The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 dc HSM Art lens on the Canon EOS 90D
A few weeks ago I posted about using the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. If you missed that post you can go back and check it out at this link.
In that post I wrote that ongoing mobility limitations and the frustration of not being able to get out and about in the way I liked had led to me taking more garden pictures than I might otherwise have done, due to the knock to my knee at the start of June.
Almost all of those recent garden pictures were all taken with the terrific Sigma 105mm F2.8, DG Macros HSM lens.
But partly out of boredom I decided to sort of ‘back track’ and have a mess about with 55-250mm lens that I used to own.
The results were pretty good. I ended up saying that for around £130 you could pick up one of these lenses in excellent condition, and for not much more than that pick one up in ‘like new’ condition.
Decided to take the plunge
Since that post I have taken the plunge and bought another lens.
There’s clearly a difference between need and want. I certainly didn’t need another lens. But I did fancy having a go with something else and the prospect of using the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 dc HSM Art lens intrigued me enough to buy one.
It’s basically a wide aperture zoom built specifically for a crop sensor camera. In practice the lens brings together the optical performance and constant F1.8 aperture of a prime lens with the versatility of a zoom… not exactly a common occurrence. Although it’s an 18-36mm on a crop sensor that makes it a 27-52 (and on a Canon it’s a 28-56mm).
I gather it’s a lens that is enormously popular with film makers due to the impressive optics and it’s (relatively) compact size.
I don’t bother with video my interest and intrigue was and is simply around still photography.
It’s a well built and hefty lens
It’s certainly no lightweight lens. But at 810g it brings a nice solid feel and on my Canon 90D it feels nicely balanced.
I’m not going to offer up any sort of technical review. There are others way more competent than me that have already done that.
If you do want to read detailed reviews I would point you to the review by the hugely competent Dustin Abbott at this link or the DP Review website (Digital Photography Review) at this link.
I am just offering up a few words and sample picture sets based on first use of the lens around the house, garden and shed.
The lens can be bought new for around the £700 mark from Sigma and probably less on Amazon. Used copies, graded as excellent are available from re-sellers like MPB for around the £420 mark.
Sample picture galleries
There are four separate picture sets in this post. These are essentially snaps taken on more or less first use of the lens.
They are all in a compressed format for the web. Given that I expect most folk will be viewing these on ‘phone or tablet I haven’t agonised over whether that has impacted on the picture quality. This post is simply offered up as a non expert/non technical amatuer user approach.
Picture gallery 1 – in the garden
Click any image to open a clickable/scrollable picture gallery
Picture gallery 2 – in the shed
Click any image to open a clickable/scrollable picture gallery
Picture gallery 3 – indoors
Click any image to open a clickable/scrollable picture gallery
Picture gallery 4 – the black cat
Click any image to open a clickable/scrollable picture gallery – anyone who had taken pictures of a black cat will know it can be challenging to capture detail.
