Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 DC OS HSM

Canon Rumors
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Joy!
Sigma has updated their pretty popular 17-70 to include optical stabilization.

Press Release

"Shake me"
"Shake me"

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM.

This large aperture standard zoom lens offers an aperture of F2.8 at the 17mm focal length and is ideal for many situations such as portraits, sports, macro and general photography. The OS (Optical Stabiliser) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. For Sony and Pentax mount, the built-in OS function of this lens can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an anti-shake function. As the compensation for camera shake is visible in the view finder, the photographer can easily check for accurate focus and ensure there is no subject movement. The maximum aperture of F2.8 produces an attractive background blur and improves autofocus speed.

This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm (8.6 inches) throughout the entire zoom range and maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.7, making it ideal for close-up photography. It is possible to focus as close as approximately 4.7cm from the tip of the lens to the subject making this lens particularly useful for close-up photography.

Three aspherical lenses and one ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass element provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high contrast images. The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed AF. This lens has a rounded 7 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image. The inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for using the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarising filters.

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31 Comments
  • I hope its better than the old version. Mine had a stiff focus ring that made it nearly impossible to manually focus, and the zoom was stiff as well. It was not the sharpest lens around, but for the price, it was a good buy, as long as you don’t want manual focus.

  • Looks interesting. I’ll wait for the reviews. If it has better image quality than the non-OS version I think I’d buy it.

    I had high hopes for the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC, but early tests on TheDigitalPicture.com don’t look too promising.

  • I’ve never purchased lenses other than from Canon. I’ve heard of stories of having to have them fixed to work with new cameras, etc. Are these still issues? I wonder how much more critical it becomes with the more sophistication of interaction between lens and body.

  • iv got a 24-70mm 2.8 sigma simply because it was under £200 second hand,and yeah its not the best lens but it still works pretty will on my 7D no problem.

  • I would still prefer the 16-35mm f2.8L II and the 17-40mm f4L to this. However, I don’t know which one is better, so nobody knows naturally.

  • Only Sigma seems to have these issues AFAIK…

    Lens-body communication hasn’t really changed much since the EF mount came out 23 years ago. They added some pins to high-end lenses later on to take teleconverters, and newer lenses transmit focus distance information so that flash power calculation is better, but those are about the only changes I’m aware of.

  • Why OS on a wide angle lens?
    I just wonder why Sigma and Tamron do not yet develop OS (VR) on 70-200 f2.8 lenses. Stabilizers would be more useful on these tele lenses.

  • I hope they did something about the AF system. Sigma couldn’t get my old 17-70 to work with my 400D (and a 350D, 450D 1D). I had massive focus problems. Sigma make good lenses but they seem to have problems communicating with the camera.

  • Because 17-70 ends up being a fantastic walk-around lens; wide if you want it, with a reasonable focal range (on a cropped sensor, anyway). OS, when using the lens at 70mm, would be a very nice thing to have, speaking only for myself. (I own an older Sigma 17-70.)

  • There were 2 or 3 generations of Sigma lenses that did not work with Canon Digital SLR’s, I had a couple of them. They fixed them the first time free, and then when a new round of Canon DSLR’s came out about the time of the 30D, they all would no longer work again. The second time, Sigma charged about $75 to fix older ones, and several models could not be fixed (My Sigma 400mm, for example). Since then, I haven’t heard of any new problems with compatibility, but Canon definitely made changes about the time of the 10D and again with the 30D.

    All this time, the Tamon AF lenses never had a problem.

    So I always remember my problems with compatibility when I consider a Sigma lens.

  • Uh, I’ve often wondered about these f/2.8-4 variable max aperture zooms from 3rd-party lenses. As you zoom in and the max aperture goes below f/2.8, you lose the triple-precision capability from the center-cross AF sensor with those Canon bodies that have it (i.e., all those bodies above the 1000D), wouldn’t this wreak havoc on AF reliability? I think this is the reason we don’t get this variable max aperture zooms from Canon that start at f/2.8, only the 3rd-party lensmakers make this.

  • What is strange that a few people I know who have crop sensor canon cameras have bought the Sigma 1.4 30mm and Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 macro as they are pretty good value as you get a good fast 50mm prime equivalent and a decent fast zoom in the 24/28-70 range for less than the cost of canons 18-50mm 2.8 efs.

    Maybe canon would sell quite a few of a nice fast 50mm prime equivalent for APS-C cameras – a new 35mm 1.8 or something cause there’s a big gap between the 35mm 2.8 and the 35mm 1.4 L?

  • hey guys. 2010 seems like a BIG THING! O.o i’m using a 40D(memories) now im deciding to get a FF 5D mk II for shooting weddings starting to learn up some skills. do think it’s a good idea for me to get it around next year march? or just wait? i jsut cant wait to feel the 5D mk II =]

  • Its a crop camera lens. This is a normal zoom for a crop camera, and it sits between the canon 18-55 IS and the 17-55mm IS lens.

    IS works well for this range of lens focal lengths. Thats why many people want the 24-70mm L upgraded to IS, they have used and seen the difference IS makes for normal zooms

  • On full frame the 17-40L great if you get a good copy. QC on the more recent ones seems to be better than the first-run one I got back in 2003 to use on my 10D and EOS 1n. Most recent tests have shown MTF to be significantly better than the original tests at the time.

    On a crop camera, IQ is equally high, but you’ll be a bit limited WRT the short tele end, which is why I swapped mine for a 24-105L IS when the 5D came out (and got a Tokina wide-angle :-).

    If you’re looking for a “standard” zoom for APS-C, I’d go for the 17-55 2.8 IS.

  • ..I’ ve just bought the new 17-70 OS from Sigma, i have a Canon 450D camera, they work well together…no focus problems…good quality

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