My first non-kit lens was the Tamron 18-200mm aspherical zoom/macro, which for some strange reason I was never happy with. It performed as advertised and always took good pics. Yet, my other lenses (Tokina 100mm macro, Canon 50mm F1.8, Tamron 70-300mm) I have always felt are totally enjoyable lenses, but the Tamron 18-200mm left me cold. Dunno why. So this week I finally sold it off and picked up a Sigma 17-70mm f2.8 - 4.0 DC HSM OS lens (
Photozone.de review) as my walking around lens.
My first test shots are here -- all done with the optical stabilization and autofocus on. I resized them down to 2048 by 1536 via
Fotosizer. Got these walking the dog in the neighborhood.
Our lovable but utterly useless dog.
This shot of the flowers, I have cropped a 100% portion below, the yellow flower above the bee to the left of center.
100% crop of above shot. 70mm, f8.0. Seems ok to me!
The autofocus had no trouble nailing this.
Also plan to take plenty of landscapes with it. More pics tomorrow if the weather lets me ride!
UPDATES: Went riding in Nantou and Changhua and grabbed a few pics. One problem appeared -- the lens cap that Sigma packed with the lens is a piece of crap. It won't go on without much fiddling and wiggling. Then I don't know whether it is on or off, and it came off twice inside my bike bag, getting the lens smeared with dirt. Really pissed me off. Below are a few more pics I took on the ride.
My friend Ciera. Obviously an excellent portrait lens.
Tea landscapes are always gorgeous.
All the addictive substances in one easy to access place!
I'm going to really enjoy this lens.
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Love the ladybug picture! Enjoy your new lens!
ReplyDeleteSigma lenses are great. i've been shooting with an 18-200 with OS for years. nothing but great results.
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ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Great color and clarity. Reflection of a good lens and good photographer :-)
ReplyDeleteGood photos, looks like it is going to be a good lens for you. Having OS is great; it opens up so many other options, you'll love it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a better IQ lens. Not quite as soft as that 18-200 super zoom. I've sold my Pentax DA 18-135 WR for Pentax DA* 55 as my new walk about. Now I'm looking for something wide like a Pentax DA 15mm Ltd. We'll have to take some photo side trips when cycling here soon.
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