Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX Aspherical DF 35mm Zoom

Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX Aspherical DF 35mm Zoom 

DESCRIPTION

  • Aperture range: f/2.8-32
  • Min focus: 40 cm /15.7 in.
  • Equipped with Perfect Hood
  • Lens mounts: Sigma SA, Minolta, Nikon (D), Pentax, Canon

  • USER REVIEWS

    Showing 1-10 of 18  
    [Aug 10, 2023]
    hendrenu


    Strength:

    Superb lens, excellent Sharp es, bokeh ok, metal build. Great lens for Sony A7XX concrete driveways christchurch

    Weakness:

    None . .

    Purchased:
    New  
    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    [Dec 10, 2020]
    Georgeio


    Strength:

    I have to admit that the lens are better than I had expected. I needed lens for a project at mold removal Kansas City and these did a great job I highly recommend.

    Weakness:

    N/A So far so great.

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    [Feb 09, 2020]
    jeffbozo


    Strength:

    I really like this lens. The kit lens that came with my Canon Eos Rebel T2i has an aperture value of f/3.5-5.6, and I really needed something faster. Ideally, I'd love to get something that went down to f/1.8 at it's widest, especially because I really enjoy shooting video - but I really am tight for cash. And honestly, this Sigma lens offers a beautiful bokeh at all focal lengths. Not to mention, my video quality is much higher, especially in low light. Also, manual focus on this thing is extremely smooth. My only complaint isn't even really justified, but the lens construction isn't the greatest; it's made of plastic. But any lens at this price range will be. Bottom line: if you're looking for a fast lens with a useful focal range, and you're on a budget, this is the lens for you!

    Purchased:
    Used  
    OVERALL
    RATING
    4
    [May 04, 2007]
    aaron cooper
    Expert

    Strength:

    Color, price.

    Weakness:

    Soft at higher apatures and high zoom.

    I bought this lens for it's fast 2.8 and because I do a lot of low light photography. For the price, it's a great lens, but I've been frustrated with some minor issues. At 2.8 - 70mm it's very soft -- so much so that I thought the lens was defective and was missing the focus (actually, it might be).

    At higher speeds it's a lot better however. Color is fantastic.

    Similar Products Used:

    Tamron 24-135. Sigma 24mm 1.8. Nikon 18-55.

    OVERALL
    RATING
    4
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Dec 25, 2004]
    Hobbiebob
    Intermediate

    Strength:

    - Rather well build body (EX finish), does not feel cheap, - Zoom is not a slow a some people want to make us think, - Same 77mm filter size as the 70-200 f2.8 EX (a logical follow up to this lens), - Cheap, value for money, - Great image quality especially for 390 euro's!

    Weakness:

    - Focus is bit noisy, but I don't think it will scare anybody :) - Plastic hood could be a bit fragile in outdoor use, - When zooming, the front lens comes in/out. I'm used to have internal zoom lenses.

    Just bought this lens after good consideration en try-out. I believe a zoomlens could never weigh up to a prime, and you cannot compare it with (for example) a Nikon 28-70 f2.8, it's not for nothing 3 times as cheap! For the rest, I think I bought just the right one..!

    Customer Service

    Did not have to deal with it!

    Similar Products Used:

    Sigma 15-30 3.5-4.5EX, Sigma 70-200 f2.8EX, Nikon 24-85 f3.5-4.5 IF-DG

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Sep 06, 2004]
    mjsphoto
    Intermediate

    Strength:

    Works well with my EOS Elan 7 & 7E's. Color, contrast and sharpness were much better than expected, and don't leave me wishing for L glass. If I do my job, this lens is capable of pro looking results.

    Weakness:

    AF motor is slightly slow and noisy. Dual focus mechanism could be simplified. Neither are a big deal to me.

    I bought this lens new over two years ago and have never regretted it. This lens has been on many trips with me and rain or shine it never let me down. Useable wide open, looks great at f4, and really shines at f8-f11. For the price of the lens there's not much to complain about. For those without the cash flow to buy a Canon L lens or similar this lens is more than capable of taking excellent photographs.

    Customer Service

    Haven't needed it.

    Similar Products Used:

    Various Canon and Sigma lenses.

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Oct 24, 2003]
    Niels de Boissezon
    Intermediate

    Strength:

    - Optical performance - as good as a prime in the wide end! - Good, pleasing slighly warm color rendition - Good finish and durability, no loose fittings - Suplied hood - Depth of field markings - Very good value

    Weakness:

    - AF slow and noisy - Weight and bulk compared to a similar f4 zoom - switching from AF to MF

    I've bought this lens to replace my crummy old 28-80 consumer zoom. I did have some doubts considering all the bad press Sigma has gotten - but this one was on sale from a very reliable store so i took a chance... The first thing I've noticed was the extra bulk and weight - this is a large lens and it impresses people around (especially with the hood) and it is harder to take pictures unnoticed (d***!), but you'll eventually get used to that and a bonus is that some people preffer to be captured on photo with a "pro"-looking lens such as this one rather than a cheap looking consumer lens - you win some and loose some... The build quality is good and I personnaly prefer it over Canons midrange lenses build. And it has survived some sprinkling of water and a 5 foot fall (with the lens cap on though) from the top of my car onto a dirt ground without any damage, just a few scratches! (that aren't that visible on Sigmas EX finish) The next thing you'll notice is the rather poor (and loud!) AF - It focuses slower than the 28-80 on my EOS 500n, you'll end up wishing you had a more powerfull body to make it AF better but still it focuses right with not to much hunting. The handling of this lens is comfortable but it has a few quiks: the zooming ring is stiff between 28 and 40 mm and smooth from 40 to 70 mm, The manual focusing ring is very nice and comfortable (MUCH better than the 28-80) but the shifting from AF is cumbersome; you'll have to swith the AF/MF button AND pull the focusing ring back, you might loose some action shots because of this akward design. Finally but not the least the optical performance: This is really a good lens! It performs very well wide open in the 28-50 mm range and at f8 the performance is excellent troughout the range. I've gotten some Sensia 100 slides that have that "3D pop out of the screen"-feel and A4 sized prints come out great. The only drawback is its performance in the long end wide open - I'd say that this lens at 70@2.8 is on par with the 28-80 at 80@5.6 (color on the Sigma is better though) - not stellar performance. This is a drawback for portraiture, portraits at 70@2.8 aren't that sharp. This lens review wouldn't be complete without a price consideration. I think that the reviews comparing it with Canons L series do not make sense - it costs 4 times as much! At 2500 DKK (~350 USD) it is in the same league as Canons 28-105/3.5-4.5 and 24-85/3.5-4.5 in which I think it is a very strong performer. So to wrap it up I'd give it a C+ for handling,B for build quality, C- for AF, A- for optical performance. Given its price tag I'd recommend it for anyone wanting a versatile low-light lens with good optics.

    Customer Service

    None needed

    Similar Products Used:

    Canon 28-80/3.5-5.6 Canon 28/2.8 Canon 50/1.8 Canon 70-210/3.5-4.5 USM

    OVERALL
    RATING
    4
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Aug 14, 2003]
    softtower
    Intermediate

    Strength:

    Sharp, good even at f2.8 and sharpness is even across the entire frame. Good contrast, good colors (only slightly warmer than Canon's 50mm prime which I also own). Great build quality. Manual focus ring is a pleasure to use. Comes with a great lens bag.

    Weakness:

    Autofocus is fast, but noisy and sometimes it misses.

    I am Canon user and I shoot with this lens on Canon 10D. I am surprised how low this lens is rated here, even lower than 24-70mm EX (which is actually MUCH worse). I think I know why: because there are two versions of Sigma's 28-70mm. One has "DF" suffix in it's name and another one doesn't. EX DF is newer and better. And here is why. "DF" stands for dual focus. It's actually just a clutch between the focusing motor and manual focus ring, which you can disengage, allowing lens to focus faster. But as far as I know DF version has slightly improved optics as well (or maybe Sigma improved their quality control), many people have reported that DF version is sharper. I love this lens. It blows away Canon's "non-L" zooms: it's sharper, it's VERY usable at f2.8 and it's the only non-L zoom in this range, that I'm aware of, which does it. The only problem with this lens is that Canon's USM is better. That's it. Optically it's almost there, and it's built better than all Canon's "prosumer" zooms. And it's only $300 (and can be had for less than that, just shop around). I know how photos taken with 24-70 f/2.8L look like. Having played with that lens I am no in a hurry to pay $1000 more to get one. So I highly recommend this Sigma, it's the "next best thing" to Canon's L zoom.

    Similar Products Used:

    Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro SV (unusable f2.8 and too heavy for me) Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (too soft wide open, corners are always soft) Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 (too soft in the corners, no f2.8)

    OVERALL
    RATING
    4
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Jun 07, 2003]
    david
    Intermediate

    Strength:

    very, very sharp. especially from 5.6 and up. constant 2.8 is a much needed miracle! very sturdy build quality, good zooming, fast af, and great manual focus action. sharp and contrasty pictures, this lens delivers on this promise, all other weaknesses take a back seat to this primary strength.

    Weakness:

    it is heavy, walking around with a battery grip, flash, and this lens attached to my elan 7e can be tiring! 77mm filters are expensive. internal focus would have been nice, the af is loud, so hsm would have made this lens perfect, and twice as expensive. the front element does not rotate, but it does move in and out (same as the zooming action)so be careful where you put your fingers, but this is ok with me. one little thing, it does not mount very tight on my camera, even though it locks and is firmly mounted on the bayonet, it turns slightly in its mount. when you zoom in and out you can feel the slack. again, this does not bother me.

    this is a review for the sigma 28-70 f/2.8 EX DF. this lens has far exceeded my expectations. my former experience was with a minolta x700 (excellent camera!) with all prime manual lenses, so my expectations for sharpness was high. i knew that any zoom lens would comprimise a little on sharpness, this one does not. it is every bit as sharp as any prime lens i have seen. i own a canon eos elan 7e, and my delema was that most of canon's "consumer" lenses (non L) were pretty much crap, and of course i cannot afford cannon's high end "L" series lenses. this lens is in between these two categories. it is certainly much better than cannon's consumer crap (28-90 usm, 28-205 usm 24-85 usm, 28-135 usm is), and certainly on par with cannon's "L" series lenses. the lense is built very well, and although the focus is loud, it is very fast. an the df function is great, the manual focus action is well damped and works just as any manual focus lens. (personally, i don't care if the lens is quiet, just as long as it is fast.) even at f2.8, (and at 28mm) the lens is acceptably sharp, stop it down to 5.6 and look out!! there is a bit of distortion, but what lens in this category does not suffer from distortion, even cannon's L series of this category does. so if you are not shooting buildings or worried about straight lines, your pictures will be great! this piece of equipment continues to impress me, and for $300, i highly recommend this lens to anyone who wants quality but cannot afford canon's high-end lenses. sigma rules!

    Customer Service

    nevery used it, but 4 year warranty is a bonus

    Similar Products Used:

    canon 35-80 most of minolta's manual focus prime lenses

    OVERALL
    RATING
    5
    VALUE
    RATING
    5
    [Apr 11, 2003]
    zphoto
    Professional

    Strength:

    Fairly fast auto focus Sharp around f5.6 Constant f2.8

    Weakness:

    Reliability Noise Sharpness Ease of going from manual to autofocus, autofocus does't engage after switching w/o fiddling with it.

    I don't like the lens much and avoid using it. I don't mind that it is soft at the wider aperatures because I don't really use it at 2.8 that much. I mind the noise and operation. I don't like the DF feature, its too many switches and push/pull yada yada. I am sending the lens back because this has never worked the way it is suposed to. I hope they will stand behind it and make it right so I may sell it. Ocassionally the lens will not stop down in manual focus. A bit of a problem in the reliability of this lens and not worth the money saved. OK for general shooting if you don't mind losing a frame here and there.

    Customer Service

    emailed and got quick response.

    Similar Products Used:

    Canon 28-70 f2.8 USM L Canon 28-105 f3.5/4.5 Tamron 28-200 f3.5/5.6

    OVERALL
    RATING
    3
    VALUE
    RATING
    2
    Showing 1-10 of 18  

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