO qualms about buying either Sigma or Tamron. Both have been around for decades and both make excellent "after market" products.In the month that I've had the lens, I've shot perhaps 2-300 images of a wide variety of subjects and under a wide variety of lighting conditions. I have been uniformly pleased with the results. Even at extreme magnification, I have not seen the color fringing mentioned in professional reviews. I HAVE observed the pincushion and barrel distortions. My test subject to examine these image defects was my garage door with rectangular raised panels, the horizontal siding of my house, and a set of steps. YES, the distortion IS present. BUT, it is my understanding that NO extreme range zoom lens will be completely free of such distortion. It is the optical price you pay for the flexibility of keeping a single lens on your camera and being able to go from a full frame (or 35mm) equivalent of about 28 to 400mm with just one lens. I also found that the distortion is readily correctable using Photoshop Elements 11. This distortion is only noticeable to MY eyes in photos presenting subjects with parallel lines or geometric patterns.I find the contrast, color saturation and representation to be fairly accurate with this lens. Other than cropping, the images have required little or no "post" correction in Photoshop Elements. This is likely at least partially due to the abilities and software of my Canon T3i, but also to the lens and its color correction, optical design and coatings. Please see my review of the camera.Notably, I used the camera and lens combination to shoot four images of the Montgomery Village Lake from the boat dock. Photoshop Elements stitched these together beautifully into a crisp panoramic image!While the lens is light in weight, it feels solidly built. The camera mount is metal. I have not observed "lens creep," although the OP/TECH USA Bino/Cam Harness - Webbing (available from Amazon) that I use to take the weight off my neck generally keeps the lens pointing ahead and not down. The image stabilization appears to work very well. I cannot tell if it affords a 3 or 4 stop advantage. Advertising for the lens says 4 stops; professional reviews say 3 stops. As noted in professional reviews, the controls for manual versus automatic focus, image stabilization on or off and zoom lock are all very conveniently located,Finally, a word about buying from Amazon.com. At the time of my purchase, the MSRP of the lens was $550 with a $150 "instant Summer Rebate." I paid $400 for the lens. SO FAR, shopping with Amazon is tax free. Congress may change that! Had I purchased the lens in a local store, I would have had to pay the 6% sales tax on the FULL MSRP. In addition, the extended warranty that I purchased, which is basically an insurance policy, would ALSO have been based on the FULL MSRP. Buying the IDENTICAL lens at a local store would have cost me approximately $75 MORE than buying through Amazon, who - of course - shipped for free straight to my door, costing me no gasoline! The savings approximately paid for the extended SquareTrade Warranty. There was ANOTHER, unexpected, benefit to buying through Amazon with respect to the warranty. Had I bought the warranty directly from SquareTrade, I would have been limited to a total of three years coverage from the date of purchase. Amazon offers a SPECIAL that is NOT available directly from SquareTrade: FOUR years of coverage from the date of purchase for only a few dollars more than the three year direct plan! UNFORTUNATELY, Amazon does NOT offer the optional "ADH" ( I will call it human factors coverage: the acronym stands for "Accidental Damage from Handling"). I wish they did. While all photographers care lovingly for their equipment, stuff happens!If you are looking for a wonderful, virtually all purpose, walk around or travel lens, I can recommend this one to you!

I am very very pleased with this newest superzoom from Sigma, paired with my Canon 60D. Build quality is excellent. Image quality is sharp at both ends of the range. Focus is quick and quiet. OS works extremely well. It is light weight and compact compared to others in this category, which adds to its value as a "walkaround" lens. To top it all off, the price is outstanding for a lens with this feature set, build, and image quality. (It's ~$100 cheaper than the "comparable" Tamron, and ~$30 less than the shorter focal length Canon 18-200.)I had used the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras for a while last year, when it was the "hot" 3rd party superzoom. But, the images looked a little soft to me, especially at the long end. Plus, I didn't care for the build quality and feel of the zoom/focus rings at all. (The Tamron is made in China, while this Sigma is made in Japan.) And, IIRC, the Tamron zoom ring operated in the opposite direction from Canon and Sigma, which wreaks havoc with one's muscle memory. The Tamron also suffered from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, has not.I have been using the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras with my 60D until switching to this Sigma, and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras with my T2i before that. This Sigma lens focuses quicker, is much easier to hold and carry, and results in the same quality shots. It is much smaller and lighter than the canon 18-200. Yet, looks and feels as well made or arguably better than the Canon lenses. The AF/MF, OS, and lock buttons are positioned better than the Canon's. The Canon 18-200 also suffers from lens creep, which the Sigma, so far, does not. The image quality is about the same, although the Sigma does show a little less CA, which is a plus.There is an older version of this lens with an almost identical title, just not "Macro" Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon AF Digital SLR Cameras. But, it is larger, heavier, and slower to focus. However, if money is an issue, it's ~$120 cheaper than this one. So, it might be a viable option for you. But, not having used it, I cannot speak to its image quality, build, or operation. It does get mostly positive reviews, though.I can, however, highly recommend *this* Sigma for your Canon EOS system body. Of course, it will not result in images as sharp as most prime lenses or almost any L series lens. But, I find it the best of the current crop of "walkaround" lenses available for the Canon APS-C sensor models. (It is not recommended for full-frame models.) I can almost guarantee it will rarely see any time not attached to yours, if you are like me and want a single lens for most of your everyday shots. Sure, there are plenty of situations that require that prime portrait or macro lens, or that long telephoto zoom. But, when you're at the dog park, or the kids' birthday party, or the family reunion, or tourist destination, etc, this is the lens.