sigma 17-70mm (1 Viewer)

[Amarillo]

Am thinking about getting one of these, a second hand non-OS version for general photography on a Canon 7D. I've read quite a few positive reviews and like the sound of the macro capability as its something I might want to try more seriously in future.

Any thoughts on whether this is a good lens for the money?

 

[Amarillo]

hmmm clearly not a widely used lens, but I've bought one anyway

 

[tjsimonsen]

I have never used this lens. But I checked out reviews and images on the web. If you avoid the larger aperture settings at the wide end it should be a good general/landscape lens. As for close-up work, it seems to be quite sharp and it has a decent minimum focus distance. But as is to be expected from a relatively slow zoom, the back- and foreground blur will often be less than optimal. Still, it may well turn you on to macro photography and drive you to buy a dedicated macro lens.

Thomas

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks, I read a lot of reviews before making my decision and it seems ideal for what I want.

 

[Jaff]

I think the general impression I get is it's a very good jack of all trades but it's not a master of one. I think I've also read the older non-OS version is indeed the one to have.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Bit late now, if you've bought one but I have one. It's a good value all purpose lens which I bought because it got far better reviews than the lens that were then being bundled with the Canon 350D. In fact at the time - about 6 years ago it seemed the best lens within my budget of a couple of hundred quid. Pleased with the quality of pictures, but I do wish it was faster at 70mm.

 

[Amarillo]

Good to hear that you like the lens Steve. I know its not a proper macro lens, but how do you find the close-up capability for insects etc?