Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II

Photo answers review

Photo answers rating

Sigma is well-known for producing great independent offerings, and the build quality is always a strong point. This 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of two from the brand. The other is a brand new optic that will offer image stabilisation, but this is the more affordable option without stabilisation. The lens can be fitted to Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma DSLR bodies.

Construction is very solid and at just over 1.3kg in weight you certainly feel that you have more than £650 worth of lens. There are 18 lens elements in 15 groups and nine aperture blades. Sigma uses two ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements in that construction to reduce chromatic aberration and improve image quality. Both the focus and focal length rings are a good size and have a good rubber grip for ease of operation. Focusing is nice and quick thanks to the use of the HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), and it’s also quiet. On the front element, the lens takes a 77mm filter and the focusing is internal so it doesn’t spin around. Like the other lenses in this group test, the Sigma 70-200mm is supplied in a soft pouch with a lens hood. 

This lens is really nice to use and with its 100cm minimum focusing distance, the optic is well suited to a number of subjects, including portrait work. You can easily switch between manual and autofocusing by flicking the switch near the lens mount.


Sharpness
The Sigma has an interesting performance when it comes to optical sharpness. At 70mm the lens delivers some nice crisp detail across the aperture range, but when you reach 200mm the story is not so good. Edge detail drops off quite noticeably, especially at the extreme apertures. To be fair, it’s not disastrous and the centre and mid area focus is nice and sharp. 


Aberration
The Sigma 70-200mm shows some mild aberration along the edges of the black lines of our test chart, but it is well contained and doesn’t contaminate the image in any significant way. 


Distortion
At 70mm this lens displays some minor barrelling, with the top and bottom of the frame ballooning out a touch. It’s certainly not excessive or indeed unusual for the focal length. The 200mm end of the zoom shows no major pincushioning. All-in-all, the Sigma’s optics put in a sound performance and distortion isn’t a concern.


Design
We really like the feel of the Sigma lens, as it has a nice weight to it and just oozes quality. This is partly down to the solid feel and rugged design, along with the chunky tripod mount. All these things are positives, because this lens is a robust optic that will withstand hard use. The zoom and focus controls are very positive and it’s easy to switch between AF and MF.


Overall verdict
The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II has a very solid feel to it. The design is robust, which makes it ideal for heavy use. The lack of an image stabiliser isn’t a major issue, although the new optic, which will have this facility, should be a popular option. It puts in a very credible performance for the price, and sharpness is very good, but at 200mm it does show a loss of edge detail. In use, the pictures look nice and clear, plus they show good contrast.


Specifications
Filter diameter 77mm
Weight 1345g
Dimensions (HxW) 184x86.6mm
Max. aperture f/2.8
Min. aperture f/22
Min. focus distance 100cm
Lens hood  Yes
Image stabiliser No
Format & fittings (FF=full-frame) APS-C & FF; Can, Nik D, Son, Pen, Sam, Sig