Digital Camera World (2019-06)

K i t Z o n e

122 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

easuring just 71 x 86mm

and weighing in at 430g,

this is the smallest APS-C

format lens in the group.

It’s only slightly heavier than the

competing Tamron 18-200mm,

despite having a metal rather than

plastic mounting plate. A space-saving

ultrasonic motor rather than ring-type

autofocus drive helps to shed a

few ounces, but the focus

ring rotates during autofocus.

Three aspherical elements help to

reduce the size, while three Special

Low Dispersion elements minimise

fringing. The optical stabiliser has an

effectiveness of about four stops and

features auto panning detection.

Performance

Sharpness isn’t quite as impressive

as in Sigma’s 18-300mm lens, but it’s

still pretty good. Corner sharpness

is slightly better in the 100-200mm

section of the zoom range.

he larger of Sigma’s two

lenses on test, this one

is physically only 16mm

longer at its minimum

zoom setting, but stretches rather

more at the long end of the zoom

range. It’s also 36 per cent heavier

at 585g. Like its smaller sibling,

the construction employs Sigma’s

Thermally Stable Composite

material, which is highly resistant

to size fluctuations during

temperature changes.

Again, there’s a metal mounting

plate but no weather-seal ring.

Upgraded glass sees the inclusion of

four top-grade Fluorite Low Dispersion

elements, along with one SLD element.

Performance

The AF system isn’t particularly

speedy and is clearly audible. The

optical stabilizer gives a four-stop

effectiveness. It beats Sigma’s

smaller lens for image quality.

MT

Sigma ȅȅ׎׎אٮז׏

f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro

OS HSM | C

חחבڟٖחואگ

Maximum reach, minimum outlay

Lens mounts Canon EF-S, Nikon DX,

Pentax K, Sigma SA, Sony E

Sigma ȅȅ׎׎בٮז׏

f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro

OS HSM | C

£369/$399

0ɴɎȸƏȸƺƏƬǝɯǣɎǝǕȸƺƏɎȷɖƏǼǣɎɵ

Lens mounts Canon EF-S, Nikon DX,

Pentax K, Sigma SA, Sony E

Sharpness

Centre sharpness remains

nicely consistent throughout

the zoom range.

Sharpness

Sharpness is excellent across

most of the zoom range, only

dropping off at the long end.

Fringing

Short 2.29 Long 2.51

Fringing is worse at max zoom

than Sigma’s 18-300mm.

Fringing

Short 2.87 Long 1.64

Colour fringing is respectable,

especially at mid to long zoom.

Distortion

Short -2.81 Long 2.01

Pincushion is a bit worse

than Sigma’s 18-300m.

Distortion

Short -2.76 Long 1.27

The lens controls pincushion

distortion well.

Digital Camera verdict Digital Camera verdict

4.0 Excellent 4.5 Outstanding

4.0 4.0

Features Features

4.5 4.5

Performance Performance

4.0 4.5

Value Value

4.0 4.0

Build &

handling

Build &

handling

It’s not the sharpest

tool in the box but

gives good overall

performance through

its zoom range and is

pleasingly compact,

as well as being

attractively priced.

Handling is slightly

impaired by the focus

ring rotating during

autofocus but this

superzoom offers the

greatest zoom range

with little compromise

in image quality.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/3.5 f/6.3 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

18mm 75mm

125mm 200mm

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/3.5 f/6.3 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

18mm 145mm

220mm 300mm

Group Test Travel superzooms

BEST FOR

CANON

BEST FOR

PENTAX

BEST FOR

SONY