Mixed Reviews

[leopardforest]

I am getting mixed reviews on the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO. I am interested in the lens because I can not afford the Canon version. I have been reading reviews saying the lens lacks contrast and tends to be soft (I am not sure what that means). Any opinions on the lens would make my day.

Thanks!!!

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[bjrouse]

Yes I have heard the same thing. If you had any dramas just send it back under warranty. I did this with a Sigma 70-200 f2.8. Now it is great
Have a lokk at the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8. I have one and it is razor sharp across the range
I use fredmiranda.com for reviews too, if you haven't heard of it.
"Soft" generally means its not sharp

Cheers

Brendan

[Don Simon]

Wide-open (ie at f/2.8) the images may be a bit soft... stopped down a bit they should not be soft at all. I have seen some of these short web reviews where people claim they shot hundreds or thousands of images and all of them were unacceptably soft... to be honest, it looks like those people either don't really have a clue what they're doing, or more likely they got a faulty copy of the lens and didn't do the common-sense thing of simply returning it for a good one or for adjusting (as bjrouse did with the 70-200).

The Sigma should be decent for the money... and if you want something with this range and speed but can't afford the Canon then basically the choice is between this and a Tamron.

[soylentgreen]

I recently returned the exact same lens, not for the image softness, but more for the slow auto-focus. It does not have a HSM motor and that really hinders the performance. In low-light, the lens was practically unusable in AF. The softness is a problem wide-open at f/2.8. Edges get fuzzy, lost of contrast, etc. Zoom is a bit stiff, but was told it will loosen up over time. Can't beat the price though. I will give it another try if they put in an HSM motor.