Photopurity has taken some time to review the 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro lens from Sigma. When it comes to non-OEM lenses you’ll find that many photographers downplay the performance of Sigma and Tamron the two largest third party optic vendors. Several will claim that their lenses are too soft or that their AF is slow, unreliable or noisy. I’ve handled dozens of optics from both Sigma and Tamron (as well as Tokina and a few others) and my general conclusion is that this reputation is born of either ignorance or perhaps a snide sense of lens snobbery. Sigma has for quite some time now produced excellent optics that are competitive with Canon’s own and some push the limit even for Canon’s special line of L series optics. Quite an achievement for a company that has to reverse engineer their optics. Let’s take a closer look at the Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro.
Build and Ergonomics
The Sigma 24-70mm is marked as an EX lens which means it belongs to Sigma’s line of high quality, high performances lenses. This also means its built with Sigma’s premier construction and finish. What this means practically to most consumers is that you may or may not like the particular durable finish of the lens. Although I personally like the gritty finish I’ve heard many others say they’re not particularly fond of it. At any rate, the lens is solid, very durable and would stand up to day to day abuse better than most consumer lenses made out of cheaper plastic. Like any lens (including my Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS USM L Series) I would not want to drop it from any distance or bang it against a concrete wall.
Ergonomically speaking I do have some quibbles against the Sigma for featuring an extremely small (comparatively) zoom ring while boasting a massive manual focus ring. I can count on one hand how often I use manual focus nowadays and I would have much rather flip flopped the two. The zoom ring can be hard to find at first even to an experienced DSLR user.
The Sigma 24-70mm features an inverse zooming dynamic and by that I mean the lens is at its largest (longest) when the focal length is set to 24mm, its most compact when zoomed to 70mm. This can seem counter intuitive but its hardly the only lens with similar functionality.
Autofocus
I can say this about Sigma, even before they introduced their HSM technology, they’ve always had fast AF. The Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro is no exception. The Sigma features an extremely fast focusing mechanism although I do believe it to be just a tad slower than HSM or Canon’s USM. After spending several hours with this lens in multiple locations shooting everything from Macro to landscapes in varying lighting I can say that the AF accuracy is splendid in the Sigma 24-70. My only quibble and it is a small one is that the focusing can be a bit noisy compared to slightly more modern optics with HSM or USM. Beyond that, you’ll find it light years faster than say, Tamron’s slower AF. When using this lens on my Canon 5D II I found it to be accurate when using just about every type of focusing (AI Servo, AI focus, Single point etc).
The Sigma 24-70mm bears the designation of Macro from Sigma and indeed it is a close focusing lens. You can get to approximately (I didn’t measure exactly) 3-4 inches from your subject and the lens will still focus. Although I wouldn’t recommend this lens particularly for its close focusing it is a very nice option to have and once you’ve gotten used to its flexibility switching to another lens can be a rude experience.
Weight and Size
The Sigma 24-70mm is a fairly large zoom, which is to be expected as it features a very fast F/2.8 aperture throughout its zoom range. The lens is by no means a lightweight, having considerable heft but then again most consumers are expecting this when purchasing a F/2.8 zoom. At 24.7oz the lens is weighty but then again weighs about half what the Canon 70-200mm L F/2.8 lens weighs. I believe if you are in reasonable shape and have a decent strap you should have no problem toting this lens around all day, I certainly didn’t. The Sigma utilizes an 82mm filter so that alone should give you a little bit of an idea how big this lens is. 82 is not all that common of a filter size and the only one that comes immediately to mind is the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 lens. If you’re looking to purchase a filter in this size be prepared to pay a little extra due to the size being less common.
When the Sigma is in its compact form it measures about 3.5 x 4.5 inches (88.6mm x 115.5mm) but when extended (at 24mm focal length) it grows to about 6 inches in length (152mm). Considerable but not backbreaking or even all that attention grabbing which is good in most cases.
Cost
At first I thought the Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro was discontinued but a quick visit to Sigma’s website shows the lens still in their current lineup. However the suggested MSRP of $750.00 is not exactly in line with actual street prices. You can typically find this lens used but in good to excellent condition for around $375-450. I actually found mine for a little less. Brand new you can buy this lens from Amazon for $569.00. (Buy yours today)
This is where I judge a lens most. Who cares if it feels like it was forged by an immortal in your hands if the image quality doesn’t measure up? If a lens delivered impressive, clear, sharp, beautiful images then I wouldn’t care if the designer covered it in thorns. (Ok, I would probably care a little but you get my drift). The Sigma 24-70mm gave me beautiful images throughout the zoom range, from 24mm all the way out to 70mm. What I was most interested in, of course, was the images it produced at F/2.8. After all, that’s why you buy a lens to use it at its maximum aperture. If I only needed F/5.6 then I would have saved some money and bought a cheaper lens. The Sigma delivered, even at F/2.8. I found I had sharp, clear images with excellent detail and colors. The Sigma passed with flying colors. I found it to be an excellent performer in every aspect. Image quality does improve slightly if you stop down to F/4.0 but even at F/2.8 you’ll find your images are excellent. I used the Sigma on my Full Frame Canon 5D II and it performed acceptably throughout the entire focal range, performance on a crop sensor camera (ala Canon 40D) would probably be even better.
So, all in all, if you’re looking for the performance of the much touted Canon 24-70mm L F/2.8 but don’t have or don’t want to spend the $1000-1,500 that it commands then this is a wonderful little substitute. It can deliver the image quality for much less. The only minor quibbles I have is that its AF is a little noisy (small distraction) and perhaps just a hair slower than HSM/USM but not much. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a quality lens.
