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.

This is a restored article from early 2010.

Photopurity has spent about three months using a Tamron 28-105mm F/2.8 zoom in connection with both a Full Frame Canon 5D II and an APS-C crop sensor in the 550D (Rebel t2i). After using this lens for a variety of purposes including one wedding and one convention event, we thought we would finally get around to performing a full review of its performance.

First things first, this lens has been discontinued by Tamron and is no longer manufactured. It was produced in all the major mounts during its active phase and used copies of this lens in all mounts are in the neighborhood of $300-400 depending on condition.

Size and Weight

With any fast zoom, the lens is going to be big and heavier than any of its slower peers. The longer the zoom range and faster the maximum aperture will greatly increase the dimensions and weight of the lens. The Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is no exception. The lens has considerable heft coming in at 31.4 oz (880 grams). That’s about 17 ounces lighter than the considerable Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS USM L lens and about 23 ounces heavier than Tamron’s current 28-80mm F/3.5-4.5 Aspherical lens. The physical dimensions are 3.4? x 4.4?.

Construction and Ergonomics

The Tamron 28-105 f/2.8 is fairly well constructed but makes considerable use of plastic. The zoom ring in particular has a cheap plastic feel with few ridges for easy gripping. Compared to more modern zooms the 28-105 F/2.8 shows its age. The lens features a standard AF/MF switch.  The manual focus ring is very thin and can be difficult to find just by feel.  The zoom ring itself is also quite stiff and can require more than expected force to twist. After using the lens for three months extensively and considering the lens itself was already used previously we did not find the action to smooth any, it was just as stiff at the end of 3 months as there was at the beginning.

Image Quality

The main reason to buy a fast zoom (F/2.8) is to precisely to use it at that maximum aperture. The Tamron 28-105 performed extremely well throughout the range although at 105mm it did noticeably soften. Sharpness was pretty consistent throughout the rest of the range. Its an excellent portrait lens with a considerable focal range which works very well on a full frame body like the Canon 5D II.  Even on a crop sensor body it can give a very nice range presuming you don’t need the very wide end (28-105 x 1.6 crop becomes: 44mm – 168mm).

One thing that became very noticeable with the 28-105 F/2.8 is the color saturation is very strong with this lens. I had never noticed just a strong effect of a lens before in any of my reviews. Images produced using the Tamron 28-105 has a deep rich saturation of hues so much so that I had to back off the saturation settings in my camera body to counteract the effects. Switching between my Canon 70-200 L produced noticeably different images in terms of image saturation. This can present a problem when you need consistent color tone. Shooting RAW would mitigate this problem.

The Bokeh of the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is not entirely pleasing. It can take a harsher look that is reminiscent of “blades of grass”. Better of course than a slower standard zoom but not nearly as lush as a prime or even the Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L or even the excellent Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro.

Price

Since the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8 is no longer in current production by Tamron, you will have to find your model on the open market. Used models are routinely carried by Adorama, BHphotovideo.com and KEH.com. Depending on the condition of the lens and whether it comes with a hood and accessories the price range should vary between $300-400.

Autofocus

Tamron has never been considered a leader in autofocusing technology in their lenses and the Tamron 28-105 f/2.8 is no exception. I found it to be slow but generally accurate. In low lighting it took some time to acquire focal lock but when it did, it generally was correct. Interestingly enough, it seemed a touch faster when combined with my 550D (Rebel t2i) than on my Canon 5D II.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised with the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8. After testing Tamron’s also out of production 35-105 F/2.8 only to find it disappointingly soft throughout the entire focal range I assumed I would discover the same with the 28-105. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Tamron 28-105 produced consistently sharp images even (and most especially) at its maximum aperture. I would not have been satisfied with a lens that needed to be stopped down to F/4.0 in order to get good results so its performance at F/2.8 was essential.  For the price, the lens performed admirably and the only real quibble I had against it was the extreme color saturation it produced. That’s not necessarily a major problem unless you are switching lenses often and need to compensate for the differences between them. For use with a full frame camera you won’t find another lens out there with a comparable focal length. If you don’t need the 70-105mm range then I would recommend the Sigma 24-70mm EX DG Macro as a similar priced competitor that performs just a small bit better than the Tamron. However, since I found that I needed that extra length, I was very satisfied with the Tamron 28-105 F/2.8.

The big monster has arrived. The Canon L series 70-200mm f/2.8 max aperture zoom in all its white colored splendor! Photopurity has taken some time to spend with the pro series lens from Canon and give an in depth user review. Canon’s current lens lineup generall fall into one of these three categories:

1. Budget Consumer Lens
2. Mid Range Consumer Lens
3. Professional Series Lens

The budget series are usually (but not always) the kit lens that are included in bundles with the Canon Rebels and such. They are cheap, made primarily of plastic and offer average image quality. This of course is a generalization that may not be accurate of the entire class.

The mid range or more expensive consumer lenses offer such outstanding optics as the

The Canon L 70-200mm f/2.8 Image Stabilized USM lens is one of the most popular professional lens sought after by canon users in the market. Its sharpness is reportedly “prime-like”, we’ll take a look at that lofty praise and see if the lens measures up.

Size and Weight

The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM is a big lens, you can’t get around it. To offer that zoom range with a constant

Even at f/2.8 the image is incredibly sharp with a good overall contrast

f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom means you have to let a lot of light in and that’s why the 70-200 measures 3.4″ wide by 7.8″ long and weighs a solid 3.24lbs. Yes, its quite big. You’re not going to be attaching this to a super stealthy spy camera that you slip into your wallet but then if you’re considering this lens you shouldn’t be worried about that. Nonetheless, for even the biggest and strongest of photographers, this lens attached to a 5D or larger body is a heavy combination and isn’t something you’ll want to carry all day long. This is a lens designed for low light indoors performance and you’ll know when you want to use it.

Fit and Finish

The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM is a pro series lens so as expected, it features a quality finish albeit in a bright white color as opposed to the typical black of most optics. The finish is pretty good not prone to scratching or peeling however I have witnessed some noticeable scratches on abused versions of this lens that have been through some rough handling. I guess the standard disclaimer applies, if you don’t treat your equipment well then you should expect some wearing to occur. For most purposes the finish of the Canon 70-200 will hold up more than sufficiently.

Ergonomically speaking the Canon is about average in its design. There is only so much you can do with a lens of this size though. There is an on/off switch for the stabilization, another switch for the type of stabilization and also a zoom focus limiter to keep your focus quick and snappy (more on this in the Autofocus section). The Canon 70-200 is a fixed length zoom so there is no zoom lock nor a need for one. The zoom action is nice and smooth in both directions, very easily manipulated by one hand. A full time manual focus override ring is available to be grabbed at any time for pin point focus corrections. In a nutshell, everything is right where you expect them to be.  No nasty surprises here. (No awards to be given out either for innovations).

Image Stabilization

(For an explanation on Image Stabilization and its benefits please read this article)

Canon pioneered image stabilization and called it IS. Each of their lens that feature stabilization bare the initials IS in their titles. In my opinion IS is a feature well worth whatever price it commands. However, the price it can command is not always equal among lenses. For example the IS version of the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 USM is over $650 more than the $1349 price tag of the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 Non-IS USM lens. Compare this to a similar L series lens, the Canon 70-200mm F/4.0 IS USM lens the difference between the IS version and the Non-IS version is only $280. Quite a sizeable difference in cost between the IS versions.

The IS system in the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 USM is effective. It buys you approximately 3 stops of handholdability. I liked to shoot at 200mm on a full frame camera at 1/30th and got consistently clear shots. The few blurry results I got was typically because either my subject was moving faster than 1/30th or because I had gotten so lazy in my holding technique I was taxing the IS system’s ablities. With good technique 1/30th and even 1/15th is definitely possible on still subjects at the 200mm range.

I personally believe in the value of IS especially at the longer focal reaches of a lens. At the near side of 70mm and using the max aperture of F/2.8 with this lens its not often difficult to naturally achieve a 1/60th or better shutter speed but at the long end of 200mm its not always easy to keep the rule of thumb and achieve a 1/200th shutter speed. This is where the IS really makes it worth the cost. When you can get those nice sharp pictures at 1/30th or 1/60th at 200mm where with other lenses you only have blurry results you get that warm fuzzy feeling on the inside and you know it was worth the price.

Autofocus

The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 is a popular lens among photographers for sports (both indoor and outdoor). As such, its expected, perhaps even demanded that the lens provide accurate and extremely swift autofocus results. The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM is no slouch in this department thanks to the Ultrasonic focusing motor in the lens the Autofocus system is whisper quiet and extremely accurate. Taking actions shots of my rapidly moving beagles at play in the backyard yielded excellently focused results. Although I’m of the opinion that the camera body matters more than the lens in the autofocus equation, I would expect this lens to perform fairly admirably on virtually all of Canon’s lineup provided the right techniques are used.

 Image Quality

Although downsized to be web friendly this picture holds up remarkably well under even the tightest pixel-peeping.

Image quality can be subjective to many viewer’s eyes. Not only can different people have different tastes, the price they are willing to pay to achieve those results can vary. One thing is for certain though, for the $2K that you sink in the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM it had better deliver great results. No one is willing to shell out pro money for poor performance. So does the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM deliver?

Cost and Conclusion

The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM retails brand new for $1999.99. Its a very expensive lens and its price tag has stopped more than one photographer from taking the leap. For the cost I would say there are probably better offerings however one thing that must be considered because its important, with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 USM IS you are getting the absolute best lens that is made by Canon in this zoom range, there is nothing better, no step up from here. There are some alternatives (both by Canon and 3rd party vendors) but none have the same aperture, IS or zoom range, this is the end of the line. If you go with either a non-stabilized zoom or a stabilized zoom with a lesser aperture then in the back of your mind you’re going to wonder whether you’re missing out. Still, your wallet will be a lot happier if you don’t.  I can’t tell you what to buy but I can say that the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM is a fantastic lens…whether its worth its high price tag is a decision every consumer has to make for themselves.

What I can say is this, the lens is the finest that I’ve ever used and provides immaculate results that even I couldn’t nitpick. The only disadvantages of this lens is the things that even Canon can’t change, weight and size.  The lens is heavy and the decision to purchase this lens shouldn’t be made without at least considering this. If you’re going to be carrying your camera and this lens all day I can guarantee you will be sore at the end of the day. However, if you’re accepting of the weight, the size and the cost then you will not find a better lens. It is absolutly an excellent performer in all respects and I highly recommend it.