Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS
£299.00
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The Sigma 18-200mm DC OS is well made, highly featured, and considered by us to be top dog!
Along with a standard 18-200mm, Sigma also produces this 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS with the addition of Optical Stabilising (OS), and like the systems on the Canon and Nikon lenses on test, this offers a 4-stop advantage. It works a treat, with sharp shots achievable at 1/15sec at 200mm.
The lens has a matte exterior, similar to that of Sigma’s EX range of lenses, and the finish is hard to fault, especially at the price. The zoom ring isn’t massive, but it’s well placed and there’s a generous manual focus ring, too, both having a good, rubberised feel.
Our test lens was Nikon-fit and comes with Sigma’s Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM), which reduced the AF noise to near silence, and its inclusion also makes the lens fully compatible with D40/D40x/D60 models. If you’re a Canon or Sigma D-SLR owner, then this lens is only available as a non-HSM version, which seems a little unfair.
We’ve tested the non-HSM version in the past, and apart from a little more noise, it’s the same decent performer.
The Sigma 18-200mm DC OS.is well made and highly featured, but we really want to see the inclusion of HSM on the non-Nikon versions, too. That said, it performs really well, with the OS anti-shake system working a treat.
Optically, this was the best lens we tested, just nudging ahead of the Canon and Nikon 18-200mm models. Like all the models, it has its faults, but it’s still the best around. And as for the price, at £299 it’s top dog!
Digital Photo Gold Award